side dish / insert
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side dish
A dish served in addition to the main part of a meal, such as meat or fish, for example vegetables, potatoes, or salad.
Als Beilage zum Schnitzel gibt es Pommes frites und einen kleinen Salat.
As a side dish with the schnitzel, there are fries and a small salad.
insert
A separate sheet or brochure inserted into a newspaper, magazine, or product package, often for advertising purposes.
In der Sonntagszeitung war eine Beilage mit Reisetipps.
There was an insert with travel tips in the Sunday newspaper.
'Beilage' is made up of 'bei' (with / by) and 'Lage' (from 'liegen' — to lie). So it literally describes something that 'dabei liegt' (lies with it) — either next to the main dish on the plate or in a newspaper.
Die wichtigste Information stand nicht im Artikel selbst, sondern in einer Beilage.
The most important information was not in the article itself, but in an insert.
You can easily tell from context whether food or paper is meant. Words like 'Gericht' (dish), 'servieren' (to serve), 'Kartoffeln' (potatoes), or 'Gemüse' (vegetables) point to the food side dish. Words like 'Zeitung' (newspaper), 'Zeitschrift' (magazine), 'Werbung' (advertising), or 'Broschüre' (brochure) point to the printed insert.
Zum Fisch passt Reis als Beilage sehr gut.
Rice goes very well as a side dish with fish.
In the context of food, 'Beilage' is often used with the preposition 'als' (as). On menus, you will often find the question 'Was möchten Sie als Beilage?' (What would you like as a side dish?).
Ich nehme das Steak mit Pommes frites als Beilage.
I'll have the steak with fries as a side dish.
When referring to printed materials, people often speak of a 'Werbebeilage' (advertising insert), a 'Sonderbeilage' (special supplement), or a 'Hochglanzbeilage' (glossy insert). These are included with a main publication.
Dem Magazin lag eine Sonderbeilage zum Thema Reisen bei.
The magazine included a special supplement on the topic of travel.
facility / attachment / investment
Die Anlage and die Beilage can both refer to additional documents enclosed with something. Anlage is the formal term for a document attached to a letter or email, while Beilage is more often a separate sheet or brochure included in a newspaper or package. Choose the word according to the type of material it accompanies.
Die Zeitung enthält eine Beilage mit Informationen zu den neuen Produkten.
The newspaper contains an insert with information about the new products.
Die Anlage zu unserem Brief enthält die vollständigen Vertragsunterlagen.
The attachment to our letter contains the complete contract documents.
