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Fundament und der Weg dorthin wurden gelegt...

English translation: set the cornerstone for its success...providing a clear path forward

08:19 Jan 30, 2020
German to English translations [PRO]
Marketing - Idioms / Maxims / Sayings / trade fair text
German term or phrase: Fundament und der Weg dorthin wurden gelegt...
Die XX Messe aber soll die Plattform der Zukunft, der nächsten 35 Jahre sein! Das starke Fundament und der Weg hierfür wurden zu Beginn dieses Jahres gelegt.


Is it enough to say "The strong foundation for this has been laid at the beginning of this year."?

(Vorwort zu Messe)
vielen Dank!
martina1974
Austria
Local time: 21:06
English translation:set the cornerstone for its success...providing a clear path forward
Explanation:
We set the cornerstone for its success earlier this year, providing a clear path forward towards that goal


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Note added at 7 hrs (2020-01-30 15:50:24 GMT)
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Hi Phil, I concede your point to an extent. I'd be happy to change it to:
"We set the cornerstone for its success earlier this year, providing a clear path forward towards the future."

But we shouldn't be afraid of mixing metaphors unless there are elements that clash really badly with each other.

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Note added at 7 hrs (2020-01-30 15:52:58 GMT)
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Take out 'forward'. Providing 'a clear path towards the future' is enough
Selected response from:

Michael Martin, MA
United States
Local time: 15:06
Grading comment
vielen Dank!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +1set the cornerstone for its success...providing a clear path forward
Michael Martin, MA
4we laid the foundations for this
philgoddard
3....we paved the way, laying a powerful foundation
Ramey Rieger (X)
3The groundwork for this was laid early on in the year and the roadmap written
Wendy Streitparth


  

Answers


49 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
....we paved the way, laying a powerful foundation


Explanation:
I would put the time first:
At the beginning of this year, we paved the way, laying a powerful foundation.

Ramey Rieger (X)
Germany
Local time: 21:06
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 70
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

6 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
we laid the foundations for this


Explanation:
I would take out "der Weg dorthin" - it's just another way of saying "das Fundament". And "stark" is redundant, too - you wouldn't lay weak foundations.

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Note added at 6 hrs (2020-01-30 15:18:44 GMT)
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In fact you've left out "der Weg hierfür/dorthin" in your suggested translation, and I agree with your decision.

philgoddard
United States
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 14
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5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
set the cornerstone for its success...providing a clear path forward


Explanation:
We set the cornerstone for its success earlier this year, providing a clear path forward towards that goal


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 7 hrs (2020-01-30 15:50:24 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Hi Phil, I concede your point to an extent. I'd be happy to change it to:
"We set the cornerstone for its success earlier this year, providing a clear path forward towards the future."

But we shouldn't be afraid of mixing metaphors unless there are elements that clash really badly with each other.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 7 hrs (2020-01-30 15:52:58 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Take out 'forward'. Providing 'a clear path towards the future' is enough

Michael Martin, MA
United States
Local time: 15:06
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 63
Grading comment
vielen Dank!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Steffen Walter
40 mins
neutral  philgoddard: You've preserved the mixed metaphor in the German - I would take it out.//They do clash - are you laying paths or foundations? Mixed metaphors should normally only be used jokingly, and deliberately draw attention to themselves.
1 hr
  -> Clearly, 'set' refers to cornerstone, not path, which has its own verb.
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2 days 14 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
The groundwork for this was laid early on in the year and the roadmap written


Explanation:
-

Wendy Streitparth
Germany
Local time: 21:06
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 11
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