This site uses cookies. Some of these cookies are essential to the operation of the site, while others help to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used. For more information, please see the ProZ.com privacy policy.
Cookie settings
vorne (vs. vor)
Leitende Ärztin vs. Oberärztin (CH)

Glossary entry

German term or phrase:

hinten vs. zurück

English translation:

at the rear (end) or in the rear position vs. to the rear

Added to glossary by Johannes Gleim
May 24, 2023 22:25
12 mos ago
37 viewers *
German term

hinten vs. zurück

German to English Tech/Engineering Mechanics / Mech Engineering
Hi folks. I asked the matching question earlier.

As you expect, there is virtually no context for this. I suspect that 'zurück' is used on a display screen that shows a button and this would trigger an action. For example,

Schiebertisch zurück

would be Schiebertisch back (don't worry about Schiebertisch, the customer has words for those). I view this as 'start moving something back'.

My problem is with 'hinten'. This comes in the text like this:

Schiebertisch hinten

Again, don't worry about the Schiebertisch, it is a movable part on the machine. What I assume (only based on my experience) is that hinten means that the device has been moved back as far as it will go and this is the message on some sort of indicator or status light.

What I would like to know, since I cannot use 'back' for both of these, what would you suggest? I would like to use back for zurück but what do you suggest for hinten?

Thanks for reading this far.

Yours,
cantrell
Proposed translations (English)
4 at the rear (end) or in the rear position vs. behind of
4 +1 to the back
4 +1 rear
4 Retracted / retract
Change log

May 29, 2023 19:40: Johannes Gleim Created KOG entry

May 29, 2023 19:41: Johannes Gleim changed "Edited KOG entry" from "<a href="/profile/35790">Johannes Gleim's</a> old entry - "hinten vs. zurück"" to ""at the rear (end) or in the rear position vs. behind of ""

Discussion

Björn Vrooman May 25, 2023:
@jccantrell I mostly agree with Darin. In fact, I agree with everything he said, though I have to ask: why not let some prepositions do the heavy lifting?

Vorne / hinten = up front / in back

Zurück / vor = to front / to back (or move to...)

Same style, same number of characters. It's not unlike copy from / copy to.

If this kind of solution doesn't work in the given context (not sure I understood it all correctly, tbh), Darin would certainly get my vote here.

Best wishes
Schtroumpf May 25, 2023:
This one seems easier than "vorn" Wouldn'it be enough to write "back" for hinten and "backward" for zurück?
Darin Fitzpatrick May 25, 2023:
Fundamental problem This is a common issue in both languages, because machine programmers want to abbreviate by dropping words (often driven by text size limits). The key distinction is between motion and location (or condition), so I like using words that unambiguously indicate one or the other.
Here I would suggest “retract table” and “table retracted” for the action and location respectively. The word order can also help - “verb object” vs “object verbed”, if you see what I mean.

Proposed translations

17 hrs
Selected

at the rear (end) or in the rear position vs. behind of

I would at a particle like 'in' or 'at' or specify the ‘rear end' or the 'rear position'.

back Adv. | hinten
behind Adv. | hinten
rear Adv. | hinten
https://dict.leo.org/englisch-deutsch/hinten

Die Arretierung des Führungswagens hinten ist jetzt ebenfalls zu schrauben, so dass das Verdeck hinten leicht herausgezogen werden könnte, falls erforderlich.
tse-trailersystems.de
Adjustment of the guiding wagon from the rear is also now conducted via threading, enabling the cover to be pulled out slightly in the rear if necessary.
tse-trailersystems.de
https://www.linguee.de/deutsch-englisch/search?source=auto&q...

For instance , if the operating slide is at the rear of a machine where the trip dogs cannot be adjusted readily …
https://www.google.de/books/edition/Ingenious_Mechanisms_for...
(page 170)

The engine is at the forward end of the semi-circular part of the track while the last carriage is at the rear end of the semi-circular track.
https://www.toppr.com/ask/question/a-train-has-just-complete...

… supported by the rear portion of the supporting bar when the slide is at the rear end of the groove , …
https://books.google.de/books?id=G2qAFKVf-14C&pg=PA199&lpg=P...

With the carriage situated at the rear position, a new drill rod is positioned in proximity with the rotary drive of the carriage.
https://patents.google.com/patent/US9719314

When the percussion piston is in the rear position, it changes its direction of motion from the return motion to the impact direction.
https://www.freepatentsonline.com/5890548.html

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 17 Stunden (2023-05-25 16:03:26 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Forgot 'behind of' and use "back(wards) or 'to the rear'
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Again, I chose Johannes. I used 'at the back' here. The text already had 'ausgefahre/eingefahren' so that was out. 'To the back suggests the motion, so that was out. Thanks to everyone for this one."
+1
5 mins

to the back

As you said correctly, hinten means that it is moved to the back. Can you not just use "to the back" instead of "back" then?
Peer comment(s):
agree writeaway : Asker used 'at' the back. So the preposition seems to have been the difficulty.
3 days 42 mins
Something went wrong...
+1
4 hrs

rear

How about simply using "rear" or "aft"?

Not a reference but there are some use cases here: https://dict.leo.org/german-english/hinten
Peer comment(s):
agree Sean O'Byrne
1 day 6 hrs
Something went wrong...
7 hrs

Retracted / retract

I use this often, but without context it is hard to be sure that it fits the particular machine. See discussion for more thoughts.
Something went wrong...
Close search
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search