German

All presentations are in English unless otherwise noted.

G-1 (T, 1:45pm-3:15pm) - All Levels
German Language Division Annual Meeting
Christiane Bohnert (St. Louis, Missouri), freelance translator and editor, ATA German Language Division newsletter (Interaktiv); Michael Magee (Austin, Texas), assistant administrator, ATA German Language Division; Michael Metzger (San Francisco, California), webmaster, ATA German Language Division; Dorothee Racette (Saranac, New York), administrator, ATA German Language Division, and chair, ATA Divisions Committee; and Manfred Winter (Vancouver, Canada), co-editor, ATA German Language Division newsletter (Interaktiv)

G-2 (T, 3:30pm-4:15pm) - All Levels
What to Do About Denglish: Should Translators Worry About the Invasion of English Words into German?
Dana Loewy (Fullerton, California), freelance translator, interpreter, brand-name consultant, and instructor, California State University, Fullerton
Presenting Language: English, with German and Denglish examples

While the absorption of foreign lexical material has historically been enriching and beneficial to most languages, the prevalence of "Denglish" in present-day German life has reached crisis proportions, and many linguists are crying foul. Aside from shutting out large portions of the population who are not functionally literate in English, the increasing and pervasive use of English phrases in everyday German life poses many challenges to a translator. Free from jingoistic intent, this presentation/workshop seeks to explore the translation problems arising from the hybridization of a dynamic modern language. Participation and examples furnished by participants are greatly encouraged.

G-3 (F, 10:15am-11:45am) - Intermediate
Workshop: Translation of Personal Documents into German
Elke Limberger-Katsumi (Pacific Grove, California), freelance translator, conference/court interpreter

This workshop is intended as a hands-on exercise for the translation (into German) of personal documents (birth certificates, diplomas, divorce degrees, etc.), and will focus on how to deal with the format and content of these texts. Participants will be looking at a selection of specimens for each type of document, and are encouraged to bring their laptops and any examples they may wish to discuss.

G-4 (F, 1:45pm-3:15pm) - All Levels
Aus dem Nähkästchen der Überredungskünstler: Translation as the Art of Persuasion
Christiane Nord (Magdeburg, Germany), professor of translation science and professional communication, Spanish Department, Magdeburg Stendal
Presenting Language: German

To persuade means to convince people by talking them into doing something they did not originally intend to do. This type of influencing is primarily found in product promotion and politics. A small body of German, British, and Spanish promotional texts will be used to show indirect speech activities in persuasive texts that are intended to convince certain target groups of the necessity to buy a product or utilize a service. In addition, the qualitative and quantitative differences between these speech activities in the three cultures being examined (Germany, Great Britain, and Spain) will be analyzed. This analysis is associated with a project on "contrastive style issues" in Spanish and German (Kommunikativ Handeln auf Spanisch und Deutsch, Wilhelmsfeld: Gottfried Egert Verlag, in print). Contrary to contrastive grammar, which is occupied with the comparison of language systems, contrastive style research, or rhetoric, analyzes differences in communicative activities: Which language forms are used with what frequency in which communicative situation (i.e., in which function) in the two cultures? Such contrastive rhetoric not only belongs in the "toolkit," but is also part of the basic knowledge a professional translator must have.

G-5 (F, 3:30pm-4:15pm) - All Levels
Euro Proficiency for German®English Translators
Ingrid Haussteiner (Vienna, Austria), in-house translator and language technology specialist, Austrian Central Bank
Presenting Language: German

This presentation will provide an introduction into the fundamentals of the Economic and Monetary Union, the workings of the European System of Central Banks, the Eurosystem, and the euro, the sole legal tender in the 12 euro area countries as of March 2002. The main focus of this session will be placed on linguistic, terminological, and translation issues (German®English). The audience will gain insight into central banking terminology and learn why "euro area" is preferable to "euro zone" or "Euroland," etc. An Austrian native, the presenter will point out differences between German and Austrian German variants, and explain how Austrian and German Central Bank translators cooperate in the translation of documents of the European Central Bank into German.

