Herbmione Granger Nov 29, 2017:

FYI Abenteuer and adventure have the same Latin root.
http://www.fremdwort.de/suchen/bedeutung/abenteuer
Bei einem Abenteuer existieren Risiken und Gefahren, die den Verlauf spannend und den Ausgang ungewiss gestalten. In diesem Sinne gelten und galten Expeditionen ins Unbekannte zu allen Zeiten als Abenteuer.

I also don't know who the market could be. College students on the West Coast?

Björn Vrooman Nov 29, 2017:

Hello Elli I wasn't offended; hope you weren't either. Definitely agree with your last sentence, although I can point you to a lot of ad fails in the States these days...

I didn't mention the Duden, but responded to the interpretations given in this thread. E.g., Lancashireman: "[...] does not have to be a risky affair [...] Otherwise, the client would have chosen another word to lead off on."

Then, they should have done so; it's being interpreted in the same way (negatively) by four Germans. The Duden (see below) does address the issue: "(auch abwertend) riskantes Unternehmen"

Also, EVs aren't more than a niche market everywhere, except for Norway and possibly NL. In both the States and Germany, their share isn't above 1%. Despite Tesla's lofty announcements, progress is slow--you'll end up with: "As always with this industry, much of the news was aspirational, and when examined closely the actual facts were unimpressive."
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ellenrwald/2017/10/04/electric-...

We agree on the most likely interpretation--reliability/tried and proven--but it makes little sense to tout this at present.

Best

Eleanore Strauss Nov 29, 2017:

@ Bjorn No offense intended. Yes, more context would have been very helpful and yes, 'made by' is beyond awkward, and as it stands, it doesn't communicate well at all. I'm just going by the phrase at face value and basing my views on long years in the advertising world, where sometimes inane lines actually had an impact.

Lancashireman Nov 29, 2017:

My OED for your Duden adventure:
1. That which happens without design
2. A chance occurrence
3. A trial of one's chance; a venture or experiment
4. Chance of danger or loss; risk, jeopardy
5. A hazardous enterprise
6 A pecuniary venture, speculation

Thus all the 'subtleties' contained within Abenteuer are precisely mirrored by the English. Who needs to rephrase when you have confirmation from the Shorter OED? (BTW, I think the 'Shorter' element in the title is a joke - there are two volumes each of 1,000 pages plus.)

Björn Vrooman Nov 29, 2017:

@Elli With all due respect, I could just use your own line against you:
"Andrew's suggestion mirrors the ironic"

Reply: "where did that come from?"

This is what you'd normally expect (in German):
https://de.dawanda.com/product/102149383-wozu-abenteuer-artp...

But this has a completely different meaning. The line's just really bad and it's not ironic. Add in the "made by" and it's a pretty odd statement. The context I was asking for: What does the company do? Is there something else that will give you a hint as to the meaning of the phrase?

Additionally, I did not say anything about translating "Abenteuer" as "risk" (Although something like this here was my first thought: "Why take the chance of missing your turn and wasting precious time, gas, and causing undue stress wondering if you're going to be late?" https://blvdcaraudio.com/video-navigation/ ).

It's a bit puzzling that three ENS seem to insist on "Abenteuer" incorporating the idea of "excitement," while 4(!) German native speakers seem to believe that this has nothing to do with it, don't you think? This tells me that the writer has already failed in his or her attempt to get a message across.

Best

Eleanore Strauss Nov 29, 2017:

@Ramey to Herbalchemist et al First of all - format is a flyer as per the question. You are absolutely right. Andrew's suggestion mirrors the ironic "adventure"... as in unknown but possibly tantalizing... so go for reliable - and maybe boring.
But risk ? Agree again - where did that come from? That misses the point of the line entirely. It's about tried and true vs. unknown (which can be positive and negative) but the concept of risk destroys the line by dissecting it and taking it too literally. It's advertising, and that is known to make use of 'poetic' license. I don't think it's horrible German in that context. It's "augenzwinkernd' attention getting. Not the greatest line I've seen, but it does the trick.

Ramey Rieger (X) Nov 28, 2017:

Hi herbalchemist We can assume just about anything. Andrew's suggestion perfectly reflects the German, inferring the risk aspect as well. Who needs adventure? = Why go out on a limb?
We don't know:
Why 'Wozu Abenteuer' needs be kept to two words
What is being promoted/sold
Who the target audience is
Also good to know would be the format (website? brochure? app?).

Herbmione Granger Nov 28, 2017:

Abenteuer I wouldn't rule out Definition 4. Why have a transportation fling when... doesn't make less sense than the other suggestions.

Can we assume that this was written for the US market and is not being regifted?

