Glossary entry

Dutch term or phrase:

dichtschrijven

English translation:

watertight; no loopholes [see below]

Added to glossary by Cathalina Depoorter (X)
May 17, 2018 09:56
5 yrs ago
Dutch term

dichtschrijven

Dutch to English Law/Patents Law: Contract(s)
In een verslag van een advocaat aangaande een toekomstige samenwerking tussen twee bedrijven:

"De volgende aspecten worden bij deze nogmaals herhaald en behoeven verdere aandacht:

-Het uitschrijven en vooral dichtschrijven van gebeurlijke aansprakelijkheden tussen betrokken partijen.
- ....."

Kan iemand me helpen met deze term?

Alvast bedankt!

Discussion

Bryan Crumpler May 21, 2018:
+1 for "airtight" here... ...
Barend van Zadelhoff May 18, 2018:
In this metaphorical sense, they (airtight and watertight) mean the same. Literally, there are obvious differences.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You are rather missing a point. They are not both fine because there appears to be a BE/AE difference. That is supported by the OED which describes the figurative use of airtight (as in "cannot be faulted, incontrovertible") as originally US, first appearing in 1901 and having appeared on the east side of the Atlantic only recently. So, if you want to communicate in BE, much better to use "watertight" which has been used figuratively for over 350 years. If in AE it seems both will do, but airtight is, perhaps, to be favoured.

https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/airtight-vs-watertig...
freekfluweel May 17, 2018:
airtight is tighter than watertight... fwiw
Kitty Brussaard May 17, 2018:
@writeaway I think you misunderstood my comment. I was actually pointing out that airtight (rather than watertight as proposed by Michael) would be a better choice for a US audience (if applicable). See also my earlier comment on Michael's reference comment.
writeaway May 17, 2018:
Since when is watertight for a US audience? That's news to me. Agreements are airtight in the US as well. Of course che ne so io as they say in Italy (not in the US)

Five Reasons Your Prenup Might Be Invalid - Forbes
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jefflanders/.../five-reasons-yo...
Apr 2, 2013 - ... up and taking notice. Will more people now try to have prenuptial agreements tossed out of court? ... Careless errors could render a prenup less than airtight. If the initial ... The 10 Most Dangerous U.S. Cities · Trending on ...
and
Settlements: drafting watertight agreements | Practical Law
https://uk.practicallaw.thomsonreuters.com/6-502-0783
Apr 28, 2010 - How to ensure that a settlement agreement is binding and not vulnerable to attack. Request a free trial. To access this resource and thousands ...
Textpertise May 17, 2018:
@ Roy: As good as my entry Yes. I also like your suggestion. Why not post it as an answer?
Roy vd Heijden May 17, 2018:
to nail down?
(https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/nail-sth...

Ex.:
"Before any contractor starts work, the client needs a legally watertight contract in place nailing down every detail of what they’ll deliver, when, and for how much."
(http://pwc.blogs.com/industry_perspectives/2015/03/test.html...
Kitty Brussaard May 17, 2018:
Agree with both Roy and Michael and would suggest 'airtight' rather than 'watertight' for a US audience.
Michael Beijer May 17, 2018:
yeah, I think Roy is right something like "making something / ensuring something is watertight"... would work in yr context

or "making sure / ensuring there are no loopholes"

both common phrases when it comes to contracts, etc.
Roy vd Heijden May 17, 2018:
dichtschrijven Hier: dichttimmeren?

Proposed translations

+2
4 hrs
Dutch term (edited): dichtschrijven; dichttimmeren
Selected

watertight; no loopholes [see below]

e.g.:

making something / ensuring something is watertight
making sure / ensuring there are no loopholes

or something along those lines
Example sentence:

In their attempt at being watertight and perfect, our laws are so wordy that they lose their spirit amongst the letters.

Dennis Hall (pictured), Iain Wishart and Paul Cleworth offer advice on how to ensure your client agreement is watertight.

Peer comment(s):

agree Tina Vonhof (X) : A detailed and watertight description of...
7 mins
Thanks!
agree Kitty Brussaard : Indeed, something along those lines and the key idea here being that things are phrased in such a way that all scenarios/eventualities (and the corresponding risks) are covered.
48 mins
Thanks!
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Eventually I opted for this translation. Thank you for your help!"
1 hr

to pin down in writing

Conveys the idea of watertightness raised by Michael Beijer, (see here and in the discussion) which I agree with, but still retains some of the idea of "dicht" as mentioned by Roy in the discussion. I feel its use in the article on leasing brought by Freekfluweel only fits this suggestion if you take it to mean "boxing in", which is not exactly the same meaning as I think it has here. That is why I am not completely sure of this answer. Watertightness, actually, doesn't fit its use in that leasing article either.
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2 hrs

seal in writing

suggestion

You could also just use 'unambiguously' to get the same idea across

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Reference comments

33 mins
Reference:

some online usage to show possible meanings

Dat betekent niet alleen een te grote werklast voor Luc die de ‘gaten moet dichtschrijven’, het houdt ook in dat wanneer hij om welke reden dan ook wegvalt, het tijdschrift waarschijnlijk zijn langste tijd heeft gehad.
;**************************************************
Uitgangspunt is dichtschrijven wat kan en open laten wat nog uitgewerkt moet ......
;**************************************************
De heer Van Krieken: Ja. De Staat wilde een internationale tender doen. Er waren op dat moment maar twee leveranciers van 300 km/u-treinen: de Duitse industrie en de Franse industrie. Je kunt de specificaties niet zo dichtschrijven dat alleen de Thalys erin past.
;**************************************************
Vandaar dat ik zeg dat we moeten oppassen niet door te schieten in onze eigen regeldrang, ik heb diverse stadia in de 1/1 luchtvaart meegemaakt waarbij men ook dacht dat met het dichtschrijven van procedures de zaak veiliger werd.

Niet dus, integendeel.
;**************************************************

i.e. to make something watertight

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Note added at 36 mins (2018-05-17 10:32:44 GMT)
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Oxforddictionaries.com:

watertight:

(Of an argument or account) unable to be disputed or questioned

usage examples:

– their alibis are watertight
– At least I've finally found a watertight argument against Alec ever moving me to the countryside.
– That argument is not watertight, however, because existing law does not formally allow euthanasia, for a variety of reasons mentioned briefly above.
– I will lay it on the line - there is not one such fossil for which one could make a watertight argument.
– But if you are going to claim that Mexican immigrants don't want to be Americans, your argument had better be watertight.
– A fully informed, carefully and methodically reasoned, conceptually watertight political argument lies well outside them.
– I've no doubt there all kinds of holes in this logic, and many examples that could suggest these arguments are less than watertight.
– No justification is good enough - or none short of a watertight deductive argument, and all but the sceptics will agree that this is too much to demand.
– In their attempt at being watertight and perfect, our laws are so wordy that they lose their spirit amongst the letters.
– Why, he asks, cannot the protagonists accept that their opponents' arguments, even if not entirely watertight, may nevertheless be partly correct?
– Phillip's argument isn't exactly the most watertight.
Peer comments on this reference comment:

agree Kitty Brussaard : Or US 'airtight'.
26 mins
thanks!
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