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This is a fairly straight-forward example of the problem, however, as the translator’s mission is clear. At the other end of the spectrum, when the source text is more complex and ambiguous, one can spend hours pondering just a few words and how they should be best composed. One learns that sometimes even a great translation is indecipherable when the source text itself eludes a clear reading.

Take, for example, the following paragraph, which came from a philosophical text that I recently translated:

So kann bereits der Bezug auf einen anderen Menschen ein „Mehr“ und ein „Darüber hinaus“ bedeuten, in dem ich mich selbst überschreite, ebenso das Transzendieren einer konkreten Situation, eines gesellschaftlichen status quo. Deshalb bedarf es des Begriffs des Unbedingten, um der Falle der „schlechten Unendlichkeit“ zu entkommen. Er bezeichnet nämlich sowohl einen grundlosen, selbst nicht mehr von einem anderen bedingten Grund alles Bedingten als dessen Möglichkeitsbedingung als auch das Vollkommene.

The last sentence here is fairly out of control. Although I feel confident that my English translation accurately recapitulates the constellation of signs established by the author in her sentence, it remains impenetrable (to my puny mind, at least):

“Specifically, the concept of the unconditional designates both a basis for everything conditional which is itself without basis and not conditional on another basis as the condition of possibility for everything conditional, as well as the ‘perfect’ (Vollkommene).”

On the other hand, this is perhaps not the best example of the “interpretational duty” placed on the translator, as the sentence, despite its complexity, can be “effectively” translated. In between the two examples provided in this blog post there is a myriad range of translation problems that involve deciding how much one can and should deviate from and/or interpret the (apparent) meaning of the source text. What is the text’s message? The translator is invariably a major determinant in shaping the reader’s “take away.” There is no way around this problem, as the issue concerns the inherent non-compatability of linguistic systems and the translator’s position as a mediator and referee.

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So what is the reason? I think timidity is the cause in the vast majority of instances – the translator is afraid of making mistakes, doesn’t understand why the formatting in the text is unusual, and, assuming that there must be a reason for it, copies it obediently. This is not a recipe for a winning translation.

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Yet even with an ample dose of cultural sensitivity, the translator may confront problems that render a satisfactory adaptation nearly impossible. Christiane (my partner) is currently translating a sales-team training booklet for a large American sportswear manufacturer (that is expanding to Germany). In the text, various ways of approaching customers in a store are discussed. The text distinguishes between approaches that concern service (e.g. “How can I help you?”) and those that are merely “social” in nature (e.g. “Nice weather, isn’t it?” or “Hello, how are you?”). While it would be possible here to render a direct translation, the text is in fact discussing social practices that don’t exist in Germany. “How are you doing?” is, quite simply, a question one never asks of strangers in Germany. From a German perspective, such behavior would be considered highly “superficial,” and, I suppose, “typically American.” In German stores, sales clerks generally leave customers alone. If they do initiate a conversation, then they do so to ask if they can be of assistance. Comments about the weather apropos of nothing would invite curious looks from potential customers.

Clearly, the text needs to be adapted to German social practices. The example above is admittedly an unusual instance of cultural discontinuity. Normally the cultural barriers confronted in a text – when translating between German and English, at least – are of a more manageable nature. The translator’s job is to adapt the target text based on its intended uses as well as to communicate with the customer about such problems, particularly when considerable changes would be required.

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“In the absence of political leadership, they apply the rules as they are, for example when they recommend brutal and politically suicidal wage cuts in Latvia, when they apply accession criteria to the eurozone with no flexibility, or when they produce ineffective financial regulation.” Although not incorrect, the hard transition to “for example” in this sentence strikes me as particularly German.

The conclusion of the column, as well, is a bit funny: “But I never thought that we would ever celebrate a central bank as the only political institution that really works in Europe. How did we get there?” Shouldn’t this read, “How did we get here?”

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Needless to say, the German word “als” is not directly equivalent to its English counterpart. Like “as,” it is used as a comparative particle (diese Schuhe sind bequemer als die anderen) and conjunction (ich war froh, als sie endlich anriefen), but on the whole, it is used less frequently and has a much more restrictive range of use. However, “als” does take on a particular function that “as” lacks. The differences are subtle at first glance. Take the following sentence as an example: Die Beamten sind als Vetreter das öffentliche Gesicht der Verwaltung (“The officials are as representatives the public face of local government”). Here “als” is used to set up an equivalance between two things; the “officials” are in effect stated to be the equivalent of “representatives.” The direct English translation is acceptable and fairly clear, but rings a little bit strange. Why is this? In English, “as” is also used as a preposition to set up an equivalence, but this equivalence is a relative one, and usually does not have the 1:1 substitutional meaning found in many German constructions. For example: Der Auftragnehmer übernimmt die Aufbereitung am Standort X als technischer Betriebsführer für die Auftraggeberin als Betreiber (“The contracted party assumes responsibility for processing at location X as the technical manager for the contracting party as operator”). Translated directly, this sentence is somewhat confusing in English. What is meant by the “contracting party as operator”? “As” in English lacks the rigorous 1:1 substitutional equivalence implied by “als” in the German source sentence. A more readable translation would simply read: “for the contracting party, who is the operator.”

This is actually a fairly common problem when translating from German to English. An awareness for the non-compatability of “als” and “as” in certain contexts can help one to identify why the target sentence is not working and how it can be fixed.

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Recently I’ve been thinking quite a bit about the German word “auch.” Such a straightforward word, on the face of it.  Yet again and again in past weeks I’ve seen this inconspicuous little term employed in a way that has no real equivalent in English.  Take the following title of a press release for an upcoming conference in Mannheim, for example:  “Steueroptimierung für Unternehmen auch in Krisenzeiten” (“Tax optimization for companies also in times of crisis”).  For the native English speaker, this word-for-word translation is confusing. What is being said here? Essentially, that companies can benefit from optimizing their tax practices, even – or perhaps particularly – when the economy is bad. Here, “auch” takes on a particular function that the English term “also” lacks.

Another example: “Die hohen Verluste am Aktienmarkt im Herbst 2008 waren auch auf sogenanntes Short-Selling zurückzuführen” (“The high stock market losses in the fall of 2008 were also attributable to short-selling”). At first glance, this sentence seems perfectly fine in English. But what if it were the very first sentence of a newspaper article? In German, it would be perfectly acceptable; in English, it wouldn’t make any sense. In German, “auch” is used here to introduce a cause while also indicating that other causes are involved. “Also” lacks this specific functionality in English. A proper translation of the above sentence would have to be something like: “There were numerous causes of the stock market losses in the fall of 2008; short-selling was one of them.”

The use of the word “auch” in this manner is actually quite common in German, but it is readily overlooked until one becomes attuned to its unique function, and the ways in which it differs from the English “also.” It’s also interesting to note that way in which “auch” often seems to be used to hedge statements, to say, in effect, “here is the reason for something, but there could be additional (or more important) reasons for it, so I’ll add an ‘auch’ to avoid pinning myself down here.” Now that’s some heavy lifting for such a little word.

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