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!
A false friend? (November 2024)
In David van Biema’s article “Can Megachurches Bridge the Racial Divide?” (time.com, 11 January 2010), we read: “Most regarded racial inequality as either illusory or the wages of personal sin, rather than as a societal flaw.”
In German: “Die meisten sahen Ungleichheit aufgrund von Herkunft oder Hautfarbe eher als illusorisch oder als Strafe für persönliche Sünden an, als dass es eine gesellschaftliche Verfehlung sei.”
Here, a few points are worth mentioning. Let’s start with a felicitous solution. It is clear that the noun phrase “racial inequality” must not be translated literally as “Rassenungleichheit” since German “Rasse” is not only burdened with a Nazi past but, with reference to human beings, also does not make any sense biologically. The creative rendering used by the translator is, therefore, perfect.
However, a problem arises with the translation of “illusory” as “illusorisch”. Not that this is a typical false friend – on the contrary: both the German and the English adjective primarily refer to something that one wants to, but cannot, achieve. Apart from a sense of deception, which is also implied in English, the German may carry a feeling of futility. In addition to this meaning, with which the adjective refers to something that creates an illusion, in English, it can also refer to something that is an illusion. The reference, here, is to something imaginary, unreal. In the given translation context, only this latter meaning fits, as inequality of origin or skin colour (or racial inequality, for that matter) is not something that one would want to achieve.
The subordinate clause introduced with “als dass” is syntactically incoherent. It comes across as gramatically awkward despite being recognised as a semantic contrast to the aspects previously introduced with “eher als”.
The last point of criticism is perhaps a little subtle, but that is precisely why it is interesting. It is about translating “flaw” as “Verfehlung”. While the German noun implies action (as in “wrongdoing” or “transgression”), the English noun rather refers to a state or condition.
In the light of this discussion, the original sentence can be translated as follows: Die meisten sahen Ungleichheit aufgrund von Herkunft oder Hautfarbe eher als real nicht existierend oder als Strafe für persönliche Sünden an, denn als einen gesellschaftlichen Makel.