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
Tarifbeitrag
Spalt- und Eintauchmaß

Glossary entry

German term or phrase:

Ich heiße Sie herzlich willkommen

English translation:

I'm here to welcome you

Added to glossary by Ulrike Kraemer
Aug 17, 2007 08:13
16 yrs ago
4 viewers *
German term

Ich heiße Sie herzlich willkommen

German to English Marketing Advertising / Public Relations Kundenbetreuung
Sounds easy, doesn't it?

Im Foyer eines Firmengebäudes soll auf dem Empfangstresen ein kleines Schild stehen, mit dem die Damen, die hinter dem Tresen sitzen, jeden Besucher quasi persönlich begrüßen:

Ich heiße Sie herzlich willkommen.
Maxine Musterfrau

Der Kunde legt größten Wert auf die persönliche Note. Das "Ich" ist also mandatory.

Mir fällt beim besten Willen nichts ein, was im Englischen auch nur einigermaßen natürlich klingen würde. Hat von euch jemand eine Idee? Vorschläge highly welcome.

MTIA
Proposed translations (English)
2 +2 I'm pleased to welcome you
3 +8 It's my pleasure to welcome you
3 +3 Maxine Musterfrau / Welcome to XYZ!
3 +1 Don't translate it!
3 Welcome! How can I help you?
2 +1 I'm here to assist you
3 -1 I cordially welcome you
Change log

Aug 17, 2007 09:24: Francis Lee (X) changed "Field" from "Marketing" to "Other"

Aug 17, 2007 09:27: Steffen Walter changed "Field" from "Other" to "Marketing"

Aug 17, 2007 09:42: Francis Lee (X) changed "Field" from "Marketing" to "Other"

Aug 17, 2007 10:00: Ulrike Kraemer changed "Field" from "Other" to "Marketing"

Discussion

Z.E. Ball Aug 22, 2007:
I'm so glad you found an acceptable solution. I will keep the "team effort" in mind. I think ProZ should actually think about allowing askers to split points...I had a similar situation recently where the points should have been split equally.
Hilary Davies Shelby Aug 17, 2007:
I would also try and work in "My name is Maxine Musterfrau", because if it's a name that people might not have seen before, they may not actually recognise it as a name!
Ulrike Kraemer (asker) Aug 17, 2007:
Please ... let's remain cool, calm and collected. @Z.E.: I have e-mailed the URL of this question to the client. They will decide, and I will close and grade the question in accordance with their decision. ;-)
Francis Lee (X) Aug 17, 2007:
This is not a Marketing question IMO. Whatever ...
Z.E. Ball Aug 17, 2007:
Sorry but this is sort of getting ridiculous don't you think? Maybe you should just close the question. I'm sure you've got better things to do....don't we all?
Ulrike Kraemer (asker) Aug 17, 2007:
And, Francis - Please stop changing the general field to "Other". Thanks.
Ulrike Kraemer (asker) Aug 17, 2007:
@Francis: What I "really" think, doesn't matter at all. I'm trying to find the best possible solution for my client. Apart from that, the client is headquartered in Germany, not "over there". And their "clientèle" is international, i.e. coming from all parts of the world, not just from the UK.
Z.E. Ball Aug 17, 2007:
You've provided enough context & it isn't our job to be critical of where a translation is being used or how.If the client has asked you to do this, then your job is to do it.Whether it will be taken seriously or not etc is irrelevant.You just wanted help
Francis Lee (X) Aug 17, 2007:
So that's all the sign says? Do you really think visitors will say "Hello Ms. X"? Textclick also wonders whether "would it be taken seriously over here" ...
Ulrike Kraemer (asker) Aug 17, 2007:
@Francis: I have explained in as much detail as possible (and permitted) what the question is about. There is no more/other context, and the purpose should be clear. If there are two or three Empfangsdamen, what's the problem with a bilingual sign for each of them? The visitor knows their name right away and can say, "Hello Ms. M, I'm Mr. X, and I have an appointment with Mr. W." I'm sure the kind of company is of no importance (here).
Francis Lee (X) Aug 17, 2007:
Context? What's the purpose of the translation? Surely they're not going to have bilingual signs for each Empfangsdame? What kind of company? Plus: I agree with DHPete! Anything resembling the German would sound weird in English.
Ulrike Kraemer (asker) Aug 17, 2007:
@Z.E.: "Maxine Musterfrau" is the name of the lady behind the desk, not the visitor's name.
Peter Barker Aug 17, 2007:
Some thoughts:
Whatever you do it will be unnatural because it's a contrived situation.
This "ich" is not necessarily mandatory in a translation. The persoenliche Note can be achieved by other means - primarily the use of the client's name

