Best words to notify that something is being sent in a web form [duplicate]

Question

For users that have submitted information on a form, there would be a message that notifies them that the information that they submitted is being sent.

I was told by an interpreter that it could be sende but I thought that was the German equivalent of "to send" (infinitive).

Since I recognized sende I did my own search and found a word in google translate of Einreichen but then on https://www.dict.cc/?s=submitting I found

• vorschlagend
• fügend
• sich unterwerfend

What is the difference of those? and for the context of a form submitting data online, which would be the best fit?

Answer 1

Don't use "vorschlagen". The word "vorschlagen" is the sense of "I submit that the Internet is not defined in that way because it is a technology without an implicit purpose."

Don't use "fügen". The word "fügen" is the sense of "Consequently, it made more sense to submit to Alex than argue with him." (And it should be "sich fügen".) The same goes for "sich unterwerfen".

(All example sentences from http://sentence.yourdictionary.com/Submit)

You really do want "sende". It's not the infinitive form "to send" (which would be senden), but either the imperative form ("send!") or first person ("I am sending").¹ Since imperative makes no sense, this is fairly unambiguous. You could also go for some more extravagantly formal words like übermittle, but sende is fine.

_{1 It can also be some forms of subjunctive, but nobody will even consider interpreting it as such.}

Answer 2

In everyday German einreichen is used for very formal processes.

• to file a lawsuit
• to submit a nomination letter to the Nobel price Committee
• to file a complaint at the Federal Gouvernement
• to submit your annual tax declaration

Therefore senden is used just as a Verb to transmit something

• sending a letter
• sending a gift basket
• sending greetings / best wishes

The word übermitteln covers sending and receiving. So ... wurde übermittelt implies, that the receiver already got it. So it is expected, that it is processed very soon (almost now) and it is guaranteed, that nothing goes wrong anymore.

In 95% of all German web-forms the submit-button is labeled "Senden" or "Absenden". And the the confirmation says "... wurde gesendet".

Nevertheless it is better in any language, that the submit button is labeled with the triggered action. e.g. "Request Call-back", "Order", or "Subscribe Newsletter". This would have a specific German translation as well.

Answer 3

If the form has been sent, you need submitted (past participle), not submitting (gerund/present participle). And the German equivalent of that past participle of einreichen is indeed eingereicht.

A better verb in this case is übermitteln, past participle übermittelt.

German has no gerund, so you cannot express the process of submitting in one German word. The translations you found treat submitting as a present participle (it's the same form in English) but present participles are modifiers as adverbs or adjectives, not standalone actions.

You had to write wird gerade übermittelt. In case you wonder why there's the past participle in here again: that's because werden+past participle is how German builds the passive voice. Gerade makes it at this moment.

Answer 4

"Sende" is indeed a valid translation of the message "sending" that appears while information is being sent. Since German doesn't know the gerund, you could use the present of "senden" as an approximation, which in the first person is "sende". You would use the first person to convey that the computer is telling you "I am currently sending this message". You could also use "sendet" (third person), however, because it's the machine doing the sending.*

The advantage of this option is that it takes only five letters, so it fits into small elements of the user interface, like "sending". The disadvantage is its slight ambiguity, for example "sende" could also be the imperative form and thus be mistaken as a command when used on something resembling a button.

I you want to avoid the disadvantage and have space for more letters, you should use "sendet" or one of the options mentioned in the other answers, such as "wird gesendet" or "wird (gerade/jetzt) übermittelt".

*_{Thanks, DonQuiKong, for pointing this out.}

Answer 5

You could use the three dots to indicate the current data flow.

• [Ihre] Daten werden übertragen / übermittelt / gesendet / verarbeitet ...

• Datenübertragung / Datenübermittlung ...

• Daten übertragen / übermitteln / senden ...

• If space is limited: Übertragen / Übermitteln / Senden ...

Answer 6

HCI (Human-Computer-Interaction) is never easy. Thinking of HCI and different languages, cultures, etc. while considering different user types and their knowledge + behaviour becomes very difficult. You don't want to confuse your users and every piece of information should be shown as understandable as possible.

There are a few things to consider when coding a web form. But the most important ones in this case are

• What pieces of information will be send?
• How long does it take?

Especially the second one is important, because while sending a large file via web form, the user should be informed that it takes a while and its still sending. As well as be informed, when the whole form has been send. If you don't the user might think, that the form does nothing, refreshes the site and unintentionally cancels the upload.

In the last few years some coding standards can be seen. Most notable:

a) Disable your send button and put an (animated e.g. three moving dots) "sending" (or anything like it) label in it.

b) Blur the whole screen and make it unaccessible for user input. Put some animated gif or text in the center of the screen while uploading.

Whatever you choose: After transmitting the form show a text informing the user, that the form has been succesfully send or an error message when it failed.

Using b) has an advantage. You don't have to use any translations (of course you can add text to clear things up). Using a animated rotating circle is wildely aknowledged for an device which is "working" and "doing" something.

But lets get back to your question. For german web forms its quite ok to label the send-button

"Senden" and when pressed you may change it so "Sende" which is an abbreviation of "Ich sende" (I am transmitting).

As said above you may add animated dots ... after "Sende" to indicate, that the form is doing something right now.

Other possible translations are as @Pollitzer says

Übertrage

Übermittle

One last remark German laws for online business transactions are quite complex. For example an online shop has to label its "Order"-button with something like "Zahlungspflichtig bestellen" (agreement to pay for the order you are placing). So while labeling a form button with "Senden" for transmitting a simple contact-form is the right way, but it may be the wrong word for more complex business cases.

Answer 7

For Forms you usualls use words like: Senden or Absenden which are the literal translation of send. The word submitting is commonly used to describe a person hence you got adjectives like unterwerfend (subduing) and fügend. Both those words wouldn't make sense in a form.

Answer 8

There is no "best word" for anything in this world. It always depends on context and whom you are speaking to.

It is a difference if you design a website for, say, a company like Siemens where you want to be serious and sober, and an artsy-hippy-flippy neighbourhood initiative where you want to be creative and surprising. In the latter you may well write

Ab die Post!

Klappe zu, Affe tot

Schwupp, ab!

Weg damit!

Lass ziehen!

Und tschüss...

(These are well established expressions from everyday oral German that undeservedly are taken all too rarely into consideration for buttons like this.)

On an equestrian website you could also use

Hüh!

Which is the traditional call for horses to start moving.