This site uses cookies. Some of these cookies are essential to the operation of the site, while others help to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used. For more information, please see the ProZ.com privacy policy.
Cookie settings
nahrungsmittelunverträglichkeit
Vertrieb Rolle

Glossary entry

German term or phrase:

Alle Tage sind gleich lang, aber nicht alle sind gleich breit.

English translation:

all days are equally long but all are not equally expandable

Added to glossary by danilingua
Jan 13, 2010 12:06
14 yrs ago
German term

Alle Tage sind gleich lang, aber nicht alle sind gleich breit.

German to English Art/Literary Poetry & Literature Redensart/Ausdruck/Sprichwort
Hallo liebe Kollegen (damit sind ALLE gemeint ;-) ...),

ein Bekannter hat dies in seiner Signatur stehen und bat mich um eine englische Formulierung - da geht doch was, oder? :-) Der Satz lädt zum Gedankenwandern ein....

ich sage bewusst nichts (wie beim Publikumsjoker), und sage schon einmal "danke".

Daniela
Proposed translations (English)
3 +1 all days are equally long but all are not equally expandable
3 +6 All days are equally long. Some are just wider than others.
3 +4 You can't make a day longer - but you can make it wider/brighter/deeper.
4 +1 You can't make your life (any) longer, but you can make it more worthwhile
3 +2 Some days are more equal than others.
4 One day is as long as any other. It's the width that varies.
4 Each day has the same length, but not the same width.
4 All of the days are equally long, yet not all are carrying the same width.
4 All days are of equal length, but not of equal depth.
3 All days are equally long, but some are deeper than others.
1 All days have the same length, but not the same breadth

Discussion

danilingua (asker) Jan 13, 2010:
HI, sorry, a bit late. my day was not "wide" enough ;-) what is meant that even though we all have 24 hours, we use them quite differently... some more efficiently than others and some days, even though they are equally long, just do not want you to succeed in utilizing their entire width ;-) now that in a 2-liner...
British Diana Jan 13, 2010:
@Jennifer I am in agreement with you here.
casper (X) Jan 13, 2010:
@ British Diana My (suggested) translation is perhaps only as "cryptic" in meaning and intention as the original ;-)
British Diana Jan 13, 2010:
@Jennifer Jennifer, I agree that in "a big day" "big" can mean, great, important or significant. I just don't feel that we could use the comparative + "to be" (some days are bigger than others) for this meaning. But perhaps if your translation is cryptic people would puzzle about what it means and that would be intended......
Sabine Akabayov, PhD Jan 13, 2010:
@szakkriszta the same would be true for something not making any sense at all.
Edwin Miles Jan 13, 2010:
I doesn't have to make much sense... ...have you no sense of the absurd? On the other hand, if it does mean drunk or stoned, it *does* take on a certain beat-philosophical colouration.
szakkriszta Jan 13, 2010:
context? I didn't think someone would want to refer to their drunk days in their motto/signature... but I guess we are all different :)
Sabine Akabayov, PhD Jan 13, 2010:
Agree with Susanne and Susan that "breit" is used in the sense of being drunk or stoned. "Wide" doesn't make much sense.
Susanne Schiewe Jan 13, 2010:
@Susan You're right. It could also mean 'stoned'. Challenging :-)
Susan Welsh Jan 13, 2010:
@Suzanne I found on the web that it also means "stoned," but I thought, "Oh, no, it couldn't be that here..." (!)
Susanne Schiewe Jan 13, 2010:
Another idea It might also be a reference to this (where 'breiter' actually means drunk i. e. 'breit sein'). I wonder if the artist is the songwriter Udo Lindenberg (it would fit perfectly, must be him, looking at the picture ;-).
http://www.zimmermann-heitmann.de/udo-lindenberg/Alle-Tage-s...
szakkriszta Jan 13, 2010:
just an idea / reply to Susan That's just what I was thinking, too and wondering about using "deep" instead. Since "lang und breit" means "at (great) length" so "detail" and "depth" might be the referred to...
Susan Welsh Jan 13, 2010:
I'm not sure... Jennifer's link is persuasive, but I just don't get the meaning from that translation. What does it mean to say "wider" than others? What does the German "breit" convey to you, danilingua, in this context? "Wider" doesn't convey much of anything to me here. If it were "deeper" (more profound or more intense), then I'd get it. There's another version on the net, by the way, which is "Alle Tage sind gleich lang, aber unterschiedlich breit." For what it's worth.
Good luck! A fascinating expression.

