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!
Legislature (July 2020)
Culture-specific references are elements typical of one culture. In other cultures, such elements either do not exist at all or they exist in a different form. When translating culture-specific references, the translator needs to decide to what extent there are expressions in the target language that correspond to a given source term. If there is such a corresponding expression (however vague its link to the original), the question is whether it makes sense to actually use it in the translation or whether it might be better to go for an alternative solution.
On 29 April 2020, Tagesspiegel online reported: “Um die Vorwahl in Ohio und in weiteren Staaten hatte es beträchtliches Gezerre gegeben. In Wisconsin griff sogar der Supreme Court in den Streit um Gesundheit und Demokratie ein. Ohio ist einer der traditionell entscheidenden ‘Battleground’-Staaten in der Präsidentschaftswahl. Die Vorwahl sollte ursprünglich am 17. März stattfinden. Wegen der Corona-Pandemie untersagte der republikanische Gouverneur die Stimmabgabe im Wahllokal und wollte sie in den Juni verschieben. Der Landtag entschied sich dann für eine Briefwahl mit letztem Einsendedatum 28. April. Nach vorläufigen Ergebnissen bekam Biden 72,4 Prozent der Stimmen, Sanders 16,5 Prozent. Damit erhält Biden 78 Delegierte für den Nominierungsparteitag, Sanders 2.”
Did you stumble as you were reading this? If you answer in the negative because you were merely skimming the quotation, please, read it once again. When reading the Tagesspiegel article, I was quite puzzled by the word “Landtag”. It typically refers to the parliaments of German and Austrian federal states as well as to the parliaments of Liechtenstein, South Tyrol, and Trentino. In the above news report, though, “Landtag” is used to denote the parliament of the US state of Ohio, i.e., the legislature or general assembly of that state, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
By way of comparison, here is a corresponding news report taken from the Washington Post online, likewise dated 29 April 2020: “Ohio’s primary was original scheduled for March 17, but the governor canceled in-person voting for that day. He had originally said the primary would be held June 2, but the legislature settled on April 28. Almost all voting was by mail, and votes cast before the original date counted.” The culture-specific element in question is, here, referred to by the term “legislature”.
So, what can we say about the translation? While it is not wrong, the term “Landtag” – culture-specific as it is in its reference to a predominantly German and Austrian institution – sounds unusual (to say the least) when referring to an institution that is typical of a US state. In what is known as documentary translation – relevant, for example, when translating documents to be presented in court – it is not uncommon to render the names of foreign courts using the equivalent names of German courts in the target language, provided that they approximately reflect the jurisdiction or the foreign court. However, in the case presented here, we are, first of all, not dealing with a documentary translation and, second, the culture-specific element is not a court. To appreciate the effect produced on a German native speaker who reads “Landtag” in a text that deals with the Ohio legislature, you might think of an English text about Germany in which the sentence “Der Bundestag verabschiedete ein neues Gesetz” is translated as “Congress passed a new law”. Even though the context makes it clear that reference is being made to the German parliament, you would probably rub your eyes in disbelief. When it comes to rendering the names of US parliaments into German, I am in favour of a literal translation of the English name (legislature – Legislative; General Assembly – Generalversammlung) or using a generic term (for instance: Parlament von Ohio).