ansprechen

12:14 Jul 29, 2023 

It simply means "sich wenden an", "sprechen mit". So to turn to, to contact, to talk to, or to approach seem to viable alternatives.
Jemanden wegen einer Sache ansprechen is quite common in German, I daresay. The Duden proposes: auf etwas ansprechen (reagieren)

See all examples here: https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/ansprechen : 1. + 3.a. + 3.b.
Especially 3.b., first example sentence, applies here.

15:41 Jun 30, 2023 

I'd say yes. Some alternatives might be speak to, approach, or ask to see. But contact should be fine.

Be aware that the last sentence in the previous paragraph ("...NICHT zu erteilen.") isn't very grammatical. I think the very first paragraph is much clearer so that's a save.

Lastly, I should note that if she had written "...so bald wie möglich darauf anzusprechen...," the situation would have been a bit different, since "darauf" would have pointed to the preceding sentence and that includes "Versuch."

But she didn't and, anyway, the addressee could have gotten in touch with her to clear up any misunderstanding.

Good luck!

14:29 Jun 30, 2023 

Bjoern - thank you so much. I thought as much and just wanted to have my interpretation confirmed since the matter is likely to go mega legal and I need to tap into the translators' "hive mind"!. Plus the writer also asked the addressee to let him/her whether addressee agrees with the suggested approach (for a belt-and-braces approach) and the addresse failed to contact him/her, went ahead and told the line manager about the suicide attempt. Would you translate "ansprechen" with "contact" in this case?

12:07 Jun 30, 2023 

I asked because if this had happened in Germany under German rules, she shouldn't have talked to anyone (except for maybe the "Betriebsarzt") about anything related to the matter but instead given the supervisor a doctor's note.

As one of the Krauts, I personally see little wiggle room here. Yes, I could tell she's only near-native (it's the grammar, it's always the grammar) but this part is pretty clear; the addressee was only supposed to inform the supervisor about Paul's head injury.

I think Jennifer's explanation (grammar-wise) is pretty spot on. I'd even go a step further here and would say that "ansprechen" is usually taken quite literally. Yes, it essentially means that you should get in touch or contact someone but do so in person or possibly on the phone and mostly when no one else is around. Other natives might disagree with me about that last part, though.

Also, you got 2 verbs here, ansprechen and mitteilen. They describe the sequence of steps you need to take: ansprechen as in trying to get a hold of the supervisor (the prefix is "an-," not "be-") and mitteilen, as in telling them about something. What that something is, is stated in the dass clause.

Best

10:49 Jun 30, 2023 

Hi Bjorn. This did not happen in the UK, but UK-confidentiality obligations would apply. The letter was written in German precisely to ensure that confidentiality would not be breached within the company. It was an extra step. Just trying to understand whether there was any "wriggle room" in the formulation given the context, the multiple explicit reminders about not revealing the exact details of the medical issue/health state to anybody within the company. I have specified t his in my replies to Jennifer and Caisely. Basically, could anybody have read the sentence and thought - it is OK for me to speak to the supervisor ALSO about the suicide attempt? It is to be noted that the writer asked the addressee "Please let me know if you agree with this approach" and the addressee did not contact the writer but went ahead, spoke to the supervisor and mentioned also the suicide attempt. Hope this is clear.

09:22 Jun 30, 2023 

Am I correct in assuming that this happened in the UK and she only wrote the letter in German so that anyone who likes sticking their nose into other people's business won't understand a word of it (basically)?