beam / bar
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beam
A long, thick, load-bearing structural element made of wood, steel, or concrete, used for example for ceilings or roof structures.
Die alten, freigelegten Holzbalken geben dem Wohnzimmer einen rustikalen Charme.
The old exposed wooden beams give the living room a rustic charm.
bar
A thick, usually rectangular line or a colored area in a graphic, chart, or on a screen.
Der grüne Balken zeigt an, wie weit der Kopiervorgang fortgeschritten ist.
The green bar shows how far the copying process has progressed.
balance beam
A piece of gymnastics equipment consisting of a long, narrow wooden beam on supports, used for balancing; also called 'Schwebebalken' in German.
Die Turnerin zeigte eine beeindruckende Übung am Balken.
The gymnast performed an impressive routine on the balance beam.
In construction, 'Balken' (beam) refers to a load-bearing element. You can recognize this meaning from combinations with materials such as 'Holzbalken' (wooden beam), 'Stahlbalken' (steel beam), or adjectives such as 'tragender Balken' (load-bearing beam).
Das Dach wird von massiven Holzbalken getragen.
The roof is supported by massive wooden beams.
In a digital context, a 'Balken' (bar) is a graphical indicator. The word is often found in compounds that describe its function, e.g. 'Fortschrittsbalken' (progress bar), 'Ladebalken' (loading bar), or 'Balkendiagramm' (bar chart).
Der blaue Balken zeigt an, wie viel Speicherplatz noch frei ist.
The blue bar shows how much storage space is still free.
In sports, especially gymnastics, the 'Balken' (balance beam) is a piece of equipment. The typical phrase is 'am Balken turnen' (to do gymnastics on the balance beam). The full name of the apparatus is 'Schwebebalken' (balance beam).
Sie trainiert jeden Tag mehrere Stunden am Balken.
She trains for several hours on the balance beam every day.
sponsor / carrier
A Träger is a structural component mainly defined by its static function: it bears loads and transfers them. A Balken refers more strongly to the long, thick structural element itself, although it can also be load-bearing. Use “Träger” when the function is important and “Balken” when the shape or the structural element itself is the focus.
Der lange Holzbalken liegt sichtbar unter der Decke und trägt einen Teil des Daches.
The long wooden beam is clearly visible beneath the ceiling and supports part of the roof.
Der Stahlträger nimmt die Last der Decke auf und leitet sie in die Wände weiter.
The steel beam bears the load of the ceiling and transfers it to the walls.
