gangels (X) Sep 22, 2016:

object at issue / object/method pending approval It may not be 'a thing' but a novel way of doing something. Of course, 'Zulassungs/gegenstand' as a compound term comprises two words, so you won't get around 'shuddering' to translate it as such. That it concerns some sort of approval is self-evident and does not need to be rubbed with each mention (der Zulassungsgegenstand wird zugelassen), thereby evading the German proclivity of using 'double-Dutch' speak in describing things of a technical nature.

Björn Vrooman Sep 21, 2016:

Here's the German explanation "Allgemeine bauaufsichtliche Zulassungen werden für solche Bauprodukte und Bauarten im Anwendungsbereich der Landesbauordnungen erteilt, für die es allgemein anerkannte Regeln der Technik, insbesondere Normen des DIN, nicht gibt oder die von diesen wesentlich abweichen. Sie stellen eine Beurteilung der Verwendbarkeit bzw. Anwendbarkeit des Zulassungsgegenstandes im Hinblick auf die bauaufsichtlichen Anforderungen dar."
https://www.dibt.de/de/Service/abZ-Zulassungsbereiche.html

They also have an English page, but as always, I'd be careful and not read too much into it - most translated pages still are adequate at best.

Björn Vrooman Sep 21, 2016:

@Heidi This is the "Zulassungsgegenstand" you're looking for - just to give the others an example:
https://schako.de/sites/default/files/products/attachments/4...

However, why was this filed under Patents? It has absolutely nothing to do with this category, as far as I can see.

Heidi Newby-Rose (asker) Sep 21, 2016:

Maybe I should give a bit more information: this is from the front page of a thing issued by the Deutsches Institut für Bautechnik, and is called an Allgemeine bauaufsichtliche Zulassung. There is a Zulassungsnummer, and an Antragsteller, and then the Zulassungsgegenstand. The last sentence is Der obengenannte Zulaasungsgegenstand wird hiermit allgemein bauaufsichtlich zugelassen. in the rest of the 26 pages it is often refereed to as the Zulassungsgegenstand and I shudder to have to render it as three or four words. Thanks for all the efforts so far.

BrigitteHilgner Sep 21, 2016:

Unlikely http://www.dict.cc/?s=Zulassungsgegenstand