idling / downtime
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idling
The operating state of an engine or machine in which it is running without doing work or driving a load. In a car, this is the case when no gear is engaged.
Lass den Motor an der Ampel nicht im Leerlauf laufen, das schadet der Umwelt.
Don't leave the engine idling at the traffic light; it's bad for the environment.
downtime
A phase of inactivity, standstill, or lack of productivity in a process or activity. During this time, little or nothing useful happens.
Nach dem großen Projekt gab es im Büro erstmal zwei Wochen Leerlauf.
After the big project, there were initially two weeks of downtime in the office.
The word is made up of 'leer' (empty) and 'der Lauf' (run/running). So it literally describes an 'empty run,' where something is running but not doing any productive work.
Das Auto stand mit laufendem Motor im Leerlauf an der roten Ampel.
The car was standing at the red light with the engine idling.
'Leerlauf' is almost always used with the preposition 'in' in the dative: 'im Leerlauf' (in idle / in neutral). Typical verbs used with it are 'laufen' (to run), 'sein' (to be), or 'arbeiten' (to work).
Die Maschine arbeitet nur im Leerlauf, weil ein Teil fehlt.
The machine is only running idle because a part is missing.
You can recognize the technical meaning from the context of engines, cars, and machines. The figurative meaning refers to work, projects, or phases of inactivity in everyday life.
Schalte den Gang raus, dann ist das Auto im Leerlauf.
Take it out of gear, then the car is in neutral.
In the figurative meaning, people often say that someone 'Leerlauf hat' (has downtime) or that 'Leerlauf entsteht' (downtime occurs). It describes unproductive time that has to be bridged.
Wir müssen diesen Leerlauf im Produktionsprozess vermeiden.
We have to avoid this downtime in the production process.
standstill
With Stillstand, a machine is no longer running. In Leerlauf, it continues running but does no work or drive a load. If the engine is switched off, Stillstand is the right word; if it continues running without a gear engaged, Leerlauf is the right word.
Während der kurzen Wartezeit lief der Motor im Leerlauf weiter.
While we waited briefly, the engine continued idling.
Nach dem Ausschalten kam der Motor vollständig zum Stillstand.
After it was switched off, the engine came to a complete standstill.