Ramey Rieger (X) Nov 28, 2017:

Abenteuer = Risk Is a viable possibility. That we must repeatedly ask for context is nearly as embarrassing as the source text and (asker's) attempted translation. Pity. Kudoz used to be fun.

Kim Metzger Nov 28, 2017:

Also agree with Bjorn that our asker isn't helping himself.

Björn Vrooman Nov 28, 2017:

Fifth, Brigitte and Klaus have a point, IMO, because the typical German collocation is "Abenteuer eingehen" = taking (unnecessary) risk. Now you have three Germans interpreting this statement in the same way. While what Lancashireman says about "good advertising practice" is true, it is not uncommon for German-based companies to say: Hey, why do you want to risk trying out something that may not even work? Choose us and get proven and reliable technology or something. In this sense: Wozu Abenteuer = Keine Experimente.

But we just don't have enough context to be sure.

Best

Kim Metzger Nov 28, 2017:

I think we should listen to our German colleagues here about the meaning of 'Abenteuer' in this context.

Björn Vrooman Nov 28, 2017:

This is what happens... ...when crucial context is missing.

First, this is horrible German. Even if you're willing to give people more leeway in advertising in regard to punctuation and what not, the person who wrote this should be chased around town by an angry mob carrying pitchforks.

Second, Lancashireman is right that "made by" should be omitted--unless we're talking specifically about a manufacturer.

Third, I agree with Phil and Ramey about "mobility." You can find it:
"Electromobility, or e-mobility, is a word that has been coined to mean clean and environmentally friendly electric vehicle transportation."
https://www.anl.gov/sites/anl.gov/files/es_ev-smartgrid-ctrs...

However, it's more likely to show up on European pages. The usual term is "electric transportation":
https://www.tva.gov/Energy/Technology-Innovation/Electric-Ca...
https://www.nypa.gov/innovation/programs/chargeny

Fourth, I also agree with Phil that this should be more specific. Is this a rental company? It may be as simple as "EVs."

[...]

Ramey Rieger (X) Nov 28, 2017:

Short form Who needs adventure? Safe (driving) and secure (investment) with xyz electric mobility.
I agree with Phil, that e-mobility is a German coinage and not all that common in the States.

Lancashireman Nov 28, 2017:

BrigitteHilgner You stated below that you would translate 'Abenteuer' as 'risks'. This not only casually discards the client's choice of lead concept but also adds a negative, downbeat tone to the text, thereby running counter to good advertising practice.

BrigitteHilgner Nov 28, 2017:

@ Lancashireman Please read the definition provided by Duden:
https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Abenteuer
In my opinion, in the sentence in question, definition 3 (riskantes Unternehmen) is the appropriate one.
This is not about an exciting adventure, this is about a company offering e-mobility which the customer can trust and rely upon (i.e. it does not involve any risk).

Lancashireman Nov 28, 2017:

Risks? Where does this come from? The source text clearly states 'Abenteuer' (indeterminate singular or plural). 'Risks' could refer to the investment as opposed to journeys into the unknown. An 'adventure' in a vehicle does not have to be a risky affair. Abenteuer > adventure. Otherwise, the client would have chosen another word to lead off on.

Mark Miller (asker) Nov 28, 2017:

Why take risks when... "Why take risks when you have xyz e-mobility?"
thanks to Klaus, Brigitte, Lancashireman, and herbalchemist! Phil, point taken on e-mobility.

BrigitteHilgner Nov 28, 2017:

In my opinion, Klaus Conrad ... has got a point: In this context, I would translate "Wozu Abenteuer" as "Why take risks" (okay, that's three words, but you get the idea).

Ramey Rieger (X) Nov 28, 2017:

Skip the from for US English - Who needs adventure when you have xyz e-mobility?

Klaus Conrad Nov 27, 2017:

Shouldn't it be "Why risk adventures" instead of "Who needs adventures"?

philgoddard Nov 27, 2017:

One of my customers bans the use of "e-mobility" because it doesn't convey an clear meaning. Is this about electric cars?

Mark Miller (asker) Nov 27, 2017:

In context I've decided that Lancashireman's solution is spot on. "Who needs adventure... when you have e-mobility from xyz?"

Mark Miller (asker) Nov 27, 2017:

Thank you guys. I know I included too much information in the header. I should have called it "Wozu..? Wenn..." And I know my translation is faulty, otherwise I wouldn't ask :)

Kim Metzger Nov 27, 2017:

Next time, just enter only the term you need help with in the header. The rest is context. But your translation of the second part is faulty. Wenn's xx gibt - when you have xx or something similar.

Daniel Arnold (X) Nov 27, 2017:

If you're happy with three words I'd offer "Why venture far"..... which pretty much is what the "Wozu Abenteuer" means. It's not really about adventures.