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...dat het niet opgaat...

English translation: makes no sense

07:22 Jan 11, 2007
Dutch to English translations [PRO]
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
Dutch term or phrase: ...dat het niet opgaat...
Can't make sense of the first part of this sentence (up to moet kiezen), but perhaps it would help if I had a better idea what this phrase means here. Extract from a paper on the introduction in the EU of the New York dual strategy to contain organised crime, the dual strategy focusing on a combination of penal and administrative measures. The Van Traa team mentioned is a special office set up to systematically combat organised crime through administrative channels (screening public works tenders,
applications for licences, grants, etc.)

De derde opmerking is **dat het niet opgaat** om - met een beroep op de aanpak van de georganiseerde misdaad in New York - ervoor te pleiten om het Van Traa-team in de toekomst niet eerst op eigen initiatief economische sectoren moet uitkiezen waarbinnen het zijn activiteiten zal ontplooien om vervolgens te bezien of er ook relevante strafrechtelijke informatie voorhanden is over personen en bedrijven die in die sectoren actief zijn. Volgens de onderzoekers zou het team juist andersom moeten werken: eerst bekijken over welke personen en bedrijven in welke economische sectoren strafrechtelijke informatie voorhanden is en op grond daarvan vervolgens de sectoren kiezen waar bestuurlijke middelen tegen worden ingezet. Deze aanbeveling is mij in elk geval te eenzijdig en ook te radicaal. Zij miskent immers zowel de complementariteit als de interactiviteit van de bestuurlijke en de strafrechtelijke aanpak.
MoiraB
France
Local time: 13:20
English translation:makes no sense
Explanation:
first of all, the sentence is incorrect.

here's what I think is intended:

The third remark is that it makes no sense to be in favour of - based on the NY approach - the Van Traa team's first choosing a sector for its activities and then checking whether there's any relevant info on people/companies in that sector.





Selected response from:

Björn Houben
Belgium
Local time: 13:20
Grading comment
This makes most sense in the context! Other suggestions fine, but perhaps a bit too informal for an academic paper. Thanks, everyone.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +3makes no sense
Björn Houben
5...that won't wash...
Marijke Mayer
3it won't fly
Ken Cox


  

Answers


18 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
makes no sense


Explanation:
first of all, the sentence is incorrect.

here's what I think is intended:

The third remark is that it makes no sense to be in favour of - based on the NY approach - the Van Traa team's first choosing a sector for its activities and then checking whether there's any relevant info on people/companies in that sector.







Björn Houben
Belgium
Local time: 13:20
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in FlemishFlemish, Native in DutchDutch
PRO pts in category: 16
Grading comment
This makes most sense in the context! Other suggestions fine, but perhaps a bit too informal for an academic paper. Thanks, everyone.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Kobe Vander Beken
50 mins
agree  Ken Cox: fits well
2 hrs
agree  Kate Hudson (X)
3 hrs
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
...that won't wash...


Explanation:
which is what I would use, but take your pick:
...cock won 't fight/that balloon will burst/that dodge wouldn’t answer/that tale won’t wash ... take your pick!

As a Dutch native speaker I know that only part of the popular saying "deze vlieger gaat niet op" is used. This basically indicates strong disagreement with the view of others, see :

http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/stoe002nede01/stoe002nede01_2553.h...

Van Dale: dat balletje gaat niet op (vgl. no. 153). In het eng. zegt men that cock won 't fight of that balloon will burst.

http://www.bartelby.com/81/3770.html

That cock won’t fight. That dodge wouldn’t answer; that tale won’t wash. Of course, the allusion is to fighting cocks. A bet is made on a favourite cock, but when pitted he refuses to fight.

Marijke Mayer
Netherlands
Local time: 13:20
Native speaker of: Dutch
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
it won't fly


Explanation:
In this case I agree with Björn's suggestion, but 'it won't fly' is a similar expression in English -- typically in phrases 'that argument won't fly' or 'that approach won't fly'.

Ken Cox
Local time: 13:20
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 16
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