depress

04:22 Jul 7, 2013 

I wish I could award points to everyone as the voices of all you were important to me.

12:53 Jul 2, 2013 

one of those Japanese translations - you know the type; in a fridge manual, we once found the following:
Wenn das Licht nicht leuchtet, ist die Birne niedergebrannt....

I wholeheartedly agree with Jo; I'd be extremely inclined to reject the job. If the source text is so laden with errors as to make it incomprehensible, the customer cannot hold you responsible for any delay occasioned to the translation! Of course, your reputation is at stake, isn't it...

12:43 Jul 2, 2013 

The manual needs to be rewritten properly.
"Verify a test lamp does not illuminates harness connector terminal 27 and ground" is gibberish

09:29 Jul 2, 2013 

This latest bit of context makes it clear that the original author is using the verb incorrectly. (S)he thinks it means "unpress". See my answer for more detail.

09:28 Jul 2, 2013 

there is no question of logic here; the word "depress" does NOT mean "release", whatever the function of the prefix "de-" may be in words such as deactivate, debug, and too many others to list.

I don't in fact believe that the "de" element here is a prefix; think of words such as "destroy". deploy", and so on...

09:21 Jul 2, 2013 

I can't see a way to modify my question, but I need share my knowledge of the manual logic.

There are a number of tests to diagnose components. On the face their output is simple to a technician:
1. Press A and see if a test lamp is illuminated.
2. Release A and see if a test lamp is not illuminated.

According to this logic the pair of sentences is:
Verify a test lamp illuminates harness connector terminal 27 and ground while the brake pedal is pressed.
Verify a test lamp does not illuminates harness connector terminal 27 and ground while the brake pedal is depressed.

Please disregard the awful grammar to assess the logic.

Am I the only one appalled by the use of 'intuition' rather than a dictionary?
Please see http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101019094229AA...

09:09 Jul 2, 2013 

de·press (d-prs)
tr.v. de·pressed, de·press·ing, de·press·es
1. To lower in spirits; deject.
2.
a. To cause to drop or sink; lower: The drought depressed the water level in the reservoirs.
b. To press down: Depress the space bar on a typewriter.
3. To lessen the activity or force of; weaken: feared that rising inflation would further depress the economy.
4. To lower prices in (a financial market).
[Middle English depressen, to push down, from Old French depresser, from Latin dprimere, dpress- : d-, de- + premere, to press; see per-4 in Indo-European roots.]