Björn Vrooman Jul 17, 2017:

I did say twice that I may be wrong and I even posted an example supporting your answer. I merely explained why I had trouble with the sentence here because I'm not sure what they're actually trying to say. I can't tell from the limited context.

I don't see how this has anything to do with "we just say it differently," as the issue I had was that the German term isn't common at all and most of the examples you can find online certainly have nothing to do with grade or quality. If that wasn't the case, I wouldn't even have written another discussion post. That does not mean I am disagreeing with your suggestion and if the explanation given isn't convincing enough, fine by me. I didn't even post an answer or such.

Best

Helen Shiner Jul 17, 2017:

Björn If it is conservation-grade or quality, it means it has already been approved by the conservation fraternity, or no-one serious in the profession would be using it. I feel you are over-thinking it, and sticking too close to the German, rather than accepting EN usage. Sometimes we just say it differently, and often from the opposite end of a process.a

Björn Vrooman Jul 17, 2017:

Hello Emma My point was that while I could imagine this being a rather uncommon use of the word, most examples I found reference what herbalchemist posted below. If "fachmännisch geprüft" wasn't clear enough, then maybe these other German examples are:
TÜV-geprüft
ärztlich geprüft

It'd be odd to translate the first as TÜV grade/quality. I'd expect TÜV-certified/approved.

The second one isn't medical grade either because that'd be "für medizinische Anwendungen geeignet" or similar (could just be a statement by the company that everything's in order if you know what I mean).

I did say I don't know what kind of document you're translating, so I may be wrong.

The question that remains is: Why would a museum tout the use of 'conservation grade' here? This feels like saying "We only use water-proof materials" when you're selling snorkeling equipment.

I'd think they're talking about this:
"die immer noch nicht beendete Renovierung der Museumsstadt ist. Die Arbeit von sieben Architekten und vielen Konservatoren will harmonisch koordiniert sein."
http://www.zeit.de/1995/19/Der_Chef_der_Bilder

This would mean they are talking about conservators' approval, not just "grade."

Best wishes

Emma Rault (X) (asker) Jul 17, 2017:

thank you all for your in-depth thoughts on this topic, and for reflecting on just what exactly the process behind the term is. Space is of the essence in this particular instance, so I think 'conversation-quality' will do the job.

Herbmione Granger Jul 17, 2017:

checked by conservator very likely "In der scheinbaren Unordnung, die sich wie bei jeder Neuaufnahme auch für einige Tage im Archiv ausbreitete, bis alle neu eingetroffenen Objekte entpackt, konservatorisch geprüft und zur Inventarisierung und Magazinierung vorbereitet waren, steckt ein wiederkehrendes System, nach dem der Bildhauer Alltagsobjekte genauso wie Baumonumente aus Papier abformt." http://www.kunstfonds.de/ausstellungen/archiv-schauraum/graf...

Antragsteller müssen ihre Zuwendungsanträge vor Beginn der Maßnahme beim zuständigen Regierungspräsidium einreichen. Die Anträge werden dort konservatorisch geprüft, die denkmalpflegerische Priorität der Maßnahme wird nach Punkten bewertet." http://www.rechnungshof.baden-wuerttemberg.de/de/veroeffentl...

Björn Vrooman Jul 17, 2017:

PS Here's indeed confirmation for the use of "conservation grade" by a British-based architecture firm:
"Using conservation grade materials we have restored the timber and render façade, the Horsham stone and clay tile roofs as well as installing central heating and a complete rewire and lighting."
http://www.cowan-architects.co.uk/portfolio_page/old-stone-h...

Still, Lancashireman has a point about this being obvious from the context. That's why I rather liked "approved to ensure...conservation" because it doesn't make it so obvious that you use conservation grade materials for a refurbishment (this should be a given, should it not?). You'd have the alternative of saying "carefully selected materials" and adding the "to ensure" bit.

Björn Vrooman Jul 17, 2017:

My issue with grade/quality is that it suggests some kind of external/independent process. However, if you think of similar German compounds such as "fachmännisch geprüft," there's actually a particular person involved, i.e., "geprüft durch einen Fachmann" or inspected/approved by a specialist. When I hear grade/quality, I think of this here:
"staubdichte Verschließung mit konservatorisch einwandfreien Materialien, sowie optisch entspiegeltes Museums-Glas auf Wunsch mit UV-Schutz"
http://www.kunsthandlung-schoenen.de/einrahmung.php

Additionally, there are numerous Ghits for conservation quality/grade, but very few for "konservatorisch geprüft" and almost all of them reference what is described at the link I posted (konservatorisch geprüft to determine whether an object needs to be repaired/restored). I can't tell from the limited context what it is.

Best wishes

oa_xxx (X) Jul 17, 2017:

materials for packaging/storage/display undergo quite rigorous testing to ensure that they won't negatively affect the artwork so its a bit more than just having been successfully used in the past - as Björn suggests something with approved, see conservation-approved and conservation grade http://www.conservation-us.org/docs/default-source/education...