Proposed translations

+2
7 mins
Selected

I'm pleased to welcome you

I'm pleased to welcome you to *company name', Ms Musterfrau

Not an easy one

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 9 mins (2007-08-17 08:23:31 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

a typo....please ignore the comma after company name

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 21 mins (2007-08-17 08:34:47 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Also found

I would like to personally welcome you to

I’m happy for the opportunity to welcome you to

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2007-08-17 09:50:41 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Re: the name...I know, that's why I said ignore the comma...it should be a period.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2007-08-17 09:58:06 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I'm here to welcome you. Maxine Musterman

Welcome to *Company*! Maxine Musterman
(I haven't forgotten the "I" issue but wanted to add this anyway.)
Peer comment(s):
agree Sladjana Spaic : Slightly another form of Armorel's answer, but nevertheless correct!
4 mins
Thanks
agree Courtney Sliwinski : This is good too!
10 mins
Thanks CS!
disagree Andrew Morgan : Ok translation, bad English idiom - "Its my pleasure to welcome you" would be the more usual form
4 hrs
I DISAGREE!!'m pleased to welcome you to*Company* is not incorrect.The"I" is also mandatory if you read the question carefully.
agree Hilary Davies Shelby : i like "i'm here to welcome you"! (I have to semi-agree with Andrew re "i'm pleased to welcome you" - it does sound a bit awkward - if i was proofreading, i'd reformulate it.
7 hrs
Thanks...I like it too.To me it's a litle awkward alone but it was intended to be followed with "welcome you to *company name*.
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: ""I'm here to welcome you. My name is MM." Thanks to all for the overwhelming response and very animated ;-) discussion. Z.E., you owe Hilary one point for her suggestion that it might be a good idea to add, "My name is ...". Thanks again."
+8
3 mins

It's my pleasure to welcome you

is my first thought - but I certainly see your difficulty in getting this right.
Peer comment(s):
agree Sladjana Spaic
6 mins
agree Courtney Sliwinski : I like this one!
14 mins
agree Hilary Davies Shelby : this sounds the most natural, I think!
24 mins
agree Textklick : (with the addition of "my name is MM and Hilary's ...and assist you? Let's face it - would it be taken seriously over here?. One wonders whether they have a default sound file to play if MM is on the phone?
43 mins
agree Ken Cox : Yep, if a formal tone fits the situation. Of course, this invites the response from the visitor: "Thank you, it's my pleasure to be welcomed'.
50 mins
agree Aniello Scognamiglio (X)
1 hr
neutral jhweaver : I don't like the "it's" if formality is desired...I shudder at the thought of contractions engraved in stone.
1 hr
agree Andrew Morgan : sounds good to me
4 hrs
agree PoveyTrans (X) : Yes
4 days
Something went wrong...
50 mins

Welcome! How can I help you?

Another option. A lot depends on the general tone of the setting, which one can only guess, and I agree that this is a very tricky problem. It's very easy to get the tone wrong, either too formal or too casual.

Incidentally, I wonder whether this is actually supposed to make the customers feel better or encourage the receptionists to be more customer friendly. Surely training the receptionists to deal with visitors in a friendly, polite manner would be much more effective for the personal touch than any message on a sign.
Peer comment(s):
neutral Andrew Morgan : To a UKE native speaker this sounds rather false, very American, very Wal-Mart
3 hrs
That's what I mean with the difficulty of getting the right tone. 'It's my pleasure to welcome you' would sound stiff to Americans. ;-)
neutral jhweaver : To an AE native speaker it also reminds me of Wal-Mart. How *may* I help you somehow comes across as more professional
3 hrs
True enough; but I would say more polite instead of more professional.
Something went wrong...
+1
1 hr

Don't translate it!

