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  3. Poetry & Literature

sich vergegenwärtigen

English translation: shed/cast light on

16:59 Jun 15, 2019
German to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / Nachwort
German term or phrase: sich vergegenwärtigen
Machen wir daraus unsere Leitfrage, um uns diese Novelle zu vergegenwärtigen
Tariq Khader
United Kingdom
Local time: 19:18
English translation:shed/cast light on
Explanation:
"Let's make this our main enquiry to shed light on this novella"

You have to translate the whole sentence. Otherwise, you won't know whether your translation of 'vergegenwärtigen' is any good.

Compare with this:
If we could discover the full significance that this figure had for Shakespeare, it would illuminate nearly all his work; because very fewplays are without it. So it seems worth while to try to lift a corner of the curtain, and I propose to make this our main enquiry.
http://docplayer.net/37711826-Shakespeare-and-the-rose-of-lo...
Selected response from:

Michael Martin, MA
United States
Local time: 14:18
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4shed/cast light on
Michael Martin, MA
4get one's head around
Andrew Bramhall
3 +1connect to
Bernhard Sulzer
3for us to make any existential sense of this novella
Adrian MM.
2conceptualize
Wendy Streitparth
1by bringing it to mind / by envisioning it
andres-larsen
Summary of reference entries provided
some German synonymes
Ines R.

Discussion entries: 4





  

Answers


35 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 1/5Answerer confidence 1/5
by bringing it to mind / by envisioning it


Explanation:
Let us make this our guiding question by bringing this novel to mind / by envisioning this novel

(preferably the former)

sources:

vergegenwärtigen | Übersetzung Englisch-Deutsch - dict.cc
https://www.dict.cc/?s=vergegenwärtigen
dict.cc | Übersetzungen für 'vergegenwärtigen' im Englisch-Deutsch-Wörterbuch, mit echten Sprachaufnahmen, Illustrationen, Beugungsformen, ...

sich etwas vergegenwärtigen | Übersetzung Englisch-Deutsch - dict.cc
https://www.dict.cc/?s=sich etwas vergegenwärtigen
dict.cc | Übersetzungen für 'sich etwas vergegenwärtigen' im Englisch-Deutsch-Wörterbuch, mit echten Sprachaufnahmen, Illustrationen, Beugungsformen, ...



andres-larsen
Venezuela
Local time: 14:18
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Eleanore Strauss
7 hrs
disagree  Bernhard Sulzer: I am sure they are already aware of the novella/story; your construction would be "circular"
22 hrs
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
shed/cast light on


Explanation:
"Let's make this our main enquiry to shed light on this novella"

You have to translate the whole sentence. Otherwise, you won't know whether your translation of 'vergegenwärtigen' is any good.

Compare with this:
If we could discover the full significance that this figure had for Shakespeare, it would illuminate nearly all his work; because very fewplays are without it. So it seems worth while to try to lift a corner of the curtain, and I propose to make this our main enquiry.
http://docplayer.net/37711826-Shakespeare-and-the-rose-of-lo...

Michael Martin, MA
United States
Local time: 14:18
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 43
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

12 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
conceptualize


Explanation:
Low, because as everybody says, we need more information.

Wendy Streitparth
Germany
Local time: 20:18
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 8
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22 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
get one's head around


Explanation:
We'll come up with our own key questions in order to get our heads around the novella;

Andrew Bramhall
United Kingdom
Local time: 19:18
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
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6 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
connect to


Explanation:
so we can connect (it) / stay connected to the novella

depends on the larger context - is this to make sure the novella is being thought of/kept in mind in the sense that it will stay connected to a project /accompany a project with that main/key question - that's what it sounds like n

have it present in our minds
to keep it close



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 23 hrs (2019-06-16 16:00:39 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

It sounds more like they "want to better understand" Kafka's reason for not wanting to have the insect drawn. Or "to see (it) clearly" ... in the overall context/or in today's environment/the context of today.

Bernhard Sulzer
United States
Local time: 14:18
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: German
PRO pts in category: 55

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Anne Schulz
9 mins
  -> Danke, Anne!
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1 day 49 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
um uns diese Novelle zu vergegenwärtigen
for us to make any existential sense of this novella


Explanation:
I'm unsure of the use of the personal pronoun here: 'uns' > it's either 'sich (dative) .... vergegenwärtigen' used reflexively and intransitively or 'uns (dative) ... vergegenwärtigen' used transitively e.g. to bring it home to us.

The preceding clause of 'Machen wir daraus unsere Leitfrage..' does make the former interpretation likelier.

Example sentence(s):
  • Warum wehrt sich Kafka so gegen eine solche Illustration? Warum kann "das Insekt" nicht gezeichnet werden?

    Reference: http://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/vergegenwaertigen
Adrian MM.
Austria
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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Reference comments


4 mins peer agreement (net): +3
Reference: some German synonymes

Reference information:
sich etwas klarmachen, deutlich ins Bewusstsein, in Erinnerung rufen

Ines R.
Spain
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman

Peer comments on this reference comment (and responses from the reference poster)
agree  Kim Metzger
1 hr
  -> vielen Dank Kim
agree  Björn Vrooman: Most of all, it's a pretty abstract noun, so without any further context, finding a suitable translation is a bit of a futile effort.
1 hr
  -> thank you Björn, yes true
agree  Ramey Rieger (X)
1 day 12 hrs
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