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Glossary entry

Dutch term or phrase:

bèta

English translation:

techie; geek; technically minded person; math(s) and science graduate

Added to glossary by Michael Beijer
Feb 12, 2018 22:59
6 yrs ago
3 viewers *
Dutch term

bèta

Dutch to English Other General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
my context:

"De softwareontwikkelaars in Silicon Valley zijn meestal jonge mannelijke bètas."

I know what the author means but can't think of anything clever. Oh yeah, am also tired. Anyone?
Proposed translations (English)
4 +1 techie
3 +2 math(s) and science graduates
References
Van Dale
Change log

Feb 14, 2018 21:03: Michael Beijer changed "Edited KOG entry" from "<a href="/profile/652138">Michael Beijer's</a> old entry - "bèta"" to ""techie""

Discussion

Richard Purdom Feb 14, 2018:
Phil, it's also pretty redundant to say that software engineers have studied maths or science. Having a degree in computer sciences myself, I know there is a distinction between the technical and creative side of engineering, and the 'betas' comment obviously refers to the former (although this is only the author's opinion).

Which on a pedantic note brings me to your answer: they are maths OR science graduates, not maths AND science graduates.
philgoddard Feb 14, 2018:
"Software engineers are techies" is a statement of the obvious. It's like saying "artists are artsy". This clearly refers to their educational background, which is slightly less obvious.
"Techies" is also slang, which may be inappropriate.
I still feel your questions are different to other people's. Most people post because they don't understand a word or phrase, but you've already made up your mind.
Barend van Zadelhoff Feb 14, 2018:
I would like to add:

It may well be possible in this instance an option like Phil's was required (certainly the sentence suggests so), while in other cases an informal option.
Barend van Zadelhoff Feb 14, 2018:
unfair 1) you mention only one half of the story:

me­to­ny­misch leer­ling van een bè­ta-af­de­ling of stu­dent van een stu­die die bin­nen de bè­ta­we­ten­schap­pen valt

2) your sentence suggests otherwise

3) you did not indicate it should be informal

4) unlike usually, very quick closure of question
Michael Beijer (asker) Feb 14, 2018:
@Phil: You obviously don't have the whole text in front of you, but I can assure you that the author doesn't need me to spell out the type of degrees these people have. It's a white paper and is supposed to sound nice.

Although I indeed had an idea how I could solve it, I most definitely hadn't already decided on an answer beforehand, and wasn't just asking it for my own amusement. If I tell people what I already thought of, you get pissed; if I don't, writeaway gets snarky. Can't win really.

A "bèta" does usually mean something long the lines of math(s) and science graduates, but it is being used loosely in my text, as shorthand for technically minded people. See also Kitty's 5th Van Dale ref. "bèta: me­to­ny­misch iem. met (uit­ge­spro­ken) aan­leg voor of af­fi­ni­teit met exac­te we­ten­schap­pen" (which shows that there is nothing incorrect about translating "bèta" as "geek").

Dutch has perfectly good words for many things, but for whatever reason, the author chose to use "bèta" instead of something like "computergek" or "computerfreak".

Barend van Zadelhoff Feb 14, 2018:
Even if this is true: '' they are merely using the term to denote the type of person "

This sentence does not suggest this:

"De softwareontwikkelaars in Silicon Valley zijn meestal jonge mannelijke bètas."

Seems to be used in a neutral, matter-of-fact sense, concerning people with a certain type of education.

Also, they are talking about US employees, which means they are talking about 'bèta's' in the US sense, which means 'bèta's' needs to be localized.
philgoddard Feb 14, 2018:
Michael I hesitated before answering this, as I wasn't sure if it was another of your strange questions where you've already decided the answer and you're just asking for your own amusement. But I gave you the benefit of the doubt.

It looks like I was wrong to do so.

