Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Jun 29, 2008 16:04
16 yrs ago
German term
Aufräumer
German to English
Bus/Financial
Business/Commerce (general)
Als XXX zum Vorstandsvorsitzenden der [Firma] berufen wurde, eilte ihm ein wenig der Ruf des jungen, toughen Aufräumers voraus.
From a magazine article. I understand the meaning of "Aufräumer" (someone who goes in to sort out a company that's having problems) but can't think what term we would use in English...
From a magazine article. I understand the meaning of "Aufräumer" (someone who goes in to sort out a company that's having problems) but can't think what term we would use in English...
Proposed translations
(English)
| 3 +2 | trouble-shooter |
David Moore (X)
|
| 4 +3 | efficiency expert |
Jim Tucker (X)
|
| 4 +2 | Mr Fixit |
Robin Salmon (X)
|
| 4 | someone who will clear the decks |
Helen Shiner
|
| 4 | whip things into shape |
Paul Cohen
|
| 3 +1 | hatchet man |
jccantrell
|
| 4 -1 | a tough clean sweeper |
Ellen Kraus
|
| 3 | someone who will clean house |
gangels (X)
|
| 3 | ...to straighten things out |
Nicole Y. Adams, M.A.
|
| 2 | tough sweeper |
Christo Metschkaroff
|
| 2 | radical reformer |
franglish
|
| 2 | young Turk |
Jonathan MacKerron
|
Change log
Jun 30, 2008 08:32: Steffen Walter changed "Field (specific)" from "Business/Commerce (general)" to "Idioms / Maxims / Sayings"
Jun 30, 2008 10:15: David Moore (X) changed "Field (specific)" from "Idioms / Maxims / Sayings" to "Business/Commerce (general)"
Proposed translations
+2
2 hrs
Selected
trouble-shooter
How about this for pretty mid-Atlantic expression?
That's what many an "Aufräumer" has been called in the past.
That's what many an "Aufräumer" has been called in the past.
3 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "It was a tough call as there were a number of good answers, but "trouble-shooter" was the expression that had been on the tip of my tongue and was what I decided to go for in the end."
23 mins
Christo Metschkaroff
Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Specializes in field
Bulgaria
Knowledge And Experience You Can Rely On
Native in: Bulgarian (Variant: Standard-Bulgaria) 
Works in: German to Bulgarian, English to Bulgarian, Bulgarian to German, and 4 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
12
tough sweeper
Somebody who can manage a hard task - e.g. to restructure a company, to rehabilitate it, etc.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
gangels (X)
: nice try, but wrong
1 hr
|
| disagree |
Kim Metzger
: I can't imagine a native speaker understanding what a "tough sweeper" is.
6 hrs
|
-1
31 mins
Ellen Kraus
Austria
Austria
Native in German
Specializes in field
Austria
more than thirty years of experience
Native in: German 
Works in: Greek to German, English to German, Greek to English, and 5 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
88
a tough clean sweeper
in Anlehnung an: a new broom sweeps clean neue Besen kehren gut
Peer comment(s):
| disagree |
gangels (X)
: nice try, but wrong
1 hr
|
1 hr
radical reformer
[PPT] General Overview of Russia and Russian Investors MarketFile Format: Microsoft Powerpoint - View as HTML
He has been a radical reformer and his losses are due more to the compromises he ..... Grigory Kulikov, chairman of the board at MIEL, one of Moscow's top ...
negochia.com/files/presentation.ppt - Similar pages
[PPT] General Overview of Russia and Russian Investors MarketFile Format: Microsoft Powerpoint - View as HTML
He has been a radical reformer and his losses are due more to the compromises he ..... Grigory Kulikov, chairman of the board at MIEL, one of Moscow's top ...
negochia.com/files/presentation.ppt - Similar pages
I'll grant it's more often used in politics
He has been a radical reformer and his losses are due more to the compromises he ..... Grigory Kulikov, chairman of the board at MIEL, one of Moscow's top ...
negochia.com/files/presentation.ppt - Similar pages
[PPT] General Overview of Russia and Russian Investors MarketFile Format: Microsoft Powerpoint - View as HTML
He has been a radical reformer and his losses are due more to the compromises he ..... Grigory Kulikov, chairman of the board at MIEL, one of Moscow's top ...
negochia.com/files/presentation.ppt - Similar pages
I'll grant it's more often used in politics
1 hr
someone who will clean house
he arrived with the reputation as a young, no-nonsense guy who will clean house.