Proposed translations

+1
14 hrs
Selected

all days are equally long but all are not equally expandable

this is a new entry after asker provided more context.
Not sure if it sounds much better than "wide" but since I thought of it, here it is.



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 15 hrs (2010-01-14 03:09:53 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

all days share/have the same length, but all do not share/have the same elasticity ?! :)



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 17 hrs (2010-01-14 05:36:16 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

explanation: think of all 24-hour days as elastic bands with the same length. Now pull on 10 of them. Some will let you stretch/expand them and some won't. Not quite the same as "width" but still close to the original meaning IMO.

http://cherstepanek.blogspot.com/2009/06/elasticity-of-time....
elasticity of time

Now of course you could also possibly say this:

all days are bands of time of equal length but different width.

But it's still harder to grasp what is meant IMO.

not sure about "band of time" but have a look here:
http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=15769533
band of time






--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 days5 hrs (2010-01-15 17:26:03 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

thank you, danilingua!
Note from asker:
Hi Bernhard, that is really good!!!
Peer comment(s):
agree Annett Kottek (X) : Another thought: 'The day can't be made longer, but you can make it larger' [passive voice to 2nd person intentional to emphasise agency]. Re. usage of **breiter Tag!** (discussion box) see: http://www.pestalozzi-hamburg.de/news_2006.html
3 hrs
danke, Annett!
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "guys, this was sooooo hard... I know my friend has chosen a "length" "with" combination, but then again, he went for the literal translation (which had come to my mind forst to). I personally fond it soo hard to award points here because of the many good ideas and want to thank you!!!!! it is always so interesting to see what a seemingly "simple" phrase has in store for you :-) thank you again, and please, I wish I could have graded various responses... Daniela"
1 hr

One day is as long as any other. It's the width that varies.

Just as an alternative. It's not an absolute thing, a translation like this...:-)
Something went wrong...
+6
5 mins

All days are equally long. Some are just wider than others.

http://youmustbefromaway.blogspot.com/2009/09/all-days-are-e...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2010-01-13 13:38:56 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

On second thoughts:
All days are equally long. Some are just bigger than others.
Note from asker:
oh wow, did not even know this link ;.-)
Peer comment(s):
agree writeaway : research skills often come in handy
2 mins
'search' skills, actually ;-) + :-)
agree philgoddard : Don't they just?
16 mins
Yep, philgoddard
agree Rolf Keiser
47 mins
Thanks, Goldcoaster
agree Edwin Miles : How 'bout some more alternatives, oh poets?
58 mins
Aye, aye, Edwin. I can already see 5 alternatives posted in response
agree Lancashireman : ... // I see it as a question of how much you can fit into a day, a figurative reference to the surface area of the 'canvas of life' on which all our activities are depicted. And, as everyone (?) knows, area = L x W.
1 hr
Thank you, Andrew. Btw, which one would you back: 'wider' or 'bigger' or...?
neutral British Diana : this doesn't sound very meaningful to me. /// What do you think it means to say that a day is "big"? When is a day "big"or "wide" for you? When you have a big work load?? Have you considered using "great"? A great day is earning lots of KudoZ points...
4 hrs
How about my alternative suggestion with 'bigger' instead of 'wider' ? Or even szakkriszta's 'brighter' ?// 'Big' in the sense of momentous; of great significance. As in 'a big day'.
agree Helen Shiner : or wilder if the stoned ref is anything to go by!
4 hrs
Hmm...wi(l)der ? Thank you, Helen
Something went wrong...
1 hr

All days are equally long, but some are deeper than others.

