http://dict.tu-chemnitz.de/dings.cgi?lang=de&noframes=0&query=ausgleichend&service=&optword=1&optcase=1&opterrors=0&optpro=0&self=1
or
http://dict.leo.org/?search=ausgleichend
Both know "compensational". What's the correct word?
Geoff Howard wrote:
Joerg Heinicke wrote:
Furthermore 2 really nice and (especially Antonio) compensational (is it the correct word?) guys.
I've never heard of the word compensational but my interpretation of it would mean "active or skilled in paying people". If Antonio is skilled at this, we should have voted him in long ago! ;)
Ah, didn't realize we were dealing with a specific translation issue for "ausgleichend". The problem is that the English word compensate has two shades of meaning: to adjust for a missing quality, and to pay money or a money-equivalent. Probably the first of those does get at what you were trying to say but "compensational" is such a rare form that it would probably in practice lead to the humorous interpretation. Of the options on the sites you mentioned, "balancing" is probably the closest, but the others are probably on the right track using a totally different word.
By the way, I hope my original comment didn't feel like I was poking fun -- I am continually impressed by you and so many others communicating in English and if we had to do these lists in any other language (even French which I used to speak pretty well) I'd be totally lost probably along with most of the other "ugly americans".
Geoff
