posted on October 3, 2001 04:26:30 PM new
I need help translating a message from a German seller. I used AltaVista to send him a message in German asking if I could bid on his auction which ships only to Germany. He responded in German since his English is not good. The AltaVista translator won't translate the second sentence so that it makes sense, so I don't know for sure whether or not he is willing to let me bid.
This is the German:
HALLO!
LEIDER IST MEIN SCHULENGLISCH SEHR SCHLECHT,UND DESHALB ANTWORTE ICH AUF DEUTSCH. WENN SIE DIE UNKOSTEN AUF SICH NEHMEN (VERSANDKOSTEN) MÖCHTEN IST ES KEIN PROBLEM DIE CASSETTE NACH AMERIKA ZU SCHICKEN.
AltaVista translates this as:
HELLO! UNFORTUNATELY MY SCHOOL ENGLISH IS MUCH BAD, and THEREFORE I ANSWER TO GERMAN. IF THEY THE EXPENSES ON ITSELF TAKING (FORWARDING EXPENSES) WOULD NOT LIKE ARE IT A PROBLEM THE CASSETTE TO AMERICA TO SENDING.
So, is there anybody here who knows enough German to tell me what the second sentence really says? Is he willing to let me bid? This is something that I really want which is not available in the United States so I'd really like to know!
[ edited by thebgs on Oct 3, 2001 04:27 PM ]
posted on October 3, 2001 04:42:35 PM new
From what I can read he is telling you that shipping to the usa is not a problem as long as you can pay the shipping.
posted on October 3, 2001 04:55:20 PM new
"WENN SIE DIE UNKOSTEN AUF SICH NEHMEN (VERSANDKOSTEN) MÖCHTEN IST ES KEIN PROBLEM DIE CASSETTE NACH AMERIKA ZU SCHICKEN."
"If you take the costs on yourself (postage costs) it is no problem to send the cassette to America."
He's saying that he's happy to sell to you as long as you pay the shipping costs, which can be very high. There's an uninsured rate that costs DM15 for surface mail, after that you're looking DM65 ("economy", insured, I think it takes about 4 weeks to the US) or DM100 or thereabouts for airmail which will take a week. (These rates apply to shipping from Germany to Australia; I don't think Germany-US is much if any cheaper.)
Divide those numbers by two to get an approximation of the cost in US dollars, and think whether you really want to bid.
You need to work out how you're going to pay him, too. Normally German sellers want bank transfers, which are free in Germany but your bank is likely to charge you for it. (I've heard of people being socked up to $25 for this by their banks.) There's another service available http://www.globaltradingsupport.net/controlcenter.html which I use regularly but they're more set up for repeat customers and not one-off purchases. You cannot send him a check or money order because his bank will charge him at least US$10 to cash it and it will take forever to clear.
Oh, if it's a video cassette you will need a PAL system to play it - if you don't have one or don't know what I mean you will not be able to view it.
I hope the above helps!
Aydret
[ edited by aydret on Oct 3, 2001 04:59 PM ]
posted on October 3, 2001 05:05:25 PM new
Thank you, Aydret! I appreciate the thoughtful reply!
It is an audio tape which I will be able to play, and I have bought other tapes from Germany, so I know what to expect on postage. It will cost around $10 to $20 in U.S. dollars which really isn't that bad for something that I will *never* find in the United States.
