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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!
Tankards (July 2022)
In “Hell’s bells! The joy of Morris Dancing” (The Independent, 21 September 2009), Jonathan Brown gives right at the beginning a very vivid impression of what Morris dancing involves: “Few would imagine that danger is at hand. Morris dancing – with its tinkling bells, clink of pewter tankards and brightly-clad participants – evokes the timeless, gentle charm of an English village.”
These sentences were translated: “Wenige nur könnten sich vorstellen, dass Gefahr in Verzug ist. Mit seinen klingelnden Glöckchen, klirrenden Zinnkrügen und bunt gekleideten Tänzern ruft der Morris den zeitlosen und sanften Charme eines englischen Dorfes hervor.” At a first glance, the translation is rather inconspicuous as the translator uses expressions that are similarly vivid as those used in the source text. Only when we take a closer look do we notice a few problems.
Apart from two obious mistakes (“in Verzug”, “klingelnden”), there are another two issues. In the first sentence, the main clause and the subclause functioning as object don’t go together for semantic reasons. The problem is the expression “könnten sich vorstellen” – an expression that points to future possibilities, whereas “Gefahr ist im Verzug” refers to the present. (Compare: Wenige nur könnten sich vorstellen, einem Morris-Team beizutreten.) To solve the problem, I would change the beginning of the sentence, for example: “Wenige nur würden hier vermuten, dass Gefahr im Verzug ist.”
The second issue may not be regarded as such by some readers. Still, I would argue that the present participle “klirrenden” – used, here, as an adjective – does not really match the clang of clashing pewter tankards, as the latter produce neither a rattling noise like that of little bells nor the shrill sound of breaking glass or ice. Rather than trying to find a direct translation for the onomatopoeic term “clink”, the translator might opt for an expression that reflects the sound-producing movement: “Mit seinen klingenden Glöckchen, laut aneinander schlagenden Zinnkrügen und bunt gekleideten Tänzern ruft der Morris den zeitlosen und sanften Charme eines englischen Dorfes hervor.”