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  3. Idioms / Maxims / Sayings

Kopierschlampe

English translation: file bitch

11:12 May 2, 2012
German to English translations [PRO]
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings / Derogatory term
German term or phrase: Kopierschlampe
A derogatory term supposedly spread on the Internet about someone in business in Germany.
TechLawDC
United States
Local time: 07:42
English translation:file bitch
Explanation:
Suggestion.

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Note added at 1 hr (2012-05-02 12:49:00 GMT)
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file bitch

A derogatory term for a secretary, assistant, or intern that does the most demeaning and menial office work. This person is almost always at the bottom of the company ladder, making them a living target for all their coworkers.
Jim: God, I really don't want to have to copy all of this crap. Then it's got to get filed. It's gonna take all night.

Mike: Well, just give it to the file bitch. She's not a real person anyway.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=office slave
Selected response from:

Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 04:42
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +4file bitch
Nicole Schnell
4lackey/yes-man/groveller
Ramey Rieger (X)
3 +1office slave
Michael Martin, MA
3 +1dogsbody (UK)
Colin Rowe
3copy-cat
Wendy Lewin
3office slut
Max Hellwig
3 -1wannabe
Edwin Miles


Discussion entries: 6





  

Answers


49 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): -1
wannabe


Explanation:
As Ramey says, we need more info, but I'm going to throw this out there anyway.

"Wannabe" suggests someone unable to come up with anything original and who therefore resorts to merely copying those with more imagination. At the same time, though, "wannabe" suggests that the person is not actually successful and probably never will be.

Is this "Kopierschlampe" successful? If so, don't use "wannabe"... history is full of successful copycats and unsuccessful first-movers.

Edwin Miles
Germany
Local time: 13:42
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 12

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Lonnie Legg: wide of the mark
12 days
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +4
file bitch


Explanation:
Suggestion.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2012-05-02 12:49:00 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

file bitch

A derogatory term for a secretary, assistant, or intern that does the most demeaning and menial office work. This person is almost always at the bottom of the company ladder, making them a living target for all their coworkers.
Jim: God, I really don't want to have to copy all of this crap. Then it's got to get filed. It's gonna take all night.

Mike: Well, just give it to the file bitch. She's not a real person anyway.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=office slave

Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 04:42
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 64
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  philgoddard: This may well be the perfect answer, but we don't have any context.
56 mins
neutral  Max Hellwig: I agree with Phil...
1 hr
agree  Michael Martin, MA: Weighing the "evidence", that seems to be the best bet!
4 hrs
agree  Usch Pilz: brutal term - but yes!
5 hrs
agree  Johanna Timm, PhD: perfect
11 hrs
agree  Dipl.-Kfm. Bernhard Aicher MBA
11 days
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
lackey/yes-man/groveller


Explanation:
to name a few, take your pick

OR

low man/woman on the totem pole


Ramey Rieger (X)
Germany
Local time: 13:42
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 70
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57 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
office slave


Explanation:
I could be mistaken of course but I have a feeling that this is more of a reference to poorly paid office personnel assigned to "lowly" copying duties.. Seems to be used in blogs a lot.

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Note added at 2 hrs (2012-05-02 13:48:34 GMT)
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That's an evolving term with context being even more key than usual. Also, with "Schlampe", sexual connotations could play into it.


    Reference: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=office%20slav...
Michael Martin, MA
United States
Local time: 07:42
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 63

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Robin Salmon (X)
1 hr
  -> Thanks but I am not sure that I agree any more..
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2 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
copy-cat


Explanation:
suggeestion, though not quite as derogatory

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Note added at 3 hrs (2012-05-02 14:21:42 GMT)
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jsut shows you how important context is. Depending on what is meant, copy-cat may be completely wrong,as Phil suggests

Wendy Lewin
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:42
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Michael Martin, MA: A native speaker suggested that use in this sense is becoming more popular whereas my suggestion seems to reflect a more "traditional" use of that expression....
1 hr
  -> thanks!
disagree  philgoddard: This doesn't work - copycat means something quite different.
2 hrs
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
dogsbody (UK)


Explanation:
I like the emphatic sound of "file bitch", but have never heard it in the UK.
The British equivalent of a "gofer", i.e. someone who performs menial or trivial tasks for others, would be a "dogsbody".
For an office-specific context, it can also be qualified: "the office dogsbody".
This term is not specific to females, however, and can be applied equally to men or women.

Examples:

"She basically is the office dogsbody – making the tea; doing the filing; fixing the photocopier etc. But however lowly and menial her office tasks may be at the ..."

http://www.google.de/url?sa=t&rct=j&q="office dogsbody" "pho...

"It's all very well putting yourself forward for the odd task, but do it all the time and you risk becoming the office dogsbody.

http://www.microsofttraining.net/article-1126-how-say-no-and...

"The trials and tribulations of an office dogsbody"

http://www.google.de/url?sa=t&rct=j&q="office dogsbody"&sour...

"He was gofer and general office dogsbody for the first year, coming in at around five and leaving at around ten."

http://www.google.de/url?sa=t&rct=j&q="office dogsbody"&sour...



Colin Rowe
Germany
Local time: 13:42
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 63

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Wendy Lewin
6 hrs
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
office slut


Explanation:
Schlampe used to be someone who can't keep order, but with time became 'slut'. If the context suggests something sexual, that's the way I'd go.

Max Hellwig
Germany
Local time: 13:42
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
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