Benutzer Diskussion:OberMegaTrans

Welcome, Willkommen, Bienvenue, Huanying

Welcome to the discussion page of Benutzer:OberMegaTrans!

Here is where we will discuss what's going on over at the user page. What will that look like? Well, for example, we can list and continually update guidelines and rules of thumb for translating here (see below). We could also list and continually update collocations that frequently occur in newspaper texts or discuss particular problems that come up as we go along.

(TIP: Before you make the final edit ("Seite speichern"), take a look at your changes in the preview mode ("Vorschau zeigen") - you might discover that it looks different than in the edit mode. Just don't forget to save the changes when you've finished!)

Guidelines and rules of thumb for translating

What is a "rule of thumb?" According to the Heritage Dictionary it is "a useful principle having wide application but not intended to be strictly accurate or reliable in every situation." The Oxford English Dictionary says it is "1. A method or procedure derived entirely from practice or experience, without any basis in scientific knowledge; a roughly practical method. Also, a particular stated rule that is based on practice or experience. 2. attrib. a. Of methods, etc.: Based merely upon practice or experience. Also in predicative use. b. Of persons: Working only by methods derived from practice."

Don't be shy, give it a try!

Now that we've gotten the list started, let's keep it going.

1. Dealing with quotations

Example: Sie ist überzeugt, "dass sich lernen lässt, sich nicht von Krisen überwältigen zu lassen."

Rule 1: Keep the quotation marks, if your translation is fairly close to the original, i.e. 'She is convinced "that one can learn not to be overwhelmed by crises."'

Rule 2: If you think your translation is too far from the original to justify using quotation marks (e.g. by translating rather freely), drop the quotation marks, i.e. 'She is convinced that not being overwhelmed by crises can be learned.'

Note: In this case, translating according to Rule 1 is preferable since you do not have to restructure the sample sentence in order to get a natural English translation.

2. Translating impersonal constructions

"Wer" as the subject; not a question; often used in sayings and expressions: Example: Wer häufig Rede und Antwort stehen muss, sollte...

Suggestions: 1. If you ... 2. Whoever ... 3. Those who ... / People who ... / Anyone who ... 4. (Almost only in sayings & proverbs, otherwise NO!) He who ...

"Man" as the subject; in questions and statements; common usage in German: Example: Wie reagiert man gekonnt auf ...?

Suggestions: 1. How should one react ... 2. How does one react ... 3. How do you react ... / How do I react ... 4. (But not normally in questions) How to react ...

3. Translating German compounds

Examples: Veränderungssituation, Impulsgeber, Ausgangszustand, Wohlfühlcharakter, etc.

Sometimes there is a corresponding English compound to translate a German compound, but often it has to be translated in a different way:

A. One possibility is a genitive construction using "of": Veränderungssituation > situation of change.

B. Another possibility is a whole phrase: Veränderungssituation > situations in which companies undergo major changes.

C. German compounds can also be translated by an English "ing"-form + noun in some cases, e.g. Ausgangspunkt > starting-point. But: "changing situation" wouldn't work here for "Veränderungssituation".

4. Dealing with German syntax: attributes

Example: "Das weltweit agierende Beratungsunternehmen für Karrieremanagement"

Problem: the German attribute phrase (adjective function) cannot occupy the same slot in English syntax

Rule: paraphrase, change it into a relative clause (using present participle construction defining the subject)

Suggestions: a) "The consultancy company for career management doing business worldwide ..." b) "The global-playing consultancy* for career management" c) "The career management consultancy operating world-wide" d) "The career management consultancy that operates world-wide"

Note (*): "Beratungsunternehmen" in English could easily be just "consultancy".

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