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  3. Idioms / Maxims / Sayings

Wie muss man sich das vorstellen

English translation: thought processes

21:38 Dec 10, 2012
German to English translations [PRO]
Bus/Financial - Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
German term or phrase: Wie muss man sich das vorstellen
Taken from a book explaining basic economic theory:

Wie muss man sich das vorstellen, wenn Menschen Entscheidungen darüber treffen, ob sie ihr Geld für Kuchen ausgeben oder für etwas anderes? Dies ist eine für die Wirtschaftswissenschaft grundlegene Frage, denn non der Antwort hängt ab, wie...

My suggestion is "How are we to understand it when..." but somehow I don't feel this is quite right. I would be grateful for any suggestions. Many thanks.
Brian Browne
Local time: 02:49
English translation:thought processes
Explanation:
e.g.
what thought processes are involved when...
what thought processes take place when...
what are the thought processes when...

(one asks oneself)
Selected response from:

Cilian O'Tuama
Germany
Local time: 02:49
Grading comment
Many thanks to everyone for the useful suggestions. This one seems to fit the context best: What thought processes are involved when people decide to spend their money on cake or on something else?
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +4thought processes
Cilian O'Tuama
3 +3How do we understand the decisions people make about ...
Apurva Barve
4 +1What does it mean?
philgoddard
4How do we picture
Peter Nutting
4How do people decide if to spend their money on ...
Angela Marshall
3what triggers people (better: consumers) to...
Nicole Schnell
3How do people arrive at decisions..
Michael Martin, MA
3How come
Anne Schulz


Discussion entries: 5





  

Answers


7 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
What does it mean?


Explanation:
Or you could be even more concise and say: "Why do people make specific decisions to spend their money on..."

" How are we to understand it" is the correct literal meaning, but I agree that it's a bit of a mouthful.

philgoddard
United States
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 14

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Helen Shiner: I like 'what does it mean?'
53 mins
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9 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
How do we understand the decisions people make about ...


Explanation:
How would we describe the monetary decisions people take/make, for example, whether to spend money on cake or...

Just a guess :)

Apurva Barve
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in MarathiMarathi

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Cilian O'Tuama: how does one go about understanding the thinking behind our decisions
1 hr
agree  Helen Shiner: With Cilian's slightly altered version.
1 hr
agree  paerte (X): How can we define the comlex decision-making process that leads consumers to spend their income on cake versus something else?
12 hrs
neutral  BrigitteHilgner: In my opinion, the beginning of the German sentence is waffle and should be dropped.
12 hrs
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19 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
what triggers people (better: consumers) to...


Explanation:
spend money on [product A] instead of [product B]?

(It's all about psychology.)

Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 17:49
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 64

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Lancashireman: Trigger + NOUN + infinitive... Sounds like a Denglisch construction to me, Nicole, but I suspect that you will presently reassure us that this is contemporary EN-US grammar.
1 hr
  -> Oh, good grief, Andrew. I am not a native speaker of English and everyone knows that. I do, however, very often convey the true native meaning (apparently lesser language than precious, superior BE) and explanation and leave the grading to teachers. :-)
neutral  philgoddard: Actually trigger + noun + infinitive is right, but trigger + animate noun + infinitive is wrong. You can trigger decisions, but not people.
2 hrs
  -> Thanks, Phil! At least I am glad that firstly, my thinking is not reduced to grammatical structures, and secondly apparently has "triggered" appropriate contributions by other colleagues. My job is done. :-)
neutral  Helen Shiner: Perhaps best to use the discussion box to point out "true native meaning". This is not about US/UK differences; just what Phil has explained.
14 hrs
neutral  Cilian O'Tuama: i agree it's all about psychology :-)
2 days 2 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +4
thought processes


Explanation:
e.g.
what thought processes are involved when...
what thought processes take place when...
what are the thought processes when...

(one asks oneself)

Cilian O'Tuama
Germany
Local time: 02:49
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 109
Grading comment
Many thanks to everyone for the useful suggestions. This one seems to fit the context best: What thought processes are involved when people decide to spend their money on cake or on something else?

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Lancashireman
47 mins
agree  Sven Petersson
56 mins
agree  784512 (X)
3 hrs
agree  Horst Huber (X): How do we form an image of, or analyze, interpret the thought processes.
2 days 32 mins
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
How do we picture


Explanation:
How do we picture/imagine the ways people decide how to spend their money, be it on cake or other things?

"Understand" sounds too rational to me in this context. "Picture" or "imagine" would allow for a broader discussion--with concrete examples--of how spending decisions are made.

Peter Nutting
United States
Local time: 20:49
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
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34 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
How do people arrive at decisions..


Explanation:
..to spend their money on one thing over another?
Or:
"How do people go about making decisions to spend their money on one thing over another?


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 7 Stunden (2012-12-11 05:05:54 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

For sensitive UK ears:
"How do people arrive at decisions to spend their money on one thing rather than another?"

Michael Martin, MA
United States
Local time: 20:49
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)
neutral  Lancashireman: Spend money on NOUN over NOUN? The English language continues to develop by leaps over bounds.
1 hr
  -> Indeed it does.
neutral  Cilian O'Tuama: This is not an English I am familiar with.//Please remain so full of yourself.
1 hr
  -> That's quite all right.//Not at all. Exercise in projection?
neutral  Helen Shiner: Unfortunately, I have to agree with Andrew and Cilian here, and I don't think it is a UK/US thing either.
13 hrs
  -> You're right. It's not..
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9 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
How do people decide if to spend their money on ...


Explanation:
In my opinion, the meaning of the sentence is best conveyed in a concise translation.

Angela Marshall
Australia
Local time: 10:19
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman, Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Armorel Young: "if to spend" simply isn't English//the right word would be "whether"
2 hrs
  -> 'How do people decide if to spend their money on cake or on something else?' would be the full sentence.
agree  BrigitteHilgner: ... what to spend their money on
3 hrs
neutral  Helen Shiner: With Armorel
9 hrs
disagree  Cilian O'Tuama: agree with BH, but this wording isn't English, as Armorel points out.
1 day 16 hrs
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21 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
How come


Explanation:
How come people decide to spend their money on a cake rather than other things...
(I agree with Brigitte that this is basically waffle and can be kept short, e.g. "Why do people..." or "How come someone decides...")

Anne Schulz
Germany
Local time: 02:49
Native speaker of: German
PRO pts in category: 8
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