Glossary entry (derived from question below)
German term or phrase:
die Messlatte hoch legen
English translation:
to aim high
Added to glossary by
Robin Ward
Sep 13, 2002 12:22
21 yrs ago
2 viewers *
German term
Germany
Look no further than here!
Native in: English 
Works in: German to English, French to English, Spanish to English, and 4 more.
Messlatte, die - hoch legen
German to English
Bus/Financial
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
Is there a more snappy translation for this (used figuratively) than "to set high standards"?
Proposed translations
(English)
Change log
Apr 15, 2015 08:08: Steffen Walter changed "Field" from "Other" to "Bus/Financial" , "Field (specific)" from "(none)" to "Idioms / Maxims / Sayings"
Proposed translations
4 hrs
Selected
raising standards / raise the standards
bit like raising a flag!
aim high
raise the stakes
up the ante
I don't really see too much wrong with setting high standards - in some ways it sounds more natural, although not very exciting!
go up a level
top notch standards
to set the highest goals
hth
aim high
raise the stakes
up the ante
I don't really see too much wrong with setting high standards - in some ways it sounds more natural, although not very exciting!
go up a level
top notch standards
to set the highest goals
hth
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "I like your second suggestion "to aim high" the best. Thanks! "
+4
15 mins
Hans-Henning Judek
Native in German
More than 35 years experience
Native in: German
Works in: German to English, English to German
Related KudoZ points
:
4
set the bar high
As in German. It is from a newspaper articel, so this should be snappy enough, I guess :-)
By the way Messlatte is not correct here. Die Latte hoch legen" comes from sports (high jump) and is not about measuring.
By the way Messlatte is not correct here. Die Latte hoch legen" comes from sports (high jump) and is not about measuring.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Melissa Field
: or 'raise the bar'.
17 mins
|
| agree |
pschmitt
29 mins
|
| agree |
jccantrell
: ok from the USA.
1 hr
|
| agree |
Susan Geiblinger
2 hrs
|
20 mins
Steffen Walter
Germany
Germany
Native in German
Germany
Top-Notch Service | Direct Clients Only
Native in: German (Variant: Germany) 
Works in: English to German, German to English, French to German, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
85
to set the hurdle high
'nother snappy way of putting it
+1
1 hr
ambitious targets - to set
?
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Nancy Arrowsmith
: I'd go for this one, the hurdle doesn't transport the same meaning In English
2 hrs
|
2 hrs
level of excellence /critical yardstick
all sounds a bit stuffy
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