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Firstung
Zwischendiskussion
Aug 24, 2014 11:37
9 yrs ago
1 viewer *
German term

Der Schafprofi

German to English Marketing Advertising / Public Relations Product brochure
Gardenwool – Der Schafprofi für den Garten

It is for a brochure advertising a product could Gardenwool, which is a kind of insulating mat you put over your garden to protect it from cold and frost and is made from sheep's wool. I know what the term means but can't think of a decent enough translation, which would work here. I'd appreciate any suggestions!
Proposed translations (English)
4 +4 The natural winter warmer
3 +1 Gardenwool - woolly warmth for your sensitive plants
4 the best baa none
4 Gardenwool - The winter blanket for your garden's safe sleep
3 Tending Your Garden
3 The Sheepmate for your garden
3 laniferous landscaping
2 Sheep wool insulation/protection for your garden

Discussion

Ramey Rieger (X) Aug 25, 2014:
@Phil Thanks. This, too, will pass.
philgoddard Aug 24, 2014:
Sorry, I've now inserted a smiley face in my last comment :-)
Ramey Rieger (X) Aug 24, 2014:
OUCH! Did I touch a nerve? Not intentional, believe me. Gardenwool could be interpreted as something unrelated to wool unless the prospective, new customer understands it immediately. I know that carding remnants are wool, but wool mats as a gardening helpers are not yet universally recognized. The burlap sack is once more popular as frost protection for roses and other sensitive shrubs after years of neglect.
philgoddard Aug 24, 2014:
I don't see the connection between the length of time they've been on the market and dispensing with basic rules of English style :-) And carding remnants ARE wool.
Ramey Rieger (X) Aug 24, 2014:
Hi Phil I beg to differ in this case, as wool mats are relatively 'new' on the market, although carding remnants have been used for ages. I agree with you on 99% of cases, and never use repetition in my literary translations unless it's an intentional tactic.
philgoddard Aug 24, 2014:
If we can get back to translation for a minute :-) The German headline has to explain the meaning of the English words "garden" and "wool". This is obviously unnecessary in the translation.
Any solution that begins with Gardenwool and also includes "garden" and/or "wool" introduces repetition, which is OK in other languages but stylistically unacceptable in English.
Yorkshireman Aug 24, 2014:
Hi Ramey The sheets of stuff I use are some kind of inert fibre - not quite sure what- it lets water through, but not weeds (the only PVC we have is the garden bucket). At least a lot better than a double dose of Roundup :-) Our garden is currently suffering from some kind of rust (Malvenrost) on the hollyhocks and cranesbills and a plague of red lily beetles - nothing meditative about getting rid of things like that - it is outright warfare, night sorties with a torch and tweezers!
Ramey Rieger (X) Aug 24, 2014:
Hi Yorkshireman and fellow gardener! Wool is an organic material, and unless it's treated with something nonorganic, weeds will love to bore their pointy little heads through it. Since I use only organic materials, weeding is part of my job - I like the meditative quality. There are PVC-free tarps to work with, but I only use them for places where aboslutely NOTHING is supposed to grow (walkways).
Yorkshireman Aug 24, 2014:
@Wendy If we had more than enough, I would gladly send some, but all we "harvest" goes into my thermal composter.
Wendy Streitparth Aug 24, 2014:
@ Yorkshireman: can you send us some?!
Yorkshireman Aug 24, 2014:
BTW The fluff from the sieve of a tumbler drier is an excellent addition to compost - makes it hold a lot more water, and slugs don't like it either.
Yorkshireman Aug 24, 2014:
@Ramey Mats are good for stopping weed growth, too - I usually dig in some compost and put down a layer of black material at the end of autumn (fall) and then punch holes in it for planting seedlings in the spring. Also use it for a weed-proofing random stone/gravel paths - layer of sand - layer of fabric and then stones/gravel on top.
Ramey Rieger (X) Aug 24, 2014:
Info - No one covers their entire garden, ony plants that are frost-sensitive are wrapped or covered before the first frost. Just thought I'd mention that.

