HERAUSFORDERUNG & RISIKO
Unternehmen/jemand muss sich einer Herausforderung/Aufgabe stellen
= our corporation is committed to facing up to/meeting all challenges that lie ahead/loom; we are looking forward to pursuing future opportunities/options together; Just bring it on! (great rallying point when facing a challenge); We are not going down without a fight!; some people are always ready to take on new challenges; country/ company needs to gear up for rough seas ahead/navigate the challenges ahead/weather many tricky patches; we need to identify/nail down/zero in on/overcome all challenges we face/presented to us; we are totally confident we can respond to all future challenges; time is ripe for our corporation to scale new heights/wade into deeper waters; the climate change issue throws up new challenges; we’re facing a daunting prospect/tall order; there are still many icebergs in the water; there are still plenty of hurdles to clear/surmount/overcome; this is a tough/hard sell; our new boss has big shoes to fill/finds himself up against a lot of opposition
wir müssen all diese Herausforderungen angehen/meistern = our team is up against fierce opposition; she is swept up in a mysterious intrigue; she finds herself up against strong opposition; absenteeism is an issue large corporations always have to address; the country needs to combat the specter of inflation
Firma steht vor vielen Herausforderungen = our organization faces steep/deep-seated challenges
das Projekt wird zur großen Herausforderung = this project figures to be a tough challenge
die Quadratur des Kreises = the company is attempting to square the circle; not much you can do, it’s a catch 22 situation; it’s like trying to fit square technology in a round hole; this feels like/is akin to a mission impossible
in Teufelsküche kommen = with this presumptive attitude you are walking/treading on thin ice/sailing too close to the wind; he is courting/ flirting with danger; politically she appears to be behind the 8-ball/up the creek/in dire/in desperate straits; you’re riding for a fall; with his callous/rude remarks on racial discrimination he risks getting into trouble/in the spotlight/in a jam/in hot water/putting himself on the spot; you're cooked/there will be the devil to pay if the police catches you speeding again
nicht den Teufel an die Wand malen = don’t push the panic button yet
er springt ins kalte Wasser/er wird ins kalte Wasser geworfen = without any experience whatsoever in the financial area he decided to jump in at the deep end when he took the job offer; the young executive was sort of thrown in/chucked in/pitched in at the deep end when he had to deal with senior government officers
nicht gleich in Panik geraten; Keine Panikmache, bitte! Pessimisten sollten mit ihrem Unken endlich aufhören; nicht wieder den Weltuntergang beschwören = the government/media should cut out the scaremongering/fearmongering/ panicmongering; don’t get put off by some doomsday scenario; the government is preaching too much doom and gloom; there are too many panic merchants in our country ... we should keep our cool; the press is painting all gray and murky; media responds with a host of frightening headlines; this is not the right time to stir/cause panic; panic set in when the news of the calamity hit the press; I wish the government wouldn’t resort to scare campaign tactics; don’t be an alarmist/panic merchant; there is too much fake news/ disinformation nowadays; people are getting tired of doomsayers/doomsaying messages; enough scaremongering from the harbingers of doom; some doomsayers are again painting/predicting a bleak/dire/grim doomsday/Armageddon (i.e. the end-of-the-world) scenario/picture; time to brace/buckle up for the next catastrophe/ bad news ...
eine Hiobsbotschaft senden = the prophets of doom are at it again; there are too many panic merchants around; scare-mongering/fear-mongering seem to dominate today’s headlines
nicht die Pferde scheu machen = no need to hit the panic switch/button yet; don’t cry wolf again; don’t stir the pot
Unternehmen sieht seine Wachstumsaussichten pessimistisch = the company views its growth prospects dimly
im Fußballverein/in der Firma hängt der Haussegen schief = trouble in paradise looms within the football club; trouble is brewing/things a re kind of going haywire for the big tech corporation
es gibt zu viele Neinsager/Pessimisten auf der Welt/in diesem Land = there are simply too many naysayers/pessimists in the world/in this country
es war eine Katastrophe mit Ansage; das Desaster war überfällig = the writing was on the wall; this crash/meltdown has been/was a long time coming; there were ominous signals/signs pointing to a catastrophe; this crisis/catastrophe was years in the making, (i.e. sooner or later it was bound to happen)
es ist ziemlich sicher, dass dies wieder passiert = this event is destined for reprise
diese Gemengelage verheißt nichts Gutes = this perfect storm doesn’t augur/bode well
die Hellseherin/Wahrsagerin sagte eine Katastrophe vorher = the fortune teller heralded the plague of the locusts/the galloping of the horsemen of the Apocalypse (metaphorical usage)
man muss etwas riskieren/versuchen = let’s give it a go/crack; you’ve got to take the plunge sometimes in life; he is making a stab/trying his hand at singing; How about testing the waters on the project feasibility?; let’s give the idea/new scheme a tilt/a shakedown; you should maybe dip your feet/toes into buying and selling shares; well, let's just roll the dice and hope it works out; sometimes you got to take a leap of faith to achieve something
junge Leute sollen etwas riskieren/wagen = young people should dare to step out of line
er/sie probt den Aufstand = he tried to create a stir with his behavior; workers on the street are intent on staging a protest for better labor conditions; with her critical remarks she was attempting to stir the pot/make some noise; he jacked up (AUS) when he heard the government was raising bus fares; the teenager dug in his/her heels about going to the party; he hunkered down for a few days until his parents said he could go on vacation with his schoolmates
der Versuch ist daneben gegangen = that was a misguided/inadequate attempt to fix/solve/remedy the problem; nice try, he said (jocular/ facetious/ironic remark); you got it wrong again
er setzt alles auf eine Karte = he decided to for broke/go the whole hog/shoot the works
sie haben aufs falsche Pferd gesetzt = they backed the wrong horse
Worum geht es? = What’s at stake? Hey, what’s the big deal?
