recourse
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recourse to
The act of turning to something already existing, tried and tested, or earlier in order to solve a current problem or handle a task.
Ohne neue Ideen blieb dem Team nur der Rückgriff auf alte Konzepte.
Without new ideas, the team was left only with recourse to old concepts.
The word is composed of 'rück' (from 'zurück', back) and 'Griff' (from 'greifen', to grasp/reach for). So it literally describes the act of 'zurückzugreifen' (to fall back on / to make use of) something past or already available.
Der Rückgriff auf bewährte Methoden sparte dem Unternehmen viel Zeit.
Recourse to proven methods saved the company a lot of time.
'Rückgriff' (recourse) is a word of elevated written language and is used less often in everyday conversation. It sounds formal and is often used in reports, analyses, or specialist texts.
Die Studie erfolgte unter Rückgriff auf die Daten des Vorjahres.
The study was carried out with recourse to the previous year's data.
In its general meaning, 'Rückgriff' (recourse) is almost always used with the preposition 'auf' and the accusative. You say 'Rückgriff auf etwas' (recourse to something).
Der Autor macht in seinem neuen Buch einen Rückgriff auf seine früheren Werke.
In his new book, the author makes recourse to his earlier works.
You can recognize the legal meaning from the context. If there is talk of 'Schuldner' (debtor), 'Bürge' (guarantor), 'fordern' (to demand), or 'Haftung' (liability), it is about the right to reclaim a payment from someone.
Die Bank behält sich das Recht auf Rückgriff gegen den Bürgen vor.
The bank reserves the right of recourse against the guarantor.
use
'die Verwendung' and 'der Rückgriff' can both mean that something is used. The difference lies in the perspective. 'die Verwendung' generally describes that something is put to use. 'der Rückgriff auf' emphasizes that you turn back to something already existing, earlier, or tried and tested because it helps in the current situation. If you are simply using a tool, a word, or a method, 'Verwendung' is more natural. If you deliberately use old documents, earlier experiences, or familiar solutions, 'Rückgriff' is more precise.
Beim neuen Projekt hilft Jan der Rückgriff auf seine Erfahrungen aus dem letzten Sommer.
In the new project, Jan is helped by drawing on his experiences from last summer.
Die Verwendung von einfachen Beispielen macht den Text leichter verständlich.
The use of simple examples makes the text easier to understand.