black box
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black box
A flight recorder in an airplane that records important flight data and the conversations in the cockpit. Despite the name, the device is usually bright orange so that it can be found more easily after a crash.
Die Ermittler hoffen, durch die Auswertung der Blackbox die Unfallursache zu klären.
The investigators hope to clarify the cause of the accident by analyzing the black box.
You can easily recognize the meaning from the context. If it is about airplanes, accidents, or aviation, it refers to the flight recorder. In all other fields, such as technology, business, or psychology, it refers to the figurative meaning of an opaque system.
Nach dem Absturz suchen die Experten nach der Blackbox.
After the crash, the experts are searching for the black box.
Although the device is called 'Blackbox' (black box), in reality it is bright orange. This signal color makes it easier to find in the wreckage after a crash.
Das orange Gehäuse der Blackbox ist extrem robust gebaut.
The orange housing of the black box is built to be extremely robust.
In connection with the flight recorder, the verbs 'bergen' (to recover), 'finden' (to find), and 'auswerten' (to analyze) are often used.
Es kann Tage dauern, bis die Daten der Blackbox ausgewertet sind.
It can take days until the data from the black box has been analyzed.
In the figurative meaning, the structure 'etwas ist (für jemanden) eine Blackbox' (something is a black box for someone) is often used. This expresses that a process or system is incomprehensible to a person.
Wie genau die Empfehlungen generiert werden, bleibt für die Nutzer eine Blackbox.
Exactly how the recommendations are generated remains a black box for users.
riddle / mystery
'Rätsel' and 'Blackbox' can both describe something that is not easy to understand. 'Rätsel' is used generally for an unclear matter, a mysterious person, or a problem for which you are looking for an explanation. 'Blackbox' fits better when you are looking at a system from the outside: you can see what goes in and what comes out, but not how it works internally. 'Rätsel' sounds more everyday and broader. 'Blackbox' sounds more technical or analytical.
Für viele Nutzer ist die neue Software eine Blackbox, weil niemand ihre Entscheidungen genau erklären kann.
For many users, the new software is a black box because no one can explain its decisions exactly.
Warum der Computer plötzlich ausgegangen ist, bleibt für mich ein Rätsel.
Why the computer suddenly shut down remains a mystery to me.