I also prefer the third because it is neither formal nor informal and noone is appealed directly.
I am also from germany but I never heard "des Systemes". It sounds strange for me. I believe that it is correct too, but i would prefer "des Systems". -- Jan -------- Original-Nachricht -------- Datum: Wed, 20 Sep 2006 17:03:12 +0200 Von: Axel Christ <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> An: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Betreff: German docs: how to address the reader > > Take the English sentence "You have to install it first." as an example. > > In German I have three ways of translating this: > 1) Du musst es erst installieren. => informal => strange to some readers > 2) Sie müssen es erst installieren. => formal => strange to some readers > 3) Man muss es erst installieren. => This changes the sentence to "One > has to install it first." => Neither formal nor informal, quite common > in German everyday use => My favourite > > Has somebody already defined the best practice for this so that when I > start doing proof reading I know which cases to change? > > Another one: > When using "Genitiv" in German, I sometimes have options for spelling. I > could for example write "des Systems" oder "des Systemes". Both is fully > correct but only if used consistently. Which one do we go for? > > Once a decision on this has been made (maybe it has already, at some > point in the past?) it should maybe be published somewhere on the team > page of the German translation team (translation guideline). > > Best regards, > > > Axel Christ > > -- > BITfabrik® GmbH & Co. KG > Niederlassung Frankfurt > Weismüllerstraße 19 > 60314 Frankfurt am Main > > Telefon: +49 (0) 700 10205000 > Fax: +49 (0) 700 10208000 > E-Mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Webseite: http://www.bitfabrik.de > Diese E-Mail einschließlich ihrer Anhänge ist vertraulich. Wir bitten > Sie, eine fehlgeleitete E-Mail unverzüglich und vollständig zu löschen > sowie uns eine Nachricht zukommen zu lassen. Wir haben die E-Mail beim > Ausgang auf Viren geprüft. Wir raten jedoch wegen der Gefahr auf den > Übertragungswegen zu einer Eingangskontrolle. Eine Haftung für > Virenfreiheit schließen wir aus. > > This e-mail and any attachments are confidential. If you are not the > intended recipient of this e-mail, please immediately delete its > contents and notify us. This e-mail was checked for virus contamination > before being sent; nevertheless, it is advisable to check for any > contamination occurring during transmission. We cannot accept any > liability for virus contamination. -- Der GMX SmartSurfer hilft bis zu 70% Ihrer Onlinekosten zu sparen! Ideal für Modem und ISDN: http://www.gmx.net/de/go/smartsurfer
