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Glossary entry

German term or phrase:

in Fahrtrichtung links aussteigen

English translation:

Please alight on the left

    The asker opted for community grading. The question was closed on 2010-05-01 06:54:08 based on peer agreement (or, if there were too few peer comments, asker preference.)
Apr 27, 2010 07:18
14 yrs ago
1 viewer *
German term

in Fahrtrichtung links aussteigen

German to English Tech/Engineering General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters Ansage in einem Zug
Dies ist die Ansage in S-Bahnen und U-Bahnen in einer deutschen Stadt, die bisher fuer auslaendische Besucher sehr holprig uebersetzt wurde. Bitte um Vorschlaege von Muttersprachlern!
Proposed translations (English)
3 +6 Please alight on the left
4 +2 use left hand doors when exititing
4 +1 doors will open on the left side
3 Please leave the train on the left hand side

Discussion

uli1 (asker) Apr 29, 2010:
Please exit on the left. Yes, I agree. This is my favorite, too. Short and simple and easily understood by foreigners. Thank you!
Tilman Lichter Apr 28, 2010:
@Ellicom 18:49 Apr 27 Despite my own earlier entry, I would now favour @ellicom's suggestion, which should be posted as an answer. I think "Please exit on the left" is the best choice here.
Lingua.Franca Apr 27, 2010:
@Ellicom Please exit on the left. I think you should post your suggestion as an answer, most tourists would have no clue what alight means!

Proposed translations

+6
11 mins
Selected

Please alight on the left

To keep it simple. Most people should realise that left is in the direction of travel.
Note from asker:
Danke!
Thank you, but I think "alight" is not easily understood!
Peer comment(s):
agree BrigitteHilgner : Let's hope that all listeners can tell left from right. ;-)
40 mins
agree Armorel Young : Nice & neat
1 hr
agree Nicola Wood : absolutely
2 hrs
agree Louise Mawbey
3 hrs
neutral Darin Fitzpatrick : As a US speaker I would not understand "alight." I suggest "exit to the left" or "exit on the left side." I agree that the direction of travel is understood.
4 hrs
neutral mill2 : agree with Darin / I meant neutral not disagree, sorry. But as ElliCom points out, everyone understands exit on the left and presumably the target audience is anyone visiting the German city who doesn't speak German, including Americans!
6 hrs
What makes you think this is wrong just because an American does not understand it? Perhaps you should first ask who the target audience is.
agree Charles Rothwell (X)
9 hrs
neutral Eleanore Strauss : Agree with Darin - but who is the target audience? Exit on the left is clear to everyone.
10 hrs
neutral Rolf Keiser : with Darin
1 day 5 hrs
agree Lancashireman : I have just alighted upon this question after the Americans have all exited stage left.
5 days
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
5 hrs

Please leave the train on the left hand side

"Alight" is not so good for foreign speakers of English (except those from some Asian countries who are still taught 19th century English,-))

Note from asker:
Thank you! The target group is foreigners travelling through Germany! So I also think that "alight" is a bit to special for them!
Thank you!
Something went wrong...
+1
7 hrs

doors will open on the left side

That's what they say in Vancouver's skytrain (S-Bahn/U-Bahn):

"Next station: ' Waterfront' (or whatever) . Doors will open on the left (right) side."

http://buzzer.translink.ca/index.php/2009/07/the-buzzer-ride...
Note from asker:
Thank you!
Peer comment(s):
neutral Armorel Young : Possibly, but I've been on systems where the doors open on one side for people to get off while also opening on the other side for people to get on - in that situation this would simply be confusing.
40 mins
That’s a valid argument! In our skytrain, doors will only ever open on ONE side (in irregular alternation) while the doors on the other side stay closed simply because there’s no platform to alight on. The announcement helps everyone to line up properly.
agree British Diana : Although I still like my own suggestion, this one is actually at least as good(!) The fact that the speaker says "Next Station..." is surely enough to make it clear to those in the train that the doors for getting out are the ones which will open.
22 hrs
Something went wrong...
+2
9 hrs

use left hand doors when exititing

This is how it would sound in most places in in North America.
Example sentence:

Use Both Doors When Entering And Exiting Stores | Facebook Facebook is a social utility that connects people with friends and others who work, study and live around them. People use Facebook to keep up with friends, ... www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=335

Note from asker:
Thank you!
Peer comment(s):
agree Eleanore Strauss : Even simpler: please exit from the left, or use exits on the left
55 mins
neutral British Diana : exititing is possibly a misspelling? Not so keen on using "exit" as a verb, it's not as universal as "leave"
12 hrs
Sorry about the spelling. I hit the keys too fast. As far as the universality of "exiting" is concerned, I'll leave that to the community to assess.
agree mill2 : with ElliCom
20 hrs
Something went wrong...
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