additional effort
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additional effort
Additional work, time, or costs required to complete a task beyond what was originally planned or usual.
Durch die unerwarteten Probleme entstand ein erheblicher Mehraufwand an Zeit und Geld.
The unexpected problems created a considerable additional effort in terms of time and money.
The word is a clear compound of 'mehr' (more) and 'der Aufwand' (effort/expense). It literally means 'more effort' and is therefore easy to understand if you know the two parts.
Die Reparatur des alten Dachs bedeutet einen großen Mehraufwand.
Repairing the old roof means a lot of additional effort.
To specify what the additional effort consists of, the preposition 'an' is often used followed by a noun in the dative. Typical phrases are 'ein Mehraufwand an Zeit' (additional time required), 'an Geld' (additional money required), or 'an Personal' (additional staff required).
Das Projekt erfordert einen Mehraufwand an Personal.
The project requires additional staff.
'Mehraufwand' (additional effort) is often used in formal or professional contexts. Typical verbs are 'entstehen' (to arise), 'bedeuten' (to mean), or 'verursachen' (to cause), and typical adjectives are 'erheblich' (considerable) or 'zusätzlich' (additional).
Durch die Planungsfehler ist ein erheblicher Mehraufwand entstanden.
The planning errors created considerable additional effort.
overtime / extra work
Mehraufwand and Mehrarbeit both refer to additional effort for a task. Mehraufwand can include additional time or costs as well as work, whereas Mehrarbeit here emphasizes extra work compared with the original plan. Use Mehraufwand for an overall additional burden, and Mehrarbeit for additional working hours or extra work.
Die kurzfristige Änderung verursachte bei der Dokumentation erheblichen Mehraufwand an Zeit und Kosten.
The last-minute change caused a considerable increase in the time and costs required for the documentation.
Im Vergleich zum ursprünglichen Plan bedeutete die Änderung mehrere Stunden Mehrarbeit für das Team.
Compared with the original plan, the change meant several hours of extra work for the team.
