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Glossary entry

German term or phrase:

Impulsfrage

English translation:

questions to think about/discuss/investigate

    The asker opted for community grading. The question was closed on 2020-03-20 16:54:25 based on peer agreement (or, if there were too few peer comments, asker preference.)
Mar 17, 2020 12:01
4 yrs ago
48 viewers *
German term

Impulsfrage

German to English Other Education / Pedagogy science worksheet for schoolchildren
I would appreciate any good ideas on translating this - so far I've found 'Thought-provoking question' and 'a question expecting spontaneous answers'. It needs to be something short and punchy!
Proposed translations (English)
4 +3 questions to think about/discuss/investigate
3 +1 What do you think?
4 starting question
3 forward-looking question
1 +2 Questions for Discussion

Discussion

Jane Ruessmann (asker) Mar 17, 2020:
Yes, sorry. It's a school text book (science) for age 10-12. One section is headed 'Impulsfragen fuer dein Forscherteam'
philgoddard Mar 17, 2020:
Please could we have the context.

Proposed translations

+3
4 hrs
Selected

questions to think about/discuss/investigate

The context is in the discussion box: it's the heading of a list of questions, and reads 'Impulsfragen für dein Forscherteam', so I assume the children have been divided into groups.

If you want it to be punchy, you could ignore 'für dein Forscherteam'.
Note from asker:
Many thanks for your suggestions, really helpful!
Peer comment(s):
agree Michele Fauble
4 mins
agree Ramey Rieger (X) : YES!
34 mins
agree Chris Pr
16 hrs
neutral Michael Martin, MA : Looking around makes me wonder whether anybody has bothered to research how 'Impulsfrage' is actually used in German. The solutions here are so blandly generic, it's hard to see how they can serve as an impulse for anything.
3 days 1 hr
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "I appreciate all of the feedback, some very interesting ideas, but I think 'Questions to think about' fits particularly well."
1 hr

forward-looking question

That's a question the response to which would yield vital insights and therefore, spark excitement (and incentivize people) about the path forward. The German angle emphasizes the liberating effect or motivational/incentivizing aspect (Impulsgebung) that springs from experiencing such insights, while the English angle emphasizes usefulness for the future but it's essentially the same concept, in my opinion.
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+2
4 hrs

Questions for Discussion

Or even "Topics for Discussion" if that works. Based on the context, the German "impuls" does not mean that the questions are "impulsive" or "spontaneous," but instead have been composed to trigger discussions, also referred to as "prompts."

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Note added at 4 hrs (2020-03-17 16:09:43 GMT)
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Unless of course, the research team is a team of psychologists, and these are "Free Association Questions."
Example sentence:

A list of questions for discussion shall be provided.

Note from asker:
Many thanks for your comments and ideas!
Peer comment(s):
agree philgoddard : You just beat me to it - see my answer for some similar suggestions.
12 mins
agree Chris Pr : ...topics is a very good option, if it fits with the source text....
17 hrs
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+1
5 mins

What do you think?

That it's a question is obvious. I am, of course, ASSUMING that this is a header above the question in question? PLEASE provide AT LEAST the entire sentence in which the term appears.

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Note added at 4 hrs (2020-03-17 16:10:07 GMT)
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No, short and punchy it's not! Is there more than one question? Maybe we can come up with something less weighty? 10 to 12 year-old children may have some difficulty with 'prompt critical thinking.' Don't you think?

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Note added at 4 hrs (2020-03-17 16:13:39 GMT)
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You could probably dispense with 'questions' since it's evident that they have to respond. As a header:
(For) Research and (Personal) Insight (s)


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Note added at 4 hrs (2020-03-17 16:51:43 GMT)
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Question for Group Investigation

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Note added at 4 hrs (2020-03-17 16:51:59 GMT)
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Ach, that should read Questions

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Note added at 4 hrs (2020-03-17 17:00:42 GMT)
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Sometimes it takes a while.

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Note added at 5 hrs (2020-03-17 17:14:53 GMT)
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Any time, when I have time! (no, prompt question is VERY dated - from my school days over forty years ago!)
Note from asker:
Sorry, yes, I should have put the whole header: Impulsfragen fuer dein Forscherteam. It' s for children around 10-12 years old.
Although I have not used your answer, it was the one that gave me most insight into the meaning of the term! It's not very punchy, but I am considering using 'Questions for your research team to prompt critical thinking'
No, you're quite right! I quite like 'Questions to think about ...' from Phil Goddard
I think I need to keep the 'questions' as they are referred to again.
Questions for investigation is also very nice!
... and I'm only the proofreader! Many thanks for your time. (PS the translator had used 'prompt questions' which I didn't like)
Peer comment(s):
agree Kartik Isaac
25 mins
Any questions?
Something went wrong...
23 hrs

starting question

I found "Anstossfrage" as synonym for "Impulsfrage". Ergo:

Anstoßfrage Die Anstoßfrage wird i.d.R. benötigt, um eine Fortführung des Gesprächs zu ermöglichen.
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=anstossfr...

The starting question is the term we, at Leadership Strategies, use for the question the facilitator asks to begin a discussion.

https://managementhelp.org/blogs/facilitation/2012/02/16/the...

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Note added at 23 hrs (2020-03-18 11:20:54 GMT)
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Or maybe as its for children: For starters
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