I suppose you're being asked to translate the sign and so you can't really say 'no,' but this is one of those things I would not want to see translated. "Willkommen" is one of those words people ought to recognize no matter how much German they understand, and signs saying "Welcome" in 10 or 20 languages are common in advertising (at least in the US). So I think most English-speakers in Germany would understand the German just fine, and might even prefer the 'local' touch more than a translation.

While all of the suggestions above sound natural in English, what's not mentioned is that the very concept sounds cheesy and insincere! Anything other than "Welcome to XXX Company" - i.e. a "persönliche Note" - would come across to me as overdone rather than welcoming. For whatever reason, I don't feel that way about the German.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2007-08-17 09:59:23 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Err, XYZ company not XXX company!

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2007-08-17 10:03:36 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

The first thing I would say to any foreign visitor to Germany, regardless of their German ability, is "Willkommen". And then switch to English. It's just like Neu-Deutsch/Denglish in reverse.
Peer comment(s):
agree Francis Lee (X)
15 mins
neutral Hilary Davies Shelby : honestly - I really think you're overestimating the intelligence of the general public here - people who do not speak another language at all (and there are many) will look at it and see "foreign"!
42 mins
Sigh! Possible I suppose, but I'd like to think that after someone has managed to find their way to the company in Germany, they've at least heard a welcome before. But then again I may be overestimating kindness too.
neutral Aniello Scognamiglio (X) : Please translate it!
59 mins
why?
Something went wrong...
+1
33 mins

I'm here to assist you

Obviously this is NOT a direct translation, but it might sound a bit more natural to say something like: "Welcome to X, I'd be delighted to assist you".

I still like Armorel's suggestion better, though - it's very ...welcoming!

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2007-08-17 10:28:07 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I would also try and work in "My name is Maxine Musterfrau", because if it's a name that people might not have seen before, they may not actually recognise it as a name!
Note from asker:
Good suggestion, Hilary. Thanks.
Peer comment(s):
agree Z.E. Ball : Your addition.."My name is...." is really good...will keep the team effort in mind!
5 days
Something went wrong...
-1
2 hrs

I cordially welcome you

cor-dial (kôr'juhl; esp. Brit. -dee uhl) adj.
1. courteous and gracious; warm: a cordial
reception.
2. invigorating the heart; stimulating.
3. sincere; heartfelt: a cordial dislike.
4. Archaic. of or pertaining to the heart.
Peer comment(s):
disagree Andrew Morgan : "Cordial" is very old-fashioned and is only nowadays ever really used with "invite"
1 hr
Cordial is another way of saying a warm welcome and being formal. That it might be old fashioned does not mean it is wrong or disqualifies!
Something went wrong...
+3
2 hrs

Maxine Musterfrau / Welcome to XYZ!

Not quite so sure why you need the "I" in there.

I worked for an Austrian textile machinery company here in the US. We had a sign welcoming important guests. The first line had the name of the guest, personally mentioned, followed by their company name. The next line said: Welcome to XYZ!

I wouldn't even go as far as adding the "assist" / "help" part. That's what the receptionist is there for....

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2007-08-17 10:45:00 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Weird, why would the receptionist's name. OK, well in that case I would simply say: My name is Maxine Musterfrau / Welcome to XYZ!
Peer comment(s):
agree Hilary Davies Shelby : Maxine Musterfrau is the name of the receptionist - it's a sign for her desk to indicate who she is and that she is here to welcome visitors//Works for me!
7 mins
Weird, why would the receptionist's name. OK, well in that case I would simply say: My name is Maxine Musterfrau / Welcome to XYZ!
agree Stuart Dykes : This is exactly what I would have said (.ie. My name is MM. Welcome to XX)
36 mins
agree Francis Lee (X)
48 mins
Something went wrong...
Close search
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search