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  3. Idioms / Maxims / Sayings

Nix muss, alles kann

English translation: Just take your pick

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:Nix muss, alles kann
English translation:Just take your pick
Entered by: Jon Reynolds

08:23 Oct 6, 2009
German to English translations [PRO]
Marketing - Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
German term or phrase: Nix muss, alles kann
Can't think of a succinct English equivalent for this. It comes from a text about setting up a computer avatar - some items are free but some have to be paid for.
Jon Reynolds
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:43
Just take your pick
Explanation:
Or "The choice is yours"
Or "It's up to you"
Selected response from:

philgoddard
United States
Grading comment
Thanks for this suggestion, this is what I went for in the end!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +3Just take your pick
philgoddard
3 +2You can take them or leave them
Sarah Bessioud
3 +1no must-haves, plenty can-haves
Lesley Robertson MA, Dip Trans IoLET
3 +1Nothing obligatory - you choose
Helen Shiner
3nothing compulsory - everything optional
Wendy Lewin
3no obligations, everything's possible
Elsje Apostel
Summary of reference entries provided
nix muss, alles kann
Henry Schroeder

Discussion entries: 3





  

Answers


1 min   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
nothing compulsory - everything optional


Explanation:
a bit long but a start....

Wendy Lewin
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:43
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 8
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6 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
no must-haves, plenty can-haves


Explanation:
not perfect, but something along that line maybe...?

Lesley Robertson MA, Dip Trans IoLET
Austria
Local time: 19:43
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 16

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  franglish: as informal as the German but am not sure about plural for have?
1 hr
  -> hundreds of thousands of "must-haves" out there in Internet land!!
neutral  Henry Schroeder: This is not succinct or idiomatic.
5 hrs
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49 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
no obligations, everything's possible


Explanation:
would be my guess

Elsje Apostel
Belgium
Local time: 19:43
Native speaker of: Dutch
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
You can take them or leave them


Explanation:
Just a suggestion, fairly informal.

Or, depending on context : you can take 'em or leave 'em.

Sarah Bessioud
Germany
Local time: 19:43
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 28

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Veronika Neuhold
3 hrs
agree  AngelikaJP: I like this, especially in light of the origins and connotations of the source phrase (associated with free love, swinging, etc.)
8 hrs
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
Just take your pick


Explanation:
Or "The choice is yours"
Or "It's up to you"

philgoddard
United States
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 14
Grading comment
Thanks for this suggestion, this is what I went for in the end!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Henry Schroeder: I was just thinking maybe: suit yourself
3 hrs
  -> Yup, that's good
agree  Jim Tucker (X)
4 hrs
agree  Anne-Marie Grant (X)
8 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Nothing obligatory - you choose


Explanation:
Another suggestion - trying to keep some sort of informality there.

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Note added at 1 day23 hrs (2009-10-08 07:43:42 GMT)
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Or just plain old 'you choose'.

Helen Shiner
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:43
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 74

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Barbara Wiebking: You choose.
2 days 1 hr
  -> thanks, kriddl - I agree that is better than my original suggestion.
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Reference comments


5 hrs
Reference: nix muss, alles kann

Reference information:
Here is a good example of it highlighted if you scroll down:

http://209.85.135.132/search?q=cache:vA9RJeerYsYJ:www.raumpa...

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Note added at 5 hrs (2009-10-06 14:20:21 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Maybe: suit yourself???

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 hrs (2009-10-06 14:20:47 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Suit yourself

Henry Schroeder
United States
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 2
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