Like-Blog
Presenting you the most interesting translation solutions
Why Like-Blog? Now, first of all, this blog is a blog that you should like (and read regularly) – at least, if you are interested in translation. Then, the topic discussed here is one in which the meaningful likeness between a text and its translation in the language pair English-German plays a key role. On this page, I will take a close look at some interesting translation solutions that I have come across in the course of my work as a translator and translation scholar.
A translation solution is only as good as the arguments that support it. This means that any translation criticism, whether positive or negative, needs to be justified. The quality of a translation solution shows only when we compare it to other possible translation solutions in a given translation situation. Therefore, a translation critic should not only say why a translation solution is bad, but also demonstrate what a better solution might look like. I will try to stick to these principles of translation criticism. So if you have any questions regarding my line of argument or if you disagree, please, let me know your opinion by phone at +49 4171 6086525 or by e-mail to bittner@businessenglish-hamburg.de. So much for the introduction. I hope you’ll enjoy reading this blog!
Collocation (December 2025)
Daniel Lyons writes in “Think Really Different” (Newsweek 2010):
“Jobs is a relentless perfectionist whose company creates such beautifully designed products that they have changed our expectations about how everything around us should work.”
The translation runs: “Jobs ist ein erbarmungsloser Perfektionist, dessen Firma solche wunderschön designten Produkte herstellt, dass sie unsere Vorstellung davon verändert haben, wie alles um uns herum funktionieren sollte.”
Here, the combination between an adjective and a noun in “erbarmungsloser Perfektionist” is rather unusual. Being a perfectionist is an attitude that relates to oneself, whereas the word “erbarmungslos” typically expresses an attitude directed at another person. What would then be suitable collocations with the noun “Perfektionist”?
Possible solutions include: ewiger Perfektionist, absoluter Perfektionist, kompromissloser Perfektionist ...