Anyone who has translated a text from one language to another knows that a word-for-word replacement won\u2019t do. This is one of the many exciting challenges of translation: using different strategies to communicate the meaning of a text from one language to another. The task of the translator is to fit the meaning of the text into the framework provided by the target language, taking into account the rules for syntax, different parts of speech, and punctuation, to give a few examples.<\/p>\n
One specific challenge for translators working from German into English has to do with the different uses of prepositions. The German language uses prepositional phrases more frequently and freely than in English and can place them in various parts of the sentence. English doesn\u2019t allow for the same amount of flexibility in word placement within a sentence and adheres largely to the subject + verb + object order. Because German often uses nominalization (anwenden \u2192 die Anwendung \/ to use \u2192 usage), where English tends to favor verbalization (put simply: German uses more nouns, and English uses more verbs), it is conventional in German to use prepositions to link a noun. These syntactic constructions seem incomplete and stilted when translated into English word-for-word, however. In English, a verb is needed to ensure the coherence and flow of the sentence. In this article we will discuss three strategies for translating prepositions in German-to-English translations: the addition of a past or present participle, and the use an infinitive.<\/p>\n
A participle is a verb form that acts as both a verb and an adjective or a noun in a sentence. When translating sentences like the ones below, we can add a past or present participle before the preposition as a logical link to the noun, so the sentence reads more clearly and idiomatically. This information is clearly implied in the German, but in order for the sentence to sound complete in English, it needs to be explicitly stated. Let\u2019s take a closer look at a few examples!<\/p>\n
Addition of the past participle<\/strong><\/p>\n Example 1, German: Die oben beschriebene Vorgangsweise gilt f\u00fcr s\u00e4mtliche Dokumentations-\/Review-T\u00e4tigkeiten in<\/strong>\u2026<\/p>\n Example 1, English: The procedure described above applies to all documentation\/review activities carried out<\/strong> in [the facility].<\/p>\n Example 2, German: Die Methoden bei<\/strong> fast jedem Fall sind im Gro\u00dfen und Ganzen die Gleichen.<\/p>\n Example 2, English: The methods employed<\/strong> in nearly every case are roughly the same.<\/p>\n Example 3, German: Unter Bezugnahme auf unser Schreiben vom<\/strong> 15. Dezember 2021\u2026<\/p>\n Example 3, English: With reference to our letter dated<\/strong> December 15, 2021\u2026<\/p>\n Example 4, German: Das deckt sich mit den Resultaten aus<\/strong> unserer letzten Mitarbeiterbefragung.<\/p>\n Example 4, English: This corroborates the results obtained<\/strong> from the last employee survey.<\/p>\n The past participle is used in the formation of the perfect tense, that is, something that is completed or has already happened. In the examples above we see that a past participle was added where the German relied solely on a preposition to link the noun to the rest of the sentence. If the participle were left out of these sentences, they would seem ambiguous and incomplete. Without the past participle \u201ccarried out\u201d in example 1, the sentence would read as follows: \u201cThe procedure described above applies to all documentation\/review activities in [the facility].\u201d This could work if the sentence were about a physical object that is located in the facility, but as it is, it refers to something that is happening in the facility, and so the participle \u201ccarried out\u201d functions to describe the activities, thus clarifying the meaning and completing the sentence. In example 3, we not only add a participle, but we actually omit the preposition altogether. To say \u201cWith reference to our letter dated from<\/strong> December 15, 2021\u201d would be ungrammatical, because the preposition \u201cfrom\u201d indicates the introduction of a range of dates, or introduces the sender, neither of which is the meaning here; and \u201c\u2026dated on<\/strong>\u2026\u201d unnecessarily shifts the emphasis of the sentence onto the date, implying that the action of writing or printing the date on the letter took place on December 15, 2021. This is incongruent with the meaning of the German, which includes the date almost as an aside. These examples highlight the need to use a verb as a logical link when translating these types of constructions from German to English. They demonstrate how a more literal translation into English can leave the reader with a sense that something is missing, and how adding a preposition can fill the gap in the meaning and provide coherence.<\/p>\n Another strategy is to add a present participle, which is a progressive verb tense used to describe something that is ongoing. Like past participles, present participles can be added in the English translation in order to round out the meaning of the sentence. Present participles are sometimes confused with gerunds. The key difference between these two parts of speech (which both end in -ing), is that a gerund functions as a noun<\/strong>, while a present participle functions as a verb or adjective<\/strong>. Gerunds, as a rule, also always come after the prepositions, whereas participles come before the prepositions. Below are a few examples of the use of present participles.<\/p>\n Addition of the present participle<\/strong><\/p>\n Example 1, German: Ein Reporter im<\/strong> Europadienst der BBC erl\u00e4uterte die besondere Bedeutung dieses Ereignisses.<\/p>\n Example 1, English: A reporter speaking<\/strong> on the BBC\u2019s European Service explained the significance of this event.<\/p>\n Example 2, German: Es gibt Fl\u00fcge nach<\/strong> allen Teilen der Welt.