"Bètas" does not mean "geeks" as far as I'm aware, and it would be incorrect to translate it that way. Dutch has a perfectly good word for geek, and it's the same as the English.
Tina Vonhof (X) Feb 13, 2018:
@Textpertise As an 'alpha' I have to object to that sugggestion. Alpha and Beta refers to the two tracks one can take in the type of high school called 'gymnasium'. Beta is the math & science track and alpha is the humanities & languages (including Latin & Greek) track. You make that choice after grade 4 (grade 10 in most English-speaking countries). Although education has undergone lots of changes since my school days, the alpha/beta system still exists.
Michael Beijer (asker) Feb 13, 2018:
@Textpertise: Because that's not what is meant here, as far as I understand it. See my comment @ Phil's answer.
Textpertise Feb 12, 2018:
Why not betas? The use of the word beta brings alpha to mind and says that they haven't quite made it there.
Michael Beijer (asker) Feb 12, 2018:
btw in case you were wondering, so far I've decided to translate this as "geeks"

Proposed translations

+1
1 day 20 hrs
Selected

techie

That should fit your short sharp and sweet sentence

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day 20 hrs (2018-02-14 19:33:41 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Most Silicon Valley software developers are young male techies, and some haven't seen the light of day since 2011
Peer comment(s):
agree Kitty Brussaard
39 mins
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks Richard, why didn't I think of that? I prefer it to "geek"."
+2
1 hr
Dutch term (edited): bètas

math(s) and science graduates

Exacte wetenschappen zijn de takken van wetenschap die gebaseerd zijn op natuurwetten en theorieën die gekenmerkt worden door wiskundige modellering, formele logica en (met uitzondering van de wiskunde) experimentele toetsing (de wetenschappelijke methode). Ze worden, voornamelijk in Vlaanderen, soms ook aangeduid als positieve wetenschappen, in Nederland ook als ***bètawetenschappen***.

The exact sciences, sometimes called the exact mathematical sciences, are those sciences which admit of absolute precision in their results; especially the mathematical sciences. Examples of the exact sciences are mathematics, optics, astronomy, and physics,

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2018-02-13 00:46:00 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

You obviously wouldn't say "exact sciences", because most people wouldn't immediately know what this means. But I think "maths and science" is a good approximation.
Reference:

http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exacte_wetenschap

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exact_sciences

Note from asker:
Thanks Phil. although technically correct, I don't think this will work in my text as they are merely using the term to denote the type of person, rather than use such a specific, although technically correct, term. I think the author means more something along the lines of: geek, nerd, technically inclined person, right-brained person (or left-brained; I can never remember which is supposed to mean which; I think the myth is that the left brain is allegedly the more creative side and the right brain more analytical), etc.
Peer comment(s):
agree Barend van Zadelhoff : They are talking about 'US bètas'. I was thinking of STEM grads, though refers to jobs in Silicon Valley in general https://www.forbes.com/sites/kathryndill/2016/05/03/the-best...
1 day 17 hrs
Yes, that would work perfectly. Thanks!
agree Kitty Brussaard : Your answer is definitely correct in itself and therefore also deserves an agree. I'm happy to see that Michael also decided to include this option in the glossary entry :-).
1 day 21 hrs
Thanks.
Something went wrong...

Reference comments

1 day 19 hrs
Reference:

Van Dale

bèta
zelfstandig naamwoord • de ] • bè­ta’s
(...)

3
als aan­dui­ding van de rich­ting bin­nen het ha­vo en vwo (m.n. gym­na­si­um) die zich be­zig­houdt met de exac­te vak­ken
•
gym­na­si­um bè­ta

4
me­to­ny­misch leer­ling van een bè­ta-af­de­ling of stu­dent van een stu­die die bin­nen de bè­ta­we­ten­schap­pen valt

5
me­to­ny­misch iem. met (uit­ge­spro­ken) aan­leg voor of af­fi­ni­teit met exac­te we­ten­schap­pen

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day 21 hrs (2018-02-14 20:23:13 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------

@Michael: I also have a feeling that it's most probably the latter of the two metonymical meanings that applies here and, if it does, Richard's 'techies' seems to fit the bill. Anyway, having the entire text in front of you, I'd say you're in the best position to make this call.
Note from asker:
Bedankt Kitty, eindelijk iemand die me begrijpt. het is inderdaad me­to­ny­misch gebruikt.
some relevant synonyms I just found in Oxforddictionaries.com: egghead, brains, Einstein, whizz, wizard, alpha geek, brainbox, clever clogs, maven, rocket scientist, brainiac, etc.
Something went wrong...
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