Get it ready at once.
Hello,
Question to the German speakers:
I get the idea of the given translation, but it seems to me that it is very context-dependent. I like ChatGPT’s translation better, something like "Get it done / Finish it right away!’
What do you think?
I agree. All these variants imply “without delay”, but they differ in urgency and/or tone.
“at once” is usually translated best as “sofort”, and this feels like a command.
“gleich” is a little friendlier and gives some leeway, I think much like “right away” does.
There is also “jetzt gleich”, which is somewhere between “gleich” and “sofort”.
I would sort it like this:
sofort = this second, as we speak, I wanna see you do it (“at once”, “right now”)
jetzt gleich = the first thing after we finished speaking, don’t dawdle (“now”, “right away”)
gleich = in the next few minutes (“without delay”, “right away”)
bald = in the near future (“soon”)
Get it ready at once.
Thank you for this very thorough reply! Much appreciated, @pitti42!