<\/p>\n Example 2, English: There are flights flying<\/strong> to all parts of the world.<\/p>\n Example 3, German: Mit<\/strong> der Entscheidung, sich selbst herauszufordern, identifizierte die Entrepreneurin spezifische Risiken, auf die sie sich eingehen sollte, welche zu ihrem pers\u00f6nlichen Wachstum f\u00fchren w\u00fcrden.<\/p>\n Example 3, English: Deciding<\/strong> to challenge herself, the entrepreneur identified specific risks she should take that would lead to personal growth.<\/p>\n Example 4, German: Es gibt zwar viele verschiedene Arten von K\u00e4se, von<\/strong> Brie bis zu Parmesan, aber die meisten von ihnen geh\u00f6ren doch zu zwei Gruppen: weich und hart.<\/p>\n Example 4, English: While there are many different types of cheeses, ranging<\/strong> from Brie to Parmesan, the majority falls under two categories: soft and hard.<\/p>\n In example 1, the present participle acts as an adjective by describing the reporter as the person currently doing the action. Without the participle \u201cspeaking\u201d in the English translation, the exact meaning is unclear; it sounds like perhaps the reporter works for the BBC\u2019s European Service, but not necessarily that the reporter is actively doing something. The addition of the present participle here clarifies that the reporter was speaking at the time that the statement was made. This addition makes the meaning more explicit and easier to comprehend, and the sentence flow smoothly. If we were to translate example 3 more literally as, \u201cWith the decision to challenge herself, the entrepreneur\u2026\u201d the sentence would not technically be incorrect, but such syntax is unconventional. The present participle \u201cdeciding\u201d creates a more idiomatic construction that also encapsulates the meaning that the decision made was not a one-time thing, but that it is something ongoing; the entrepreneur did not stop wanting to improve. The fourth example demonstrates again that some part of the meaning is lost in English without the addition of a present participle. The preposition \u201cfrom\u201d here is insufficient to indicate that what comes after it is a description of a variety of cheeses and would be better suited in a different context to prepare the reader for locational information, for example. But this sentence requires a present participle to explain that the two cheeses mentioned are not the only two that exist; rather, they are part of a larger range. We see in each of these examples how the present participle makes it clear to the reader that some action is ongoing; this element of the meaning would otherwise be vague.<\/p>\n Now that we have looked at the way participles can be used as a strategy when translating German prepositions, let\u2019s also consider how infinitives can be used as syntactic links in the same way.<\/p>\n Use of the infinitive<\/p>\n Example 1, German: Er sandte mir Muster zur<\/strong> Auswahl.<\/p>\n Example 1, English: He sent me patterns to choose from<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Example 2, German: Sie schauderte beim<\/strong> Gedanken daran.<\/p>\n Example 2, English: She shuddered to think of<\/strong> it.<\/p>\n Example 3, German: Die Bef\u00e4higung zu<\/strong> logischem Denken hat einen wesentlichen Einfluss auf das Lernverm\u00f6gen neuer Informationen und Erfahrungen.<\/p>\n Example 3, English: The ability to reason<\/strong> has a fundamental impact on the ability to learn from new information and experiences.<\/p>\n Example 4, German: Der Einsatz von Infiniten kann f\u00fcr<\/strong> die Sicherstellung der Koh\u00e4renz eines Textes ungemein n\u00fctzlich sein.<\/p>\n Example 4, English: Using infinitives can be immensely useful to ensure<\/strong> that the text is coherent.<\/p>\n Adding an infinitive in English can be another useful strategy for translating German prepositions. Again, the use of verbs in this way is much more common in English than the use of nouns, which is common in German. In some places, such as in example 1, the infinitive is used simply to ensure the sentence reads idiomatically. Saying, for example, \u201cHe sent me patterns for selection,\u201d sounds clunky, whereas \u201cHe sent me patterns to choose from\u201d sounds much more natural in English. Similarly, in example 2, the noun needs to be changed to a verb. Since the German has the word \u201cdaran\u201d at the end of the sentence, which refers back to something, we have to make some adjustments to the parts of speech in order to carry over the meaning. In English, it might be acceptable to say, \u201cShe shuddered at the thought,\u201d but \u201cShe shuddered at the thought of it<\/strong>\u201d is not nearly as idiomatic as \u201cShe shuddered to think of it.\u201d It is helpful to see the value of translating these types of sentences with infinitives by thinking about how it sounds to translate more literally. In other places, such as in example 3, using an infinitive not only makes the sentence sound better, it is also needed in order for the sentence to be correct. We see that we cannot translate this sentence literally and still maintain proper grammar. For example, \u201cThe ability to logical thought<\/strong>\u2026\u201d is incomplete, clunky, and ungrammatical; adding the infinitive \u201cto reason\u201d clarifies the meaning of the German.<\/p>\n While the strategies illustrated in this article do not constitute an exhaustive list, they do provide some beneficial options for handling challenges that German-to-English translators commonly face. The addition of a past or present participle and the use of an infinitive as syntactic links are strategies that are sometimes overlooked, but as we have seen in these examples, they can be immensely useful to ensure that the text is coherent and reads smoothly. Consciously analyzing these kinds of challenges from a linguistic perspective and internalizing the available solutions only adds to a translator\u2019s repertoire. There\u2019s always more to learn!<\/p>\n