Translating GKC: German

[CoyoteReborn]

Jun 4, 2014 15:01:08 GMT Daedalus said:

Jun 4, 2014 14:58:08 GMT CoyoteReborn said:

I will help, even if you don't want me too!

I think you mean, 'even if you don/'t want me TO' - we'd love to have your sword for our cause (or tooth, I guess?), if you can do grammar

"even if you don't want me [as well]". It works, so the joke's on you!!!!! HAHAHAHA!!

(Totally planned that, hahahah...)

[Daedalus]

Jun 4, 2014 15:02:56 GMT CoyoteReborn said:

Jun 4, 2014 15:01:08 GMT Daedalus said:

I think you mean, 'even if you don/'t want me TO' - we'd love to have your sword for our cause (or tooth, I guess?), if you can do grammar

"even if you don't want me [as well]". It works, so the joke's on you!!!!! HAHAHAHA!!

(Totally planned that, hahahah...)

(slow clap, and facepalm) I need to be more careful when corresponding with You, I see. Of all the people here, only You would intentionally make grammar mistakes to troll with people.

Yo espero que El Gran Dios Coyote no se ha enojado tanto que me piensa matar.

(I refuse to do accents in typing here...how's my spanish seem, native speakers? I don't know how to capitalize for divinities in Spanish.)

[KartoffelnMcNugget]

Aun necesitas pulirlo un poco, pero por lo demás está bastante bien

(do you want me to correct you?)

[Daedalus]

Jun 4, 2014 17:45:49 GMT KartoffelnMcNugget said:

Aun necesitas pulirlo un poco, pero por lo demás está bastante bien

(do you want me to correct you?)

Yes, if you're willing. I wish to improve my Spanish along the way. And I will formally set up the thread when I can next get to my real computer (this evening). We can chat more then. Until then, let's not pollute the German thread any further haha (looking at you, CoyoteReborn)

Edit: birds is joining us say hi

[birds]

hello there!im from argentina so if you wanna ask me anything for the spanish translation its fine by me! *hola a todos los que hablan español jaja*

[Deleted]

Jun 4, 2014 20:27:33 GMT Daedalus said:

Until then, let's not pollute the German thread any further haha (looking at you, CoyoteReborn)

Honestly it's not like I've been working on that stuff at the moment, anyway. I certainly don't mind. By the way, if anyone wants to use those German translations that I did manage to finish for their own fan projects, I also wouldn't mind.

I'd like to welcome you Spanish speakers more cordially, too, but I just ain't no hola-back girl haha you know haha I'll just go back into that corner yeah okay.

[Deleted]

Chapters 2, 12, 13 and 14 have been updated to include the latest revisions (I apparently forgot to re-upload them back in March). Chapters 15 and 16 are online now.

I went ahead with minor changes to Ch. 5 and 10, most of which shouldn't even be apparent. Some translator's notes have also been cut.

[eightyfour]

Little suggestion for the chapter 17 title: The Medium Beginning

I think "Der Mittelmäßige Beginn" would work better, seeing how the mediums main role is that of a "Vermittler".

[Deleted]

Good point! Let me bicker about it:

When describing the size of something, as the original title does, the more common usage is "von mittlerer Größe" rather than "von mittelmäßiger Größe". "Mittelmäßig" would usually be translated back as "mediocre", since it carries a pejorative connotation of blandness - then again, I like how that could be constructed to refer to Parley's downplaying of Smitty's terrific ability.

Undeniably, though, you're right that "mäßig" and "Mäßigung" don't quite render the sense of "mediation"/"Vermittlung", and can be improved upon. In fact, the "medium" in Goethe's Elective Affinities goes by the oddly-fitting name of "Herr Mittler".

"Der ordentliche Einstand" was a loose translation I had considered, which I then dismissed as lacking in style and precision; but perhaps that was an error, and the etymological link of "Einstand" to "(für jmd.) einstehen" could render the "mediation"/"mediocre" wordplay - the problem being, of course, that the word "medium" itself is dropped from the title. What do you think?

[eightyfour]

Jul 2, 2014 20:24:44 GMT @korba said:

When describing the size of something, as the original title does, ...

Does it? True, the term "medium" will usually refer to quantity rather than quality, however I don't think that's the main focus with this title. I'd argue that primarily it's about Annie starting to learn how to be a medium. The other meaning is incidental and just for pun. A "beginning of medium size" doesn't make much sense anyway, does it? I would rather try to preserve the primary meaning than to focus too much on the pun.

In any case, I think "Der ordentliche Einstand" isn't bad at all. It conveys the idea behind the original title (as I understand it anyway) quite well and it doesn't sound as constructed. I don't really like the word "Beginn". It's a perfectly good word, but in this context it just feels wrong to me.

