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!
Streams (September 2025)
The following sentence has been taken from “Sold Down the River” by Eleanor J. Sterling and Merry D. Camhi (www.naturalhistorymag.com):
“[The Mekong] and the uncountable ‘feeder’ rivers and streams in Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam make up the 300,000-square-mile Mekong River Basin.”
In German: “[Der Mekong] und seine unzähligen Zuflüsse und -ströme aus Kambodscha, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand und Vietnam bilden das rund 800 000 Quadratkilometer große Mekongbecken.”
While the noun “Strom” may form compounds such as “Stromschnellen” (rapids) or “stromaufwärts” (upstream) in which the meaning of “large river” is retained, this is not the case in combination with the prefix “Zu-”. The noun “Zustrom” does not refer to a river but to the influx in large quantities of (1) air or gas, (2) people, or (3) money (cf. dwds.de). Moreover, to translate “stream” with its cognate “Strom” is to fall for a false friend: while the English term refers to a small river or brook, the German word denotes a majestic watercourse.
If we wish to reflect the difference in meaning between “rivers” and “streams” also in the German text, we might translate: [Der Mekong] und seine unzähligen größeren und kleineren Zuflüsse aus Kambodscha, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand und Vietnam bilden das rund 800 000 Quadratkilometer große Mekongbecken.