2013/11/24 Steven Walling swalling@wikimedia.org:
In this case the phrase is not equivalent, but was expanded beyond the English version. The original English is: "Help me choose" and it is right next to "Username". The default German translation is "Auswahlhilfe", as you can see on German projects other than Wikipedia. As you can guess is short enough to not overflow in to multiple lines. In general, the purpose of the link is not to provide a general help guide to signing up, only to choosing a username.
Again, I would not change anything about this line because registering at Wikipedia should be well considered. It takes preparation because you generally cannot delete your personal data from wiki logfiles and article history. So, it is a matter of data protection in the first place. You will probably be aware that the English and the German community differ in so far as data protection law matters much more in this country than it does in the U.S. New users have to be made aware of any problems they might like to avoid, and they need to be given practical advice about registering as well. It's not just about choosing a user name. So, a more precise wording that says more than just "Auswahlhilfe" does make sense here.
I suggest you post your question to
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilfe_Diskussion:Benutzerkonto_anlegen
Regards, Jürgen.