This site uses cookies. Some of these cookies are essential to the operation of the site, while others help to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used. For more information, please see the ProZ.com privacy policy.
Cookie settings
  1. KudoZ™ Top
  2. Dutch to English
  3. Tourism & Travel

mooi op mensenmaat

English translation: Small-town feel (people friendly)

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Dutch term or phrase:mooi op mensenmaat
English translation:Small-town feel (people friendly)
Entered by: Francina

07:41 Apr 3, 2012
Dutch to English translations [PRO]
Marketing - Tourism & Travel
Dutch term or phrase: mooi op mensenmaat
"Wat je ook zoekt in een stad, je vindt het in Leuven. Mooi op mensenmaat, maar wel helemaal mee met de snel veranderende samenleving."

This is from a Belgian text. Can someone help me with a creative translation for "mooi op mensenmaat" which would fit the context here? Do you think this refers to the size of the city (small and familiar) or to the fact that it serves people's needs and desires?

Thanks in advance!
Ruchira Raychaudhuri
Belgium
Local time: 19:54
Small-town feel
Explanation:
Another suggestion!

See:
http://www.visitgilbertaz.com/

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2009/09/amid_fa...

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/new-life-but-st...
Selected response from:

Francina
United States
Local time: 13:54
Grading comment
Thanks everybody for all your suggestions! I was finding it especially difficult to translate because of the juxtaposition with the "maar wel.." part of the sentence. But I eventually translated it as a "people-friendly city with a small-town feel". I'm not sure about whether this should be entered in the glossary or not, so I'll leave that up to the site administrators to decide.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +3people's city
Lianne van de Ven
3 +3Small-town feel
Francina
3 +3on a human scale
Ide Verhelst (X)
4as beautiful as it can be
Abdulhadi Hairan
3human-size city
Marianne Reinen
3perfectly tailored to people's needs
Barend van Zadelhoff
3 -2people friendly suited
freekfluweel


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


48 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
as beautiful as it can be


Explanation:
Literally it means as people can make it, thus the above translation. I am not sure if it is creative.

Abdulhadi Hairan
Netherlands
Local time: 19:54
Native speaker of: Native in Pashto (Pushto)Pashto (Pushto), Native in DariDari, Native in Persian (Farsi)Persian (Farsi)
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

17 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
human-size city


Explanation:
Not creative at all, but it is exactly what it means. I think the Dutch term refers to all the things you mention.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 51 mins (2012-04-03 08:33:18 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

(it has) the right human size

Marianne Reinen
Local time: 19:54
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in DutchDutch

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Ide Verhelst (X): Ik zou eerder zeggen "human-sized.
21 mins
neutral  writeaway: imo too literal. too easy to back translate into Dutch, ie reads like a translation
37 mins
disagree  Francina: See discussion above!
5 hrs
  -> You're right. "On a human scale" is what I meant, see Ide's answer. Thanks!
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
perfectly tailored to people's needs


Explanation:
I believe it refers 'to the fact that it serves people's needs and desires?' because of 'Wat je ook zoekt in een stad, je vindt het in Leuven'

'mooi op mensenmaat' refers back to this: you will find there everything you are looking for, they say :-)

Barend van Zadelhoff
Netherlands
Local time: 19:54
Native speaker of: Native in DutchDutch
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Bryan Crumpler: ??? I can't see any contrast here when juxtaposed with "MAAR WEL helemaal mee met de snel veranderende samenleving."
2 hrs
  -> My suggestion is based on the preceding phrase. As far as the 'maar wel' is concerned I can't tell what is exactly meant, but an explanation could be that the writer sees some contradiction between 'tailored to etc.' and 'being completely modern'
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
people's city


Explanation:
This is supposed to allude to something, nobody really knowing what.... In my mind, I think it refers to it being a cosy/people's city, originating from the time when people and trade were making a city. It has modernized now, it has not lagged behind, yet it is still a city for people.

People's city is used here in a slightly different context:
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&c...

Lianne van de Ven
United States
Local time: 13:54
Native speaker of: Native in DutchDutch
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Francina: http://films.com/id/19704/The_Peoples_City_How_Bogota_Succee...
1 hr
  -> Dank je, Francina
agree  Tina Vonhof (X): Good option.
3 hrs
  -> Bedankt, Tina
agree  Frank van Thienen (X)
10 hrs
  -> Bedankt, Frank
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
Small-town feel


Explanation:
Another suggestion!

See:
http://www.visitgilbertaz.com/

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2009/09/amid_fa...

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/new-life-but-st...

Francina
United States
Local time: 13:54
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in DutchDutch
PRO pts in category: 8
Grading comment
Thanks everybody for all your suggestions! I was finding it especially difficult to translate because of the juxtaposition with the "maar wel.." part of the sentence. But I eventually translated it as a "people-friendly city with a small-town feel". I'm not sure about whether this should be entered in the glossary or not, so I'll leave that up to the site administrators to decide.
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks a lot for your help, Francina!


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Tina Vonhof (X): Or as in one of the references, 'small-town character'.
2 hrs
agree  Lianne van de Ven: Yes, this fits too.
8 hrs
agree  philgoddard
12 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

6 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): -2
people friendly suited


Explanation:
people minded fitted

freekfluweel
Netherlands
Local time: 19:54
Native speaker of: Native in DutchDutch
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks for the idea..I did take on the "people-friendly" part but could not select your answer since it wasn't really phrased properly..sorry!


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Tina Vonhof (X): 'Suited' makes no sense.// It's either 'people-friendly' or 'suited for people' but both is one too many.
55 mins
  -> als in maatkostuum (suited businessmen) i.c.m. to suit: aangepast/geschikt zijn voor
disagree  Lianne van de Ven: 100% eens met Tina
6 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

7 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
on a human scale


Explanation:
A beautiful city on a human scale.

==> more than 9.000 hits



Example sentence(s):
  • Helsinki is a beautiful city on a human scale.
  • Lugano: Swiss financial center and the third major center of culture and tourism, while not losing the advantage of the beautiful city on a human scale.

    Reference: http://www.guildtravel.com/citybreaks/three-baltic-capitals-...
    Reference: http://live-casino-directory.com/switzerland/lugano/casino-l...
Ide Verhelst (X)
Belgium
Local time: 19:54
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in DutchDutch

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Lianne van de Ven: I think this is a very good option too: http://americancity.org/magazine/article/respect-for-the-hum...
10 hrs
agree  Josephine Isaacs (X)
12 hrs
agree  Liesbeth Blom-Smith
17 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)



Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.

You will also have access to many other tools and opportunities designed for those who have language-related jobs (or are passionate about them). Participation is free and the site has a strict confidentiality policy.

Return to KudoZ list

KudoZ™ translation help

The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.

See also:
ProZ.com term search
Search millions of term translations
Close search
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search