plate rim
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to broaden horizons
Used in a fixed expression to express that someone looks beyond their own limited horizon and opens themselves up to new ideas, other cultures, or unfamiliar topics.
Es ist wichtig, auch mal über den Tellerrand zu schauen und zu sehen, wie andere Unternehmen arbeiten.
It is important to broaden your horizons from time to time and see how other companies work.
plate rim
The outer, often slightly raised edge of a plate.
Die Soße lief bis an den Tellerrand, aber zum Glück nicht darüber hinaus.
The sauce ran all the way to the plate rim, but luckily not over it.
'Tellerrand' is made up of 'der Teller' (the plate) and 'der Rand' (the edge/rim). So it literally describes the rim of a plate.
Pass auf, die Suppe schwappt gleich über den Tellerrand.
Careful, the soup is about to spill over the plate rim.
The figurative meaning exists almost only in the fixed expression 'über den Tellerrand schauen' or 'über den Tellerrand blicken' (to look beyond the plate rim). It means to be open to new things and to broaden one's own horizons.
Wer eine neue Sprache lernt, blickt automatisch über den eigenen Tellerrand.
Anyone who learns a new language automatically broadens their own horizons.
The verbs 'schauen' (to look) or 'blicken' (to look/gaze) almost always point to the figurative, idiomatic meaning. In contexts involving food or dishes, the literal meaning is meant.
Durch Reisen lernt man, über den Tellerrand zu schauen.
Through travel, you learn to broaden your horizons.
horizon
Both expressions refer to expanding one's limited perspective. “Der Horizont” refers to the scope of a person's knowledge and experience, while “über den Tellerrand schauen” is a fixed expression that emphasizes actively being open to new ideas or other cultures. Use “Horizont” for one's mental range and “Tellerrand” for consciously looking beyond it.
Im Austausch mit Studierenden aus anderen Ländern schaute er über den Tellerrand.
By exchanging ideas with students from other countries, he broadened his horizons.
Durch die Reise hat sich ihr Horizont deutlich erweitert.
The trip significantly broadened her horizons.
