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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!
Shocked (June 2022)
In view of the economic sanctions imposed on Russia in the wake of the attack on Ukraine, Jay Newman, a former fund manager at Elliott Management Corporation, commented on the (rather unlikely) ability and/or willingness of Russia to pay back loans made by international investors: “I would be shocked – absolutely shocked – if they made the effort to make that payment later this month.” (Bloomberg.com, 9 March 2022) The adverbial phrase “later this month” refers to 16 March, which is when the payment was due.
Also on 9 March, a German translation of the Newman quote appeared on tagesschau.de: “Ich wäre schockiert – absolut schockiert – wenn sie sich die Mühe machen, ihren Zahlungen später in diesem Monat nachzukommen.” This translation is somewhat strange because it combines a positive event (einer Zahlungsverpflichtung nachkommen – meet a payment obligation) with a negative response to this event.
The verb form “shocked” is typically used in a negative context which is why, in most cases, the translation “schockiert” is right. Occasionally, though, “shocked” is used in a positive context. Here is an example from www.portsmouth.co.uk: A MUSEUM in Gosport has been shortlisted for a national award, being praised for its family-friendly nature. We read: “Museum director Kevin Casey added: ‘I would be shocked if we won but it would be great to do so.’” The context makes it clear that “shocked” is used with the meaning “surprised” because, if Russia does not default on the payment, Newman will not be scandalised or horrified – he simply does not expect that Russia meets its payment obligation.
There is a problem not only with the first part of the translation on tagesschau.de – the second part, too, is inappropriate. The expression “make an effort” means that someone seriously tries to do or to achieve something. To translate this expression into German using the noun “Mühe”, the translator would have to resort to the phrase “sich Mühe geben”, as – similar to “versuchen” (try) – “sich Mühe geben” does not guarantee the success of the activity: he or she who makes an effort to achieve something or tries to do something cannot be sure that the effort or attempt will be successful, that they will reach the goal to which they aspire. By contrast, the expression “sich die Mühe machen, etwas zu tun” implies that what should be done will be done – though it is not easy to achieve. And, strictly speaking, “Zahlungen [...] nachzukommen” (comply with, or meet, payments) does not work: it would have to be “Zahlungsverpflichtungen” (payment obligations).
Thus, the Newman quotation could be translated as follows: Ich wäre überrascht – völlig überrascht –, wenn sie versuchten, die Zahlung, die später in diesem Monat fällig wird, zu veranlassen. Or: Ich wäre überrascht – völlig überrascht –, wenn sie versuchten, ihrer Zahlungsverpflichtung später in diesem Monat nachzukommen.