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Glossary entry

German term or phrase:

ans Eingemachte gehen

English translation:

it really comes down to the crunch / it's time to really get down to business/to the nitty-gritty/brass tacks

Added to glossary by Paul Cohen
Mar 5, 2009 19:26
15 yrs ago
8 viewers *
German term

es geht ans Eingemachte

German to English Marketing Idioms / Maxims / Sayings Expressions
Context:
The article deals with all of the new communication tools the internet has brought into existence (i.e. Skype, Twitter, Facebook, etc.) It's very informal and part of a company newsletter.

Original sentence:
"Spannend wird´s nur, wenn Ihr Persönlichkeitsprofil zunehmend über Ihre öffentlichen Präsenz im Netz beurteilt wird. Dann geht’s nämlich daten- und karrieretechnisch so richtig ans Eingemachte."

Translation:
"What is really interesting is when one’s personality profile is judged to a greater extent than one’s public presence on the Internet. In this case, ..."


The sentence preceding the one using the term in question has also thrown me for a bit of a loop but I think that is just because I am tired from translating all day and I'm sure clarity (& a good translation!) will strike me sooner or later. In the meantime, this is what I have come up with...I just really don't know what to do with the sentence that includes "Eingemachte". All of the translations I have seen for it before don't really seem to make much sense given the context.

Thank you in advance for any suggestions!
Proposed translations (English)
4 +1 it really comes down to the crunch / it's time to really get down to business
4 Posing
3 s.u.
3 to be in deep territory
3 That's where it really gets down to the nitty-gritty
References
...auch im Glossar gibts Eingemachtes
Change log

Mar 9, 2009 17:16: Paul Cohen Created KOG entry

Apr 4, 2009 11:58: Steffen Walter changed "Field (specific)" from "General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters" to "Idioms / Maxims / Sayings"

Apr 4, 2009 12:00: Steffen Walter changed "Term asked" from "Eingemachte" to "es geht ans Eingemachte"

Jun 14, 2012 18:01: Steffen Walter changed "Field" from "Other" to "Marketing"

Discussion

Johanna Timm, PhD Mar 5, 2009:
some ideas I think the expression means, here:
"To disclose and savor things that were meant to be kept secret; ‘richtig’ adds an element of
glee to it – which is in tune with the sarcastic tone of the paragraph (“Spannend wird’s…”)
This is actually very much in line with the historical origin of this idiom.

To keep the imagery, maybe something with eating, feasting, indulging …and/or forbidden fruit etc would work?


OR one could move away from that idiom and use an entirely different image that conveys the same message
“Because, as we all know…. ‘everywhere that Mary goes that info is sure to go…’”
Helen Shiner Mar 5, 2009:
Sorry to have caused confusion - I am perfectly well aware of what 'über' means here - my sample sentence was not an attempt to translate the sentence, but I appreciate it was not a good choice of wording.
Paul Cohen Mar 5, 2009:
Absolutely - "über" means "via" here I couldn't agree more. People are increasingly judged by their online presence (Facebook, etc.). So it's not a question of "das Netz über alles" here!
Armorel Young Mar 5, 2009:
Let's think about über I agree with agnesvukovich in that I think "über" has been widely misinterpreted here - I see it as meaning "via" (and I think that is supported by the fact that it is followed by the accusative and not the dative) - it's saying that your personality is judged VIA your presence on the net, not "to a greater extent than". Apply for a job and your prospective employer will Google you and find your profile on Facebook, that sort of thing.

Proposed translations

+1
46 mins
German term (edited): Eingemachte
Selected

it really comes down to the crunch / it's time to really get down to business

The idea behind "ins Eingemachte gehen" here is that things get really serious.

One possible translation:
"But things get really interesting when your personality profile is increasingly judged by your public online presence. That's when it really comes down to the crunch data and career-wise."

Another option:
"That's when it's time to really get down to business data and career-wise."


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2009-03-05 21:45:39 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

As others have pointed out in previous questions, this expression comes from the days when people only ate their preserves (Eingemachte) in the cellar when they had run out of all other food.

Here's a dictionary entry that may help clarify the two general meanings of "ans Eingemachte gehen":

1) to eat into one's reserves

Example: "Nachdem wir für den Umbau der Fabrik unseren Gewinn bereits verbraucht haben, geht's jetzt ans Eingemachte. Jetzt müssen wir die Rücklagen und das Grundkapital anbrechen."

2) to get down to business/brass tacks/the nitty-gritty/(the heart of matter), now comes the crunch

Example: "So, jetzt haben wir lange genug 'small talk' gehalten, jetzt geht's ans Eingemachte -- an die Diskussion der kritischen Punkte, die unsere Beziehungen seit Jahren belasten."

I would say that "Eingemachte" in this context falls somewhere in the realm of the second definition.

Source: Routledge German - English Dictionary of Idioms, 1995

Peer comment(s):
agree Jeanette Phillips
17 hrs
neutral itla : Getting down to business means getting serious. I don't think this applies here. "That's when things start getting visceral" (emotional rather than intellectual) would fit better here.
2 days 19 hrs
It does mean things get serious. Note: the asker's initial idea with "to a greater extent than" is an incorrect translation. If it were correct, then "visceral" might work. See Amorel's comment in the discussion section.
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you to everyone who shared their ideas!"
9 mins
German term (edited): Eingemachte

s.u.

In Dietl/Lorenz the figurative meaning of 'das Eingemachte' is termed 'scraping the barrel'. Perhaps the following suggestion is totally off the mark, but its equivalent imay be "hitting the substance [or] the essence of the matter" (????????). We all have to help on this one!.
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22 mins
German term (edited): Eingemachte

to be in deep territory

Very tricky sentence. I am not sure if I can offer a good solution for the "ans Eingemachte gehen" but the previous sentences has definitely been misunderstood! It means that your personality profile is judged more and more according to your presence on the web (e.g. how visible you are on the net, in search engines, etc.).
For the "Eingemachte" I would suggest: "then you are in really deep territory data and career-wise" but I am not entirely happy with it.
Peer comment(s):
neutral Anne-Marie Grant (X) : That's a very useful translation of the text's meaning. I wonder, though, whether 'in deep trouble' rather than 'territory' could work?
16 mins
neutral Paul Cohen : Could be understood as "in deep trouble" (akin to Helen's "in a pickle/mess"), which is not quite right, in my opinion.
2 hrs
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40 mins
German term (edited): Eingemachte

Posing

If people evalue your information and come to the wrong impression, due to the information you have given, they would probably call you a poser ( Angeber) , later on.
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1 hr
German term (edited): Eingemachte

That's where it really gets down to the nitty-gritty

Sounds best to me ...
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Reference comments

1 hr
Reference:

...auch im Glossar gibts Eingemachtes

Peer comments on this reference comment:
agree writeaway : Glossar? Was ist das? ;-)
3 hrs
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