"Waterline" scenario

English translation: scenarios that could cause disaster for the company

03:53 Feb 13, 2008
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Bus/Financial - Management
English term or phrase: "Waterline" scenario
This isn't related to water...
I found it in a management title I'm translating, which relates to a company rich in innovation:

"Everyone pays close attention to "waterline" scenarios - missteps that could seriously harm the company's financial position or reputation."

Can anyone relate that term to its explanation?

Thanks, Doron
Doron Greenspan MITI
Israel
Local time: 18:29
Selected answer:scenarios that could cause disaster for the company
Explanation:
To be close to the waterline would suggest being risky - if you take a wrong step as suggested in your excerpt you end up under the water. In business terms this would mean that the company "goes under" (another allusion to the waterline) or goes bankrupt.
Selected response from:

Vicky Nash
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:29
Grading comment
Thanks, Vicky, I think that's exactly it. I still have to work out the Hebrew translation, but now I get a better feel of it.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
3 +1where the water comes up to your neck
Teresa Reinhardt
3inappropriate scenario
Paula Mangia Garcia Terra
3scenarios that could cause disaster for the company
Vicky Nash


Discussion entries: 2





  

Answers


2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
"waterline" scenario
inappropriate scenario


Explanation:
A suggestion.
That's how that I understand "waterline" in this context.

Paula Mangia Garcia Terra
Brazil
Local time: 13:29
Native speaker of: Native in PortuguesePortuguese, Native in ItalianItalian
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks, Paula. Yet the author doesn't mean non-kosher activities or anything like that.

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5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
"waterline" scenario
scenarios that could cause disaster for the company


Explanation:
To be close to the waterline would suggest being risky - if you take a wrong step as suggested in your excerpt you end up under the water. In business terms this would mean that the company "goes under" (another allusion to the waterline) or goes bankrupt.

Vicky Nash
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:29
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thanks, Vicky, I think that's exactly it. I still have to work out the Hebrew translation, but now I get a better feel of it.
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
"waterline" scenario
where the water comes up to your neck


Explanation:
this is all I can imagine; you may also have been to a city that gets flooded occasionally, the houses will have signs on them indicating how high the flood waters came on various occasions.
And they do leave a line on the building...

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Note added at 12 hrs (2008-02-13 16:44:56 GMT)
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In the light of V. Nedkova's comment above, is there any indication that the author might be referring to risky or illegal activities conducted out of sight (below the waterline)? If they ever came to light they would ruin the finances and/or reputation of the company? Time for "Ask the Client" I think!

Teresa Reinhardt
United States
Local time: 09:29
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman, Native in EnglishEnglish
Notes to answerer
Asker: No, there's absolutely no reference here to 'shady' business.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Ken Cox: seems plausible -- judging by the scarcity of relevant ghits, it's not a commonly used term/concept (see e.g. http://www.financialsense.com/fsu/editorials/barry/2005/1011... )
4 hrs
  -> Thanks, Ken! It's not common currency; may be translated; in German you can say "wenn einem das Wasser bis zum Hals steht"
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