German Culture and TranslationWhen it comes to producing good German language translations, understanding German culture and traditions is almost as important as understanding the German language itself.Not only does the translator need to understand the culture of Germany when analysing the original German text, they also need to consider the extent to which their reader(s) will or will not be aware of German culture, and therefore how much needs to be explained. The process of translating Germany's cultural phenomena for an English-speaking audience is called cultural transposition.Peter Newmark, in his classic Textbook of Translation, defines culture as:
We can roughly divide aspects of German culture as they relate to translation into the following categories: 1. German namesSome German names must be adopted directly into the German translation (people), others need to be adapted or “naturalised”(names of organisations). Some have standard English equivalents, (e.g. Sankt Johannes – Saint John, Wien – Vienna, Petersdom – St Peter’s Basilica).2. German material culture• Food (Wienerschnitzel, Kaiserschmarren)• Clothes (Dirndl, Trachten) • Houses and towns (Einfamilienhaus) • Transport (Straßenbahn, Schnellbahn, ICE) Your job as a translator is to decide the extent to which these aspects of material German culture need to be explained, e.g. Autobahn – probably not at all, Kaiserschmarren – very likely yes (although English food descriptions always seem much less appetising than their German equivalents!) 3. Social culture and customFrom German holidays, religious festivals, customs and national events, the translator will have to consider the popularity and universality of various activities before deciding whether to leave, to translate or to gloss the term. Oktoberfest , for example, is known worldwide, having spawned several international imitators, but the excesses of Rosenmontag in Germany, or Fasching in Austria, may well require some explanation.4. HistoricalGerman 20th century history in particular has left its mark on the linguistic landscape. Many historical concepts, names and descriptions are so rooted to their time and place that they require no translation (Führer, Blitzkrieg, Lebensraum, Anschluss), although perhaps some additional explanation is advisable where the target audience is very general, or young.Other German cultural terms, such as Jugendstil (the German and Austrian version of the UK & US Arts and Crafts movement, French and Belgian Art Nouveau or Italian Liberty Style) reflect parallel historical developments. As a result they are similar but not equivalents, and therefore are not translated. 5. Organisations and social systemsLuckily there exist many established English translations for political and administrative organisations, government ministries and authorities etc. In our global world, the English version of official websites are a boon to the German translator: even when the translator might have translated the term in a different manner, official website designations have the authority of a dictionary! For example, my instinct is to translate the Austrian Wirtschaftskammer with the succinct Chamber of Commerce, but the official translation is Austrian Federal Economic Chamber.Other terms are well recognised, e.g. Bundestag – German Federal Parliament, Bundesrat– Council of Constituent States, the German Upper House, and for an educated readership these terms can probably be left, and glossed a bit for a more general public (“German parliament”). Translating aspects of the educational system, however, is very much trickier. For example, the German school leaving exam, Abitur,(Matura in Austria) is similar to the American high school diploma, but there is no UK equivalent. Whereas in Anglo-Saxon circles a “diploma” is usually a non-university qualification, in German-speaking regions it often implies a higher level of qualification (university). Qualification equivalencies, titles, degrees, course contents – their accurate translation is often a topic of great debate in translator forums. 6. German IdiomsThere is no way you’d guess the meaning of the German idiom 08/15 without a little background knowledge or research, and this is often the case with German idioms. ( 08/15 or “nullachtfünfzehn” refers to a type of German WWI machine gun, with which the German troops were regularly drilled. It soon became a synonym for “normal”, “routine”. The gun was used again in WWII by which time it had become outdated, giving the expression 08/15 its current meaning of “run of the mill”, “nothing special”.) Many German idioms and sayings are similarly rooted in particular historical or cultural settings. Although many German idioms do have accepted English equivalents, (e.g. mausetot – dead as a doornail) often the essence of the German origin will be lost – literally “lost in translation”.Still German?Some German words and concepts are so German culture-specific, that rather than translate them, we have simply adopted the German original into the English language. These German loan words (e.g. Schadenfreude, Hinterland, Zeitgeist, Weltanschauung, Weltschmerz) are usually italicised in the English target text to highlight their foreign origin. Here a more extensive list.Regional variationsThe German translator must also be aware of the variations between the German spoken in Germany and that in Austria (e.g., “heuer”, “Jause”) or Switzerland (“Zmorge”, “härzig” and “dehei” ). Regional variations are also influential – there is often greater cultural similarity between Catholic Bavaria and Austria than with Protestant/Prussian Northern Germany.The German translation challengeWhen it comes to dealing with terms which reflect German culture, the translator has 3 options:• Decide that her English-speaking audience will know about the German cultural phenomenon and so transfer the term directly into the target text ( Oktoberfest , Wiener Schnitzel, Lederhosen), usually in italics • Use the standard, authorised translation (Federal Ministry of xxx, The Battle of Leipzig) • Gloss and provide an explanation (Deutsche Bahn, the German national railway operator) The German translator has to perform a balancing act when dealing with aspects of German culture: The German translation must clearly convey the intended message of the original German text in a manner suitable for the target audience, yet at the same time it must acknowledge that German cultural phenomena cannot be translated on a like-for-like basis and require a certain amount of glossing.
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