margin
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profit margin
In an economic context, the difference between the purchase or production price and the selling price of a product; the profit margin.
Der Einzelhändler arbeitet bei diesen Produkten nur mit einer sehr kleinen Marge.
The retailer works with only a very small profit margin on these products.
margin / leeway
Room for maneuver or a range for deviations, errors, or negotiations.
Bei den Preisverhandlungen gibt es kaum noch eine Marge für weitere Zugeständnisse.
In the price negotiations, there is hardly any leeway left for further concessions.
margin
The unprinted edge of a page in a book or notebook. In this meaning, 'der Seitenrand' (page margin) is more common.
Der Professor schrieb seine Anmerkungen direkt auf die Marge des Manuskripts.
The professor wrote his comments directly in the margin of the manuscript.
Although 'die Marge' looks like the English 'margin,' in German it is used almost exclusively in the economic sense of 'Gewinnspanne' (profit margin) or in the figurative sense of 'Spielraum' (leeway). For the edge of a page, the word is very unusual.
Mit einer so geringen Marge kann das Geschäft kaum überleben.
With such a small profit margin, the business can hardly survive.
This is the most common meaning of the word. It is a technical term from economics and trade. You often hear and read it in the news or in business reports.
Die Margen im Lebensmittelhandel sind traditionell sehr niedrig.
Profit margins in the food retail sector are traditionally very low.
In an economic context, 'Marge' (margin/profit margin) is often combined with adjectives such as 'hoch' (high), 'niedrig' (low), 'klein' (small), or 'groß' (large). Typical verbs are 'eine Marge haben' (to have a margin), 'die Marge berechnen' (to calculate the margin), or 'mit einer Marge arbeiten' (to work with a margin).
Der Verkäufer hat bei diesem Produkt eine sehr hohe Marge.
The seller has a very high profit margin on this product.
This meaning is very rare in modern German. As a rule, the word 'der Seitenrand' (page margin) is used for the edge of a page. 'Marge' in this sense is found almost only in the technical language of book printing.
Der Lektor notierte seine Korrekturen auf der breiten Marge des Textes.
The editor noted his corrections in the wide margin of the text.
tolerance
Toleranz and Marge can both refer to a certain amount of leeway when deviations are possible. Toleranz is the permissible range around a nominal dimension, whereas Marge more generally means available leeway or a range. Use “Toleranz” for specified dimensional deviations and “Marge” more often in planning or when dealing with uncertainty.
Bei der Planung lassen wir eine Marge von zwei Millimetern zu.
In the planning, we allow for a margin of two millimeters.
Bei diesem Bauteil gilt eine Toleranz von zwei Millimetern.
This component has a tolerance of two millimeters.