Proposed translations

+4
30 mins
Selected

The natural winter warmer

"Für den Garten" is already said in Gardenwool, as is "wool".

"Gardenwool - the natural winter warmer."

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2014-08-24 14:07:48 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I wonder if it's better than sacking? I pack the patio shrubs in old hessian/hemp corn sacks.
Note from asker:
I really enjoyed reading all of the responses, which have been thoroughly entertaining! I really like yours, Yorkshireman although Phil's made me smile. "Woolly warmth" appears elsewhere in the translation, so could not use it again, although I liked it, too. Thanks for all of your suggestions :)
Peer comment(s):
agree philgoddard : Nice!
1 hr
Thank you, Phil
agree Helen Shiner : Thanks for the gardening tips. May acquire some for my fig tree!
8 hrs
Thanks, Helen. Be careful to insulate the bottom of the tub well.
agree Björn Vrooman : I like the ambiguity of "natural" (produced by nature / it's just natural to use Gardenwool)
19 hrs
Moin Björn, thanks.
agree Ramey Rieger (X) : Cozy
1 day 12 mins
As most things should be - thank you.
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
40 mins

Tending Your Garden

Alluding to the idea of (tending) sheep
Peer comment(s):
neutral writeaway : this is about keeping them warm, not watching over them
22 mins
Something went wrong...
51 mins

Sheep wool insulation/protection for your garden

When I read the question, I was instantly thinking of rock wool. So a bit of googling .....

However, low CL



Sheep Wool Insulation - Why Should I Use Wool?
uk.sheepwoolinsulation.com/why_wool/
Wool Insulation products by Sheep Wool Insulation - Natural, Economical and ... Being made from a naturally produced fibre, Sheep Wool Insulation requires ...
Sheep Wool Insulation
uk.sheepwoolinsulation.com
SheepWool Insulation offers a safe, natural, healthy and environmentally friendly acoustic and thermal building insulation alternative, made from pure new ...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 52 mins (2014-08-24 12:30:08 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

uk.sheepwoolinsulation.com/

Hope this works now.
Something went wrong...
+1
1 hr

Gardenwool - woolly warmth for your sensitive plants

Perhaps
Peer comment(s):
neutral Yorkshireman : Pullovers for pot plants - sounds good! I'll knit one for you :-)
52 mins
So where's your 'agree', huh?// size 38, please
neutral philgoddard : I don't think you should repeat "wool".
55 mins
I considered that Phil, but in Marketing it's more often than not desired.
agree writeaway : it's marketing. imo this works fine. the meaning of wooly is perfectly clear.
1 hr
Thanks Writeaway, hope you're having some summery weather! We're NOT!
Something went wrong...
2 hrs

the best baa none

Actually the German headline doesn't tell you much about the product - that's presumably left for the body copy - so you could do the same in the English.
Peer comment(s):
neutral writeaway : no mention of wool or warmth. this could be used to sell any sheep-related product/item/I mean in your suggestion.
23 mins
There IS a mention of wool! The first word in the headline is Gardenwool. And the German doesn't say anything about warmth, so why should the English?
neutral Yorkshireman : Phil, ewe are a really cruel punster :-) (writes Y-man with a sheepish grin) In this case, the German translation of copy must be "Fleecetext
59 mins
:-)
neutral Helen Shiner : Cute, if there's a picture of a sheep in there somewhere.
6 hrs
neutral Cilian O'Tuama : with Helen - a creative suggestion (but wasted here)
1 day 9 hrs
Something went wrong...
12 hrs

Gardenwool - The winter blanket for your garden's safe sleep

Just another suggestion which includes the sleeping and the safety aspect.
Something went wrong...
17 hrs

The Sheepmate for your garden

Another idea for your consideration...
Peer comment(s):
neutral Cilian O'Tuama : please explain - would readers understand?
18 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 days

laniferous landscaping

When in doubt, alliterate.
Reference:

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/laniferous

Something went wrong...
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