tools of trade

English translation: an idiom for the instruments a band uses

12:16 Aug 21, 2006
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Art/Literary - Music
English term or phrase: tools of trade
"It was also a pleasure to learn one morning that an extract from .... would be used in the credits for an episode of the cult American series "Six Feet Under", or to produce the original music for the advertisement for Jennifer Lopez’ perfume (Glow by JLO): "I had five crazy days in New York and keeping the decision makers happy on a daily basis was almost as exhausting as making an album...".

Tools of the trade: naturally these include traditional instruments (guitars, bass and keyboards). Then we find the sampler, the computer and composition software explored from every angle over the years without ever exhausting the countless possibilities, nor avoiding their dangers: "when spontaneity gets stifled by too many options. It was in the studio that I realised that acoustics and electronics could go together". Nothing is set in stone for this engineer who is equally relaxed using digital or analogue depending on what he's looking to obtain."

I am translating a short bio of a famous DJ into Turkish and have to find a suitable explanation for "tools of trade" which seems rather weird in this text. Can you please explain in to me to find a Turkish translation?

Thanks in advance...!

Tuncay
Tuncay Kurt
Türkiye
Local time: 15:45
Selected answer:an idiom for the instruments a band uses
Explanation:
It's just an expression to sum up everything that a band uses day to day.

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Note added at 7 mins (2006-08-21 12:24:00 GMT)
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Like a builder or a construction worker uses his/her tools "of the trade" a musician's "tools of the trade" are his/her instruments and other things they may use.
Selected response from:

Fan Gao
Australia
Local time: 23:45
Grading comment
Thank your for your kind and quick answer. (I also want to thank other translator as well...!)
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
3 +9tools of the trade
Armorel Young
4 +1the equipment and skills necessary to carry out one's profession
Caryl Swift
4an idiom for the instruments a band uses
Fan Gao


  

Answers


5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +9
tools of the trade


Explanation:
are anything that you need to do a particular job. They don't have to be tools in the narrow sense of "implements". So for us translators tools of the trade include things like dictionaries and computers. Basically they are "what you do the job with".

Armorel Young
Local time: 12:45
Works in field
Native speaker of: English

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  writeaway
0 min

agree  Mwananchi
19 mins

agree  NancyLynn
28 mins

agree  Alfa Trans (X)
40 mins

agree  Can Altinbay
41 mins

agree  Jack Doughty
51 mins

agree  David Moore (X)
1 hr

agree  Andy Watkinson
1 hr

agree  RHELLER: yes - objects not skills
1 hr
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
an idiom for the instruments a band uses


Explanation:
It's just an expression to sum up everything that a band uses day to day.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 7 mins (2006-08-21 12:24:00 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Like a builder or a construction worker uses his/her tools "of the trade" a musician's "tools of the trade" are his/her instruments and other things they may use.

Fan Gao
Australia
Local time: 23:45
Native speaker of: Chinese
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thank your for your kind and quick answer. (I also want to thank other translator as well...!)
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

6 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
the equipment and skills necessary to carry out one's profession


Explanation:
So here, the tools of the DJ's trade are the pieces of equipment and the instruments he lists. The tools of an actor's trade are her/his voice, movemnet skills, ability to analyse a text, enter into a character etc. A doctor's tools of trade would be knowledge, diagnostic skills and so forth.

So, in this context, tools are not necessarily the things we normally associate with that word (e.g. hammer, screwdriver, saw) but the things we need to do our job (they may tangible or intangible)

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Note added at 8 mins (2006-08-21 12:24:48 GMT)
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'movemENt' - sorry about the typo

Caryl Swift
Poland
Local time: 13:45
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  NancyLynn
28 mins
  -> Thank you! :-)
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