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I am translating a Korean news script to English, which I am having difficulty with.

As I am Korean, the Korean script makes perfect sense. But, however I translate it into English, it does not make sense to me.

The following example is the direct translation given as the correct answer.

The issue of NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) is particularly problematic as it makes young people to miss the right timing to enter into the labour market and increases the number of young people eventually giving up on economic activities.

  1. Is 'timing' a right word, and, if so, is 'miss the timing' a right phrase?
  2. The word 'as' was used to provide a number of reasons: (i) makes young people to miss the right timing ..., (ii) ... increases the number of young people .... But, are these two sentences connected correctly by the word 'and'?

Your advice would be greatly appreciated.

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  • When we do something at the right time, we say that the timing was good or right. When we do something at the wrong time, we say that the timing was bad or wrong. We can miss the time, but we cannot miss the timing. Just as we can miss the target, but we cannot miss the accuracy.
    – TimR
    Commented Mar 22, 2016 at 17:03
  • Apart from the idiomatic use of "timing", when you write "miss the right time to enter the labour market" do you mean that they have only one right time to enter the labour market? Or do you mean that they have missed the best time to enter the market, and that the delayed entry places them at some disadvantage?
    – TimR
    Commented Mar 22, 2016 at 17:14
  • As a minor aside, it sounds more fluent and is more common to say "the right word" than "a right word". Yes, there could be more than one good word to use, but right is kind of a binary thing: something is either right or it is not. Other possible words you could use are good or appropriate: something could be a good word, or an appropriate word
    – stangdon
    Commented Mar 22, 2016 at 17:22
  • Thank you all for the answers and comments. @Tromano I think the sentence describes "the best time to enter the labour market". Also, would it be right to say "lose the timing"?
    – Sungwoo
    Commented Mar 22, 2016 at 17:47
  • "Miss the best time" would be idiomatic. In the phrase "lose the timing", "timing" is meant to be a synonym for "opportunity". Idiomatic would be "lose|miss the opportunity". But the use of the definite article, "the", suggests that there would no other later opportunity.
    – TimR
    Commented Mar 22, 2016 at 18:23

2 Answers 2

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As a native speaker,

  1. "Timing" is a valid word, however, it is not used properly used here. I think "miss the right time to enter" is the correct phrase to use here.

    The issue is that "timing", and indeed its root "time" are verbal nouns, which means they are used as both nouns and verbs, with differing meanings. "Time", as a noun, means a collection of hours, minutes, and seconds (not an accurate definition, but a useful one). As a verb, it means to measure the passage of time (the noun). Timing as a verb is the present tense of the verb time. As a noun, it means "Synchronization".

    As an example, if my timing is off (which is how one generally says that the timing is bad) to catch the bus, I am either early or late, and must wait. If my timing is correct, I arrive when the bus is at the bus stop, and I can board.

    As TRomano states, timing can be used to mean opportunity. If one is synchronized with employers, schools or training programs, one will be ready when they are hiring or enrolling, and can be hired and enrolled. If one is not synchronized, then one will not be hired or enrolled.

    For example, if a given university has an application window (a period of time in which one can apply) consisting of the first two weeks of March, anyone who applies in May will not be considered (although at some institutions, it may be accepted for the next semester/year/class, etc.), because their submission of their application was not synchronized with the application window.

  2. "And" correctly joins the two reasons that/explanations for why NEET is problematic. In fact, I would say that "And" is the first choice to join two positive statements.

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I might fix some things:

The issue of NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) is particularly problematic as it makes young people miss (to make someone do something, NOT "to make someone to do something") the right timing to enter (enter is enough, not "enter into") the labour market and increases the number of young people eventually giving up on economic activities.

And I think "right timing" used here is more correct than "right time" in this context.

But let's wait for native speakers' advice!

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