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How to say "workaround/quick-and-dirty hack" in Japanese in the context of computer programming?

ALC says 次善策 for "workaround" but of course it does not convey the sense of dirtiness/fragility/speed I am looking for.

Context: quick email about a software feature, to my superior, with whom I am on very friendly terms but still use -ます form for instance.

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In what context? A formal communication? A follow-up to a bug report? A code comment? – Karl Knechtel Sep 7 '11 at 2:49
Sorry good remark, I will add details. – Nicolas Raoul Sep 7 '11 at 2:55
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I don't have the confidence to add this as a proper answer, but perhaps one of the compounds of 応急 fits here? 応急策 ( band-aid solution , quick fix ), for instance... – Hyperworm Sep 7 '11 at 3:26

4 Answers

up vote 4 down vote accepted

I use the jargon word (ダーティ)ハック！ Simple and direct.

You could also say something like 適当な解決方法、適当なやり方

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up vote 4 down vote

I don't know if it's used specifically in programming, but やっつけ仕事 might give the sense you want. I wouldn't use it a formal context. There's always the all-purpose 臨機応変のX, which you probably could use formally.

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I think that やっつけ仕事 is more focused on sloppiness than what “quick-and-dirty hack” suggests, but I am not completely sure about the nuance of “quick-and-dirty hack.” – Tsuyoshi Ito Sep 8 '11 at 17:15
You're probably right, but since I'm not a programmer myself, I'm not really sure either. The meaning of "quick-and-dirty" by itself is pretty loose, I think, but definitely implies a lack of refinement. At the time I posted, the OP had not yet clarified the intended context, so I figured I'd throw out a couple of suggestions at opposing levels of formality. – rdb Sep 8 '11 at 18:23
I am afraid that my comment was not clear. What I meant is that やっつけ仕事 is sloppy, not that the word やっつけ仕事 is informal. If you use a “quick-and-dirty hack” as part of your project at work, I guess that it is ok depending on the context, but if you do やっつけ仕事, it is not good. – Tsuyoshi Ito Sep 8 '11 at 18:26
Sorry, I wasn't clear either. What I meant to say was, depending on the formality of the situation, I would use different words. i.e., if I were talking to a colleague or friend, I might say, "I just threw something together, but it works for now." But to a supervisor I would probably say "I managed to find an interim solution." – rdb Sep 8 '11 at 18:39
Ah, thanks for the explanation. I am still not sure about the comparison of applicability of “quick-and-dirty hack” and “やっつけ仕事,” but I guess that to really explain it, we need a software engineer who is fluent in both English and Japanese. – Tsuyoshi Ito Sep 8 '11 at 18:55
up vote 4 down vote

Besides Hyperworm and rdb's answers,

その場しのぎ

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up vote 1 down vote

May be 裏ワザ can be use for some cases.

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I see this especially in writings aimed at non-experts. Many books about hacks or tricks for OSes have 裏技 in their title. – syockit Sep 7 '11 at 10:59
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It sounds very systematic, unlike a hack which is ad hoc… – Axioplase Sep 7 '11 at 13:53
It seems to already have been taken: ejje.weblio.jp/content/exception+operation – rdb Sep 7 '11 at 18:54

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