Glossary entry (derived from question below)
German term or phrase:
fingerspitzengefühl
English translation:
A deft touch
Added to glossary by
Phoebe Indetzki
Oct 28, 2011 08:05
12 yrs ago
8 viewers *
German term
fingerspitzengefühl
German to English
Marketing
Cooking / Culinary
Fingerspitzengefühl gefragt
In den Höhenlagen vieler Anbaugebiete werden die leuchtend
roten Kaffeekirschen noch immer per Hand gepflückt.
What I need here is a play on words. I need to get across the meaning of 'fingerspitzengefühl' with some sort of metaphor including hand / finger (as the coffee berries are picked by hand).
Any ideas?
In den Höhenlagen vieler Anbaugebiete werden die leuchtend
roten Kaffeekirschen noch immer per Hand gepflückt.
What I need here is a play on words. I need to get across the meaning of 'fingerspitzengefühl' with some sort of metaphor including hand / finger (as the coffee berries are picked by hand).
Any ideas?
Proposed translations
(English)
Proposed translations
7 mins
Selected
A deft touch
"A deft touch" would hit the hand metaphor well enough, I think.
HTH!
HTH!
Note from asker:
| sounds perfect, actually! Thank you! |
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you so much to everyone who posted answers to this question - there were some truly lovely alternatives, and I wish I could have showered points all round! This, however, was the one I ended up using."
+5
34 mins
Lesley Robertson MA, Dip Trans IoLET
Austria
Austria
Native in English
Specializes in field
Austria
Lesley Robertson MA, Dip Trans IoLET
Creative and conscientious
Native in: English 
Works in: German to English
Related KudoZ points
:
22
nimble fingers
is what springs to my mind...
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Armorel Young
: yes, there is no doubt an element of speed in it, so this sounds right to me
38 mins
|
| agree |
Nicola Wood
: I particularly like the fact this retains the use of finger(s) as well as fitting the context perfectly
1 hr
|
| agree |
Wendy Streitparth
4 hrs
|
| agree |
Trudy Peters
8 hrs
|
| agree |
franglish
8 hrs
|
+4
58 mins
a delicate touch
Sensitive touch, the right touch.
Reference:
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Alexander Schleber (X)
: or a fine touch
4 mins
|
| agree |
Lonnie Legg
: w. AS.
27 mins
|
| agree |
Katrin Rippel Galati
6 hrs
|
| agree |
Horst Huber (X)
: "Fine sense of touch"?
7 hrs
|
1 hr
handy skills
How about this to go with the per Hand gepflückt that comes up later on ?
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Note added at 2 hrs (2011-10-28 10:07:08 GMT)
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How about this to go with the per Hand gepflückt image that comes up later on ?
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Note added at 2 hrs (2011-10-28 10:07:08 GMT)
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How about this to go with the per Hand gepflückt image that comes up later on ?
3 hrs
Jonathan Bourg
Germany
Germany
Native in English
Germany
Friendly, accurate, always on time
Native in: English
Works in: German to English, Spanish to English, French to English
precise picking
Given the context, I would put the 'picking' part of it right into this sentence.
I found this phrased used in the context of coffee harvests on the website below.
I found this phrased used in the context of coffee harvests on the website below.
10 hrs
Maureen Millington-Brodie
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in English
Specializes in field
United Kingdom
33 years of experience
Native in: English
Works in: Arabic to English, German to English
Related KudoZ points
:
18
intuitive fingers
intuitive fingers wanted/at work
another idea trying to convey deft + having a feeling for the work
another idea trying to convey deft + having a feeling for the work
12 hrs
Andrea Garfield-Barkworth
Germany
Germany
Native in English
Germany
Reach a wider audience
Native in: English (Variant: British) 
Works in: German to English
a light touch
A light touch is called for.
The fruit is tested for ripeness before being picked.
The fruit is tested for ripeness before being picked.
Example sentence:
With selective harvesting, you pick only the coffee cherries that are ripe, leaving the unripe cherries on the tree to ripen for harvest at a later time. To selective harvest your coffee tree, identify the coffee cherries that are ripe by look and touch.
Discussion
= translate.google.com
'Nimble fingers' is ok but then it NO LONGER translates BACK to 'Fingerspitzengefühl' but to 'Flinke Finger'.