[Deleted]

I understand it as containing a play on (clothing) sizes - the idiomatic "The Small Beginning" becomes "The Medium Beginning", which also indicates how Annie's first lesson goes better than expected.

Anyway, I'll change the title to "Der ordentliche Einstand" in short order. Thank you!

[hnau]

[338]
„Braucht sie das hier wirklich?“ - or "Muss das wirklich sein?"

[356]
„Der Jung und seine Familie werden's dafyr Sorge tragen.“ - The question is whether their role is active or passive; "sorgen" might be used both ways (as in "ihre Leichen werden dafür sorgen, dass der Baum Nährstoffe bekommt" or "ich sorge dafür, dass du nicht belästigt wirst"). "Sorge tragen" tends to indicate an active role, at least in modern usage ("die Pausenaufsicht trägt dafür Sorge, dass die Schüler auf dem Schulhof bleiben"). Sometimes I wonder if the dead are just some kind of snack for Coyote, like Y's memories.

[hnau]

[364]
Man 'langweilt' sich nicht - ... sich doch nicht
Doppel-Physik - in einer Doppelstunde Physik

[381]
(Btw, that's a double bind: think about me being naked, but don't you dare to think about that! And no discussions, I'm gone now!)

[Deleted]

Jul 4, 2014 22:18:31 GMT hnau said:

„Braucht sie das hier wirklich?“ - or "Muss das wirklich sein?"

I'd like to keep the personal pronoun. What about "Hat sie das wirklich nötig?"

„Der Jung und seine Familie werden's dafyr Sorge tragen.“ - The question is whether their role is active or passive; "sorgen" might be used both ways (as in "ihre Leichen werden dafür sorgen, dass der Baum Nährstoffe bekommt" or "ich sorge dafür, dass du nicht belästigt wirst"). "Sorge tragen" tends to indicate an active role, at least in modern usage ("die Pausenaufsicht trägt dafür Sorge, dass die Schüler auf dem Schulhof bleiben").

Well-observed. I'll change that. (Although I like how "tragen" kind of suggests the Ether acting as a carrier for aesthetic context, akin to how electrons carry negative charges.)

By the way, what do you think of the Moddey Dhoo's accent?

Sometimes I wonder if the dead are just some kind of snack for Coyote, like Y's memories.

I think they are, in the sense that the dead's memories of Coyote, and the emotions attached to them, appear to prolong his existence, while little regard is paid to their individually-shaped beliefs and perceptions, that is, the bulk of their lives as people. The Ether appears to be a mixture of people's souls in the same way that ambient air contains the breath of everyone in the room.

Jul 4, 2014 22:52:43 GMT hnau said:

Man 'langweilt' sich nicht - ... sich doch nicht

I actually erased this "doch" from the manuscript previously, since I wanted to make Kat's statement more placative, which would be hindered by referring back to Annie's. I'm not sure about this one yet.

Doppel-Physik - in einer Doppelstunde Physik

I remember that we used to call double lessons "Doppel-Deutsch", "Doppel-Mathe" and the works back in school. But, that may flow rather oddly and your version has more gravity, which befits the situation.

get it because it's a physics less-- Anyway,

(Btw, that's a double bind: think about me being naked, but don't you dare to think about that! And no discussions, I'm gone now!)

You'll hopefully understand if I read this line without context at first and became utterly confused for about half a minute.

The use and highlighting of doubles and couples in this comic is probably one of the most important connotations that a translation has to retain. I'll try to keep an eye on that.

[hnau]

Sorry. I shouldn't talk about psychological terms out of context.

[hnau]

[384]
„Da testet man deine psychischen Fähigkeiten in so nem Labor.“ - "übersinnlichen Fähigkeiten" ("psychisch" is usually not paranormal)

„Ja, er ist so gut, dass er vorausgesagt hat, dass sein Sohn, George, ebenfalls psychisch begabt sein würde.“ - "paranormal/übersinnlich begabt"

[385]
„Parleys Fähigkeiten haben sich noch nicht unbedingt herausgestellt, ...“ - "noch nicht so ganz"? "noch nicht wirklich"?

[Deleted]

In [385], I'd think that translating "not exactly" as "nicht unbedingt" works best, since I want to keep it distinct from "not really" or "not completely". I went with "übersinnlich" in [384].

The revisions are up and running. Thank you!

[Daedalus]

Does this project still live?

[Deleted]

this thing is beastly dead

Jun 4, 2014 23:48:13 GMT @korba said:

By the way, if anyone wants to use those German translations that I did manage to finish for their own fan projects, I also wouldn't mind.

still applies