to put into perspective
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to put into perspective
To limit the significance, value, or validity of a statement or situation by placing it in another context or comparing it with something else.
Er versuchte, seine schlechte Note zu relativieren, indem er betonte, wie schwer der Test war.
He tried to put his bad grade into perspective by emphasizing how difficult the test was.
'Relativieren' derives from the adjective 'relativ' (relative). To 'relativieren' something means to make it 'relativ' (relative), that is, to call its absolute validity into question.
Der Erfolg ist relativ, denn die Konkurrenz war nicht sehr stark.
Success is relative, because the competition was not very strong.
'Relativieren' is a transitive verb and always needs an accusative object. You always relativize 'etwas' (something).
Der Politiker versuchte, seine umstrittene Aussage zu relativieren.
The politician tried to put his controversial statement into perspective.
Abstract things such as 'eine Aussage' (a statement), 'ein Problem' (a problem), 'eine Kritik' (a criticism), or 'ein Ergebnis' (a result) are often put into perspective.
Man sollte den Sieg nicht überbewerten und das Ergebnis etwas relativieren.
One should not overvalue the victory and should put the result somewhat into perspective.
To explain how something is put into perspective, you often use a subordinate clause with 'indem' (by doing something) or a prepositional phrase with 'durch' (through / by means of).
Sie relativierte ihre Kritik, indem sie auch die positiven Aspekte erwähnte.
She put her criticism into perspective by also mentioning the positive aspects.
to emphasize / stress
'betonen' and 'relativieren' are clear opposites. When you 'betonen' something, you make its importance more visible. When you 'relativieren' something, you weaken the statement or show that it applies only under certain conditions. Learners may confuse the words because both are used in discussions when talking about the significance of a statement. But the direction is opposite: 'betonen' makes something more important, while 'relativieren' makes it less absolute or less strong.
Nach dem Spiel relativiert Jan die Niederlage, weil mehrere Spieler krank waren.
After the game, Jan puts the defeat into perspective because several players were ill.
Tim betont wegen der hohen Kosten, dass das Team genau planen muss.
Because of the high costs, Tim emphasizes that the team needs to plan carefully.