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!
At the Europa Hotel (January 2024)
In Mark Seal’s article „The Trouble with Harry’s“ (Vanity Fair, 2 November 2009), one sentence goes: “Accompanied by his aunt, her gigolo, and a Pekingese, Pickering stayed two months at the Europa Hotel and spent most of that time in the bar, where he was copiously served by Giuseppe Cipriani, Arrigo’s father.”
This was rendered as: “Begleitet von seiner Tante, deren Gigolo und einem Pekinesen, verbrachte Pickering zwei Monate im Hotel Europa und die meiste Zeit davon an der Bar, wo er sich von Giuseppe Cipriani, Arrigos Vater, verschwenderisch einschenken ließ.”
Here, the combination of “verschwenderisch einschenken” doesn’t work. Serving someone a drink or having someone serve you a drink is generally a positive activity or a positive experience, respectively. In this context, the negatively connoted “verschwenderisch” is out of place as it would imply overdoing the serving of drinks.
This problem can be avoided by translating: “wo [Pickering] sich [...] großzügig einschenken ließ”.