für mich/dich/sie/ihn ist dieses Projekt/diese Aufgabe eine Nummer zu groß; er/sie hat zu hoch gegriffen/gepokert = for us/the company this project is in a different league; this task is out of her/his league; you seem to be punching/fighting above your weight/class/category; in my current job I’m actually getting much more work than I bargained for; you’re biting off more than you can chew; the mega-project proved a bridge too far for the small company; one can barely/it’s hard to escape the conclusion that this scheme will not work; it’s a long shot, so don’t think you’re gonna make it; I’m not able to cope with/handle this job; I can’t hack it; as a stockbroker he doesn’t cut the mustard/isn’t in the same league as some of his smarter fellow brokers; he/she got ahead of himself/herself; if you can’t stand the heat stay out of the kitchen; he’s overreaching himself; that’s a bridge too far for her; the new boss/manager is not up to the job
es wusste nicht genau, worauf er sich eingelassen hat = he didn’t know, what he had signed up to/bargained for
dies ist nichts für Warmduscher/Mimosen = this is nothing for the faint-hearted/wimps
die Lage/Person ist nicht mehr zu retten = he/she is a basket/hopeless case; her last-minute attempt/her11th hour try has failed; his last resort move has fizzled out
wenn alle Stricke reißen/als Ultima Ratio werden wir wahrscheinlich das Museum/die Kunsthochschule schließen müssen = if push comes to shove we will probably have to go nuclear/take the nuclear option (i.e. the most extreme course of action) and close the museum; as a last resort/with a last-ditch/Hail Mary fund-raising campaign City (Council) attempts/hopes to avoid the closure/the demise of the Arts School
Das wars! Vergiss es! = the boss just read the last rites for the project; this huge investment loss marks the final chapter in our company history; the freak/bizarre accident sounded the death knell for the armaments factory
aufgrund der Epidemie kannst du dir deine Urlaubspläne abschminken = due to the epidemic outbreak you can kiss off/R.I.P. your vacation plans
dem Tod nochmal von der Schippe gesprungen sein = we just survived a close call; that was a close shave/narrow escape; she/he barely escaped from the jaws of death
sich zu weit aus dem Fenster lehnen = the education minister put himself (out) on a limbrolled the dice with his sharp/harsh criticism/ bashing of the president
Wer wagt sich in die Höhle des Löwen? = Who is going to bell the cat/beard the lion/walk into the lion’s den?; the minister decided to tackle/face the delicate issue head-on; people sometimes need to have the courage of their convictions
Gefahr im Verzug; vermeiden Sie immer schäbige und anrüchige Viertel
= danger lurks left and right; buckle up guys, here we go; trouble looms here and there; if danger present contact emergency immediately; there will be the devil to pay if the extreme left/right party gets elected; I’ve got this eerie/creepy feeling that a suspicious character is lurking in the shadows; stay out of/don’t get in harm’s way; there is trouble in paradise; if you plan to visit our city’s dangerous neighborhoods do it at your own peril/risk, because you can easily get mugged; always avoid/stay away from shabby and cheesy neighborhoods
er/sie sollte sich nicht in Sicherheit wähnen/wiegen = don’t take things for granted; he shouldn’t get too complacent about the issue; the government/minister has a smug/false feeling of satisfaction/security about having done a good job; don’t rest on your laurels; don’t count the chicken yet; “she’ll be right” (AUS occasional usage for “a complacent attitude”); we let our guard down and it came back to bite us; you gotta be careful, so don’t be on your high hog too long; they thought they were in the driver’s seat, but all of a sudden things didn’t go their way; he shouldn’t be too sure about having finished the job as he hasn’t crossed the bridge yet
man soll nicht leichtsinnig werden/das Risiko unterschätzen = don’t get too casual/complacent; don’t throw caution to the wind; don’t drop your guard; don't shrug off/dismiss warnings lightly
Vorsicht ist geboten = stay vigilant/cautious
er/jemand wird hellhörig/stutzig = he has the growing suspicion that something is wrong here; there is something funny/fishy going on here; police/the authorities suspect/s foul play
hier wird es jetzt gefährlich/unangenehm = the tourist group suddenly found themselves in the thick of revolutionary action; the foreign correspondent got caught in the middle of a political conflict/in the eye of the storm
es wird hier zu gefährlich, lass uns mal abhauen/von Dannen ziehen = this is getting hairy, so let’s split/bust out of here; we're outta here!
komm, lass uns jetzt gehen = let’s do a fade now
das ist/war eine Drohgebärde/Einschüchterung = the threat of getting expelled from the club looms over the wayward player; that was a warning shot across the bow(s)
es ist keine ernstzunehmende Drohung = this is just an innocuous/empty threat; it’s more bark than bite/all bluster and no substance; it was just a thinly veiled threat that was quickly dismissed/played down/tamped down
TV-Produzent wird nach sexuellem Übergriff gewarnt = the authorities threatened to put the TV producer on notice due to alleged sexual misconduct/abuse/harassment
Demonstranten/junge Leute bieten die Stirn = the demonstrators dared stand up/bare their teeth to powerful corporations/institutions; bold young people are always ready and willing to face up/stare down threats eyeball to eyeball
ein böser Blick kann sehr unangenehm sein = an intimidating/powerful stare can make someone turn tail and run; he dared someone to challenge him
das wird noch ein Nachspiel haben = You’ll hear from me! You won’t get away with this! ; you will have to suffer the consequences; the reckoning will come; just wait until I lay/get my hands on you
eine Retourkutsche erhalten = they/he/she returned the favor; affront/insult is bound to be repaid in kind