In the US: To clean house here means getting rid of the old encrusted management. But to say 'housecleaner' would miss the mark. Nor should you say 'to clean THE house', just 'to clean house'.
In the US: To clean house here means getting rid of the old encrusted management. But to say 'housecleaner' would miss the mark. Nor should you say 'to clean THE house', just 'to clean house'.
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
David Moore (X)
: Since the asker is based in Europe, and is probably looking for a European expression, I doubt this will hit the spot...
14 mins
|
2 hrs
Jonathan MacKerron
Native in English
Retired as of Jan 2019!
Native in: English
Works in: German to English, French to English
Related KudoZ points
:
156
young Turk
perhaps
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Note added at 2 hrs (2008-06-29 18:16:01 GMT)
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someone who wasn't afraid to upset the apple cart
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2008-06-29 18:21:36 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
came in like gangbusters
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2008-06-29 18:16:01 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
someone who wasn't afraid to upset the apple cart
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2008-06-29 18:21:36 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
came in like gangbusters
5 hrs
Nicole Y. Adams, M.A.
Australia
Australia
Native in German
&
English
Specializes in field
Australia
MARKETING, PR, CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS
Native in: English (Variants: US, British, Australian, UK) , German (Variants: Bavarian, Germany)
Works in: German to English, English
Related KudoZ points
:
12
...to straighten things out
...reputation of a tough young gun who straightens things out
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 hrs (2008-06-29 21:59:02 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
sorry, I should have put "someone to straighten things out" in the headline
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 hrs (2008-06-29 21:59:02 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
sorry, I should have put "someone to straighten things out" in the headline
6 hrs
Helen Shiner
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in English
United Kingdom
Arts/Academic translator - Art historian
Native in: English
Works in: German to English, French to English
Related KudoZ points
:
43
someone who will clear the decks
Hope this helps
9 hrs
Paul Cohen
Greenland
Greenland
Native in English
Specializes in field
Greenland
Will work for blubber
Native in: English
Works in: German to English, French to English, Danish to English
Related KudoZ points
:
64
whip things into shape
He was preceded by his reputation as a young tough executive who whips things into shape.
An example from BusinessWeek:
"The flexibility and lack of structure, which had enabled the company's success, had also by then produced a bloated staff and inefficient workflow. So McNerney had plenty of cause to ***whip things into shape.***"
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_24/b4038406....
"I still believe that there will shortly be hundreds of millions of people making “phone calls” on the stupid network, doing things that were impossible on the old telecom network. But whether they’ll be doing it on Skype is becoming less likely. Skype needs someone with strategic discipline to ***whip things into shape.***"
http://www.telepocalypse.net/archives/000761.html
An example from BusinessWeek:
"The flexibility and lack of structure, which had enabled the company's success, had also by then produced a bloated staff and inefficient workflow. So McNerney had plenty of cause to ***whip things into shape.***"
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_24/b4038406....
"I still believe that there will shortly be hundreds of millions of people making “phone calls” on the stupid network, doing things that were impossible on the old telecom network. But whether they’ll be doing it on Skype is becoming less likely. Skype needs someone with strategic discipline to ***whip things into shape.***"
http://www.telepocalypse.net/archives/000761.html
+2
9 hrs
Mr Fixit
I have heard this expression in the context (see Google link).
+3
17 hrs
efficiency expert
or "business efficiency expert" - someone who goes into a company and fires a lot of people, or (in the best case) restructures the co. for efficient use of its resources
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Nicole Schnell
1 hr
|
| agree |
Paul Cohen
: a lean, mean efficiency machine...
1 hr
|
| agree |
analytical (X)
: If you want to avoid the word 'trouble' as in 'trouble-shooter' than this one is a good alternative
4 hrs
|
+1
22 hrs
jccantrell
United States
United States
Native in English
United States
Was nicht ist, kann noch werden.
Native in: English (Variant: US)
Works in: German to English
Related KudoZ points
:
96
hatchet man
This is for the USA. Someone who comes in to reduce expenses, usually by eliminating jobs and workers.
Pretty common usage in USA financial articles when a company is undergoing reorganization.
Pretty common usage in USA financial articles when a company is undergoing reorganization.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Jim Tucker (X)
: good one too - probably better than my suggestion for the register of the current context - nice one!
13 mins
|
Discussion