Glossary entry (derived from question below)
German term or phrase:
Staatsminister a.D.
English translation:
[Former or Retired] State Secretary of ... [ret.]
Added to glossary by
Kaiya J. Diannen
Dec 17, 2002 18:43
21 yrs ago
9 viewers *
German term
Australia
Meticulous Attention to Detail = Quality
Native in: English (Variant: US)
Works in: German to English
Staatsminister a.D.
German to English
Other
Government / Politics
Political Title
Listed as a position (among others) held by someone giving a reference.
I am aware of the common translations as former "State Minister" or "Minister of State", however, a German colleague who also has a law degree and works in the legal and political arena says that this is not a precise translation of the position, since it is not an appointed member of a cabinet. He mentioned it's more like "Sekretaer", but couldn't help me with a precise English translation. Should I leave it in the German, or possibly put "Minister of State" in parentheses?
I am aware of the common translations as former "State Minister" or "Minister of State", however, a German colleague who also has a law degree and works in the legal and political arena says that this is not a precise translation of the position, since it is not an appointed member of a cabinet. He mentioned it's more like "Sekretaer", but couldn't help me with a precise English translation. Should I leave it in the German, or possibly put "Minister of State" in parentheses?
Proposed translations
(English)
Change log
Aug 18, 2010 13:24: Steffen Walter changed "Field (specific)" from "(none)" to "Government / Politics"
Proposed translations
+1
1 hr
Selected
Secretary of Economic Affairs for Saxony-Anhalt, ret.
would be the complete title, as JanetR surmised
2 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Hats off to both Edith and Klaus for recognizing what I was really asking. In the end, I compromised and left out the "Sachsen-Anhalt" because the author hadn't actually listed that part of his title (along with 'Wirtschaft'). I hope he doesn't mind the part I did expand on, though. It's always a little frustrating when what's provided isn't accurate. Thank you for your help!"
+2
3 mins
Cilian O'Tuama
Germany
Germany
Native in English
Germany
Quality Translations since 1986
Native in: English
Works in: German to English, English, German, and 6 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
24
Secretary of State
Staatsminister m secretary of state, Amerikanisches Englisch secretary
Langenscheidt
a.D. außer Dienst: retired, in retirement
Langenscheidt
a.D. außer Dienst: retired, in retirement
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Elisabeth Ghysels
1 min
|
| agree |
Pro Lingua
7 mins
|
| agree |
Theo Bose
19 mins
|
| neutral |
Edith Kelly
: Not the same notion.
55 mins
|
| disagree |
gangels (X)
: in the US, this is the 'minister of foreign affairs', i.e. Colin Powell, which cannot be meant here
57 mins
|
+1
3 mins
retired secretary of state
would be my suggestion.
greetings,
Nikolaus
greetings,
Nikolaus
+1
7 mins
Susanna & Christian Popescu
Germany
Germany
Native in German
Specializes in field
Germany
building bridges between cultures
Native in: German 
, Romanian
Works in: Romanian to German, German to Romanian, English to Romanian, and 11 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
4
(in the U.S.) secretary (ret.),
(in Britain) secretary of state (ret.)
a. D. = ret.(-ired)
(Collins English Dict. & Thesaurus)
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-12-17 19:57:12 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
In the U.S.:
secretary is the head of a government administrative department;
secretary of state is the head of the government department in charge of foreign affairs (now C. Powell).
In GB:
a secretary assists a government minister;
a secretary of state is the head of any of several government departments.
I would add the explanations as a footnote, so that no confusion should arise in any of the English speaking countries. Further I would add to my terms *(in charge with Commerce/Trade)*
a. D. = ret.(-ired)
(Collins English Dict. & Thesaurus)
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-12-17 19:57:12 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
In the U.S.:
secretary is the head of a government administrative department;
secretary of state is the head of the government department in charge of foreign affairs (now C. Powell).
In GB:
a secretary assists a government minister;
a secretary of state is the head of any of several government departments.
I would add the explanations as a footnote, so that no confusion should arise in any of the English speaking countries. Further I would add to my terms *(in charge with Commerce/Trade)*
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Pro Lingua
3 mins
|
|
thank you, Pro Lingua
|
|
| neutral |
Edith Kelly
: Not the same.
51 mins
|
55 mins
Edith Kelly
Switzerland
Switzerland
Native in German
&
English
Works in field
Switzerland
Professional conference interpreter
Native in: German , English
Works in: German to English, English to German, Dutch to German, and 4 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
43
Junior Minister (ret'd) or (former)
Staatssekretär is a Junior Minister even if this does not exist in the US.
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Elisabeth Ghysels
: well, that's just the essence: a Staatsminister isn't a Staatssekretär: http://141.90.2.45/tabellen/landesregierung11.pdf
2 hrs
|
Discussion