German composition : $b A theoretical and practical guide to the art of translating English prose into German · Hermann Lange

Chapter 2

Chapter 31 of 173 · 4 min read

The common or fixed oils, on the contrary, such as olive or linseed-oil, do not evaporate. This may be easily illustrated, thus: If a piece of writing-paper be touched with a fixed oil or grease, (S. 27, N. 8) it leaves a stain, which, upon being held before the fire, will not disappear.

Now, if any plant has a peculiar smell or taste, it is generally found that its essential oil is the cause of this (S. 4, N. 5, B). Consequently, if we extract this, we really obtain the essence.—PROF. ASCHER.

+fest+; on the contrary, +hingegen+. See S. 15, N. 3.

as olive or linseed-oil, +wie das Oliven- oder Leinsamenöl+. When two =compound nouns= which have the last component in common follow each other, the last component is generally omitted in the first noun, which is connected with the next one by means of hyphens.—To evaporate, +sich verflüchtigen+.

+Dies läßt sich auf folgende Weise leicht beweisen.+

Turn the Passive Voice here into the Active Voice by means of the pron. +man+, as explained in S. 4, N. 4.

‘to leave’, here = to leave behind; it = this.

The passage ‘which — disappear’ may be briefly rendered, thus: ‘which does not disappear before the fire’. See S. 32, N. 11.

Reverse the order of the first two words in this clause.

any = a.

Consequently = therefore, +also+, which place after the subject ‘we’.

to obtain, +gewinnen+; the essence (as a Nom.), +der der Pflanze eigentümliche Wohlgeruch+.

Section 72.

ON INSTINCT.

The following most curious instance of a change of instinct is mentioned by Darwin. The bees carried over to Barbadoes and the Western Isles ceased to lay up any honey after the first year, as they found it not useful to them. They found the weather so fine, and the materials for making honey so plentiful, that they quitted their grave, prudent, and mercantile character, became exceedingly profligate and debauched, ate up their capital, resolved to work no more, and amused themselves by flying about the sugar-houses and stinging the blacks. The fact is, that, by putting animals in different situations, you may change, and even reverse, any of their original propensities. Spallanzani brought up an eagle upon bread and milk, and fed a dove on raw beef.—REV. S. SMITH.

+Über den tierischen Instinkt.+

This clause requires a different rendering; let us say ‘Darwin gives the following most (+höchst+) curious example of a change of the animal instinct’. The last noun requires the def. art., as explained in S. 3, N. 2.

to carry over, +hinü´berbringen+. The Perfect Participle qualifies the noun ‘bees’. According to S. 7, N. 3, the words ‘carried — Isles’ may be rendered either by the attributive construction or by forming of them a relative clause. I venture to propose the use of the attributive construction as the more elegant of the two modes of rendering, and more especially in order to avoid a repetition of subordinate clauses.

When the preposition ‘=to=’, in connection with a verb denoting motion, stands before the names of countries, towns, islands, etc., it must be rendered by ‘+=nach=+’.

Here follow the words ‘after — year’, to lay up honey, +einen Vorrat von Honig an´sammeln+.

See S. 41, N. 6; it = this; not useful, +nicht mehr von Nutzen+.

materials — plentiful, +Materialien zur Honigbereitung in solchem Überflusse vorhanden+.

+auf´geben.+

prudent = cautious.

+merkantilisch.+

+unmäßig.+

to eat up, +auf´zehren+.

+und sich daran ergötzten.+ For rendering the passage ‘by — blacks’ see S. 1, N. 3. To fly about, +umschwär´men+, v. tr.

The — is, +Es ist eine ausgemachte Thatsache.+

Here follows the subject ‘you’ (comp. S. 66, N. 15), which translate by the impers. pron. +man+.

by — animals, +durch Versetzung der Tiere+, i.e. by a removal of the animals. In = into; different = other.

Here follows the object and its attributes, ‘their original (+angeboren+) propensities (+Trieb+, m.)’.

may = can; reverse, +in entgegengesetzte Richtungen leiten+.

+~Lazaro Spallanzani~, berühmter italienischer Anatom und Naturforscher, geb. 1729, 1799.+

to bring up, +groß ziehen+.

+bei.+

+mit.+

Section 73.

PETER THE GREAT AND THE MONK.

Peter the Great ordered many foreign books to be translated into the Russian language, and among others “Puffendorf’s Introduction to the Knowledge of the States of Europe.” A monk, to whom the translation of this book was committed, presented it some time after to the Emperor. The monarch examined the translation; at a certain chapter, however, he suddenly changed countenance, turned indignantly to the monk, and said: “Fool, what did I order thee to do? Is this a translation?” He then referred to the original and showed the poor monk a paragraph in which the author had spoken with great asperity of the Russians, but which had not been translated. “Go,” resumed the monarch, “and instantly carry out what I have bidden thee to do. It is not to (S. 19, N. 7) flatter my subjects that I have ordered this book to be translated, but (S. 6, N. 10) to instruct and reform them!”—ANONYMOUS.

Use the auxiliary verb of mood ‘+=lassen=+’ as a translation of ‘=to order=’, ‘=to command=’, and ‘=to cause=’, when these verbs are connected with the auxiliary ‘=to be=’ and the Past Participle of another verb; as—

The emperor ordered the ringleaders to be shot.

+Der Kaiser ~ließ~ die Anführer ~erschießen~.+

The admiral commanded the ships to be drawn up in order of battle.

+Der Admiral ~ließ~ die Schiffe in Schlachtordnung ~aufstellen~.+

He caused the money to be paid to me.

+Er ~ließ~ mir das Geld ~auszahlen~.+

Supply here the adverb +auch+.

+Puffendorfs Beiträge zur europäischen Staatenkunde.+

+an´vertrauen.+

+überrei´chen+; it = the same, which must agree with its antecedent ‘translation’.

after, +darauf+.

+prüfen.+