I'm fairly sure this gets closer to the idea in German, although not the literal translation, of course.
Peer comment(s):
disagree Lancashireman : The standard formula for calculating surface area is length times width.
10 mins
Nobody is calculating surface area.
agree Sabine Akabayov, PhD : I actually think, "deeper" is fine. At least it gives this sentence a meaning
3 hrs
Thanks, sibsab
disagree Helen Shiner : Sorry, I also think this misses the meaning. It is about fitting more in not looking at it in a more philosophical or a deeper way, in my view.
3 hrs
Thanks for the input, Helen.
agree Terry Gilman : Agree standard is safe/best if you're D and transl. a bon mot into E - "fit more in" is accurate with wide, but deeper is witty (the way "breiter" is): you get cubic volume (a closet, the pits, a grave) and philosophy
8 hrs
Thanks, Terry
Something went wrong...
2 hrs

All days have the same length, but not the same breadth

possibly?
Something went wrong...
+4
1 hr

You can't make a day longer - but you can make it wider/brighter/deeper.

Since it might be just as philosophical and without any specific literal meaning behind it in German:

All days are equally long - just not equally wide.
Days are equally long - but not equally broad/deep.
You can't make a day longer - but you can make it wider/brighter/deeper.

And please, dear colleagues, don't tell anyone they got it wrong - it's just for fun!
And much like days, translation like this is what you personally make of it :)

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs (2010-01-13 15:29:37 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

MORE FUN after brainstorming with my husband (who, by the way, has just started taking a strong drug this morning :))

All days may be (just) as long, but you may not be just as high.

You can't make a day longer, but you can make it higher!

All days are equally long, but not equally loaded.

All days are of equal length, but they are not equally measured.

ps: I meant prescription strong :)
Peer comment(s):
agree Sabine Akabayov, PhD : I like "All days are equally long, but not equally loaded." the best
1 hr
thanks - we sure had fun with this :)
agree casper (X) : I like your 'brighter' idea :-)
2 hrs
thank you
agree Helen Shiner : I also like equally loaded as a good, fun alternative!
2 hrs
thank you
neutral Bernhard Sulzer : I've never heard anybody say make your day wider. How do you do that? However, I am not sure what the original is really supposed to convey. ..... Well, we have more info. :)
9 hrs
I don't suppose you would have heard this in German, either. I take it as a graffiti: a tiny bit poetic maybe, somewhat philosophical, most of all fun :) I really don't think people should take this +critiquing translations as painstakingly seriously :)
agree Harald Moelzer (medical-translator)
1 day 59 mins
Something went wrong...
+1
4 hrs

You can't make your life (any) longer, but you can make it more worthwhile

Just an idea, I'm afraid I can't relate to any of the other suggestions to date.
A slight variation would be to say... but you can make it more worth living
Peer comment(s):
agree casper (X) : a worthwhile (translation) suggestion indeed :-)
7 mins
Thanks, Jennifer, especially as you have got lots of "agrees" yourself!
Something went wrong...
+2
4 hrs

Some days are more equal than others.

To use a preexisting English phrase with (I think!) a similar meaning.
Note from asker:
i love that one - wir sind alle gleich, aber manche sind gleicher, als andere ;-)
Peer comment(s):
agree Trudy Peters : :-)
54 mins
agree Helen Shiner : Is that the dog speaking?//Greetings then to you both.
1 hr
arf!
Something went wrong...
13 hrs

Each day has the same length, but not the same width.

Here is another proposal different from some of the others posted so far. As far as I am concerned, I like Jennifer's and szakkriszta's too, and this is pretty much a matter of taste. I thought that maybe using length and width would be an interesting contrast to long and wide. For some reason wide sounds kind of strange to me in this context. You could still use the "All days" construction with my length and width, but I wanted to throw out there that it could also possibly sound nicer with each in English.
Something went wrong...
1 day 19 mins

All of the days are equally long, yet not all are carrying the same width.

You could exchange "width" with "depth".
Something went wrong...
1 day 15 hrs

All days are of equal length, but not of equal depth.

You can't use "broad" or "wide" to communicate the concept in English.
Something went wrong...
Close search
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search