[CANCELED] G-6 (F, 4:15pm-5:00pm) - All Levels
Complaints and Contracts in Translation from English into German
Christiane Bohnert (St. Louis, Missouri), freelance translator and editor, ATA German Language Division newsletter (Interaktiv)
Presenting Language: German

Since U.S. courts have the right to object to complaints because of vagueness and to interpret contracts, such documents must be extremely detailed. Every legal translator has encountered many words that stand for the same thing in U.S. complaints and contracts. In German, this may lead to ridiculous wordings, or to the translator not being able to find enough equivalents, especially if she or he bows to the often-heard request that legal matter be translated "literally." However, since German law is codified, such caution is inappropriate in the legal context of the recipient. The presentation will analyze this translation dilemma and provide specific examples.

G-7 (S, 9:15am-10:00am) - All Levels
Understanding the Recent Substantial Revisions to the German Law of Obligations
Michael P. Van Alstine (Baltimore, Maryland), professor of law, University of Maryland School of Law

This presentation discusses the recent substantial revisions to the German Civil Code in the area of obligational relationships. January 1, 2002, marked the entry into effect of the first major overhaul of the German law of obligations since 1962. The principal goals of the Gesetz zur Modernisierung des Schuldrechts were to modernize and simplify the law, as well as to introduce certain protections for consumers. The speaker will examine the background and meaning of these substantial changes in German law. In particular, his presentation will focus on the "translation" of the new legal concepts from the German legal system into the legal and cultural framework in the United States. The presentation will also review the difficult terminological issues that may arise in an analysis of the new German "Statute for the Modernization of the Law of Obligations."

G-8 (S, 10:15am-11:45am) - All Levels
Translating German Legalese: Contract Law and Related Aspects of the Law of Obligations
Lois Feuerle (Portland, Oregon), certified court interpreter manager, Oregon Judicial Department; and Joe McClinton (Petaluma, California), German®English translation instructor, Monterey Institute of International Studies

The recent reform of the German Schuldrecht (discussed in detail in another session) offers a timely opportunity to examine German contracts and the rather extensive differences in assumptions behind German and U.S. contractual relationships. The presenters will discuss the general structure and terminology of German contracts, with a particular emphasis on practical strategies and common pitfalls in translating contracts into English.

G-9 (S, 1:45pm-3:15pm) - Beginner
Style Issues in English®German Translation
Dorothee Racette (Saranac, New York), administrator, ATA German Language Division, and freelance German«English translator

Many translations, even though they are correct in their use of terminology, do not flow well and sound "translated." This workshop is intended for relative newcomers to English®German translation, who are proficient in both languages but wonder how to make their product sound smoother and more elegant. The presenter will bring samples of actual translations, and discuss the style choices made by the translator. Participants are encouraged to bring texts of their own for questions and group discussion.

G-10 (S, 3:30pm-5:00pm) - All Levels
Transcription and Translation of Swiss Genealogical and Immigration Sources
Theodor Langenbruch (Richmond, Kentucky), professor of German and Latin, Eastern Kentucky University

This presentation grew out of the transcription of an extensive genealogy of the Zwyssig family from the Canton Schwyz in Switzerland, and the translation of miscellaneous documents of Swiss immigrants in Kentucky's New Bernstedt. Topics range from spelling variations and abbreviations of first names to terminology and tools of genealogical research.

(Related Sessions: Preconference Seminars (Seminar H), Translating as a Purposeful Activity; Preconference Seminars (Seminar K), Practicum in German Patent Translation; Medical Translation and Interpreting (MED-1), EnglishÖGerman Medical Translation; Science and Technology (ST-3), Patents in the Early 21st Century; Social Sciences (SOC-2), Translating Demographic Surveys; and Terminology (TERM-2), Firearms Terminology in English, French, Spanish, and German)