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German to English translations [PRO] Marketing - Tourism & Travel / Visitor attractions in the Black Forest
German term or phrase:Mehrspartenhaus
This is from a description of the Three Countries Museum (?) - Dreiländermuseum - and the text says, Als Mehrspartenhaus verfügt das Dreiländermuseum über eine der umfangreichsten Sammlungen in Südbaden.
Explanation: This word doesn't translate easily, and I don't think we're doing it justice. Words like "versatile", "multipurpose" and "multidimensional" are too vague in my opinion.
I don't know what the text goes on to say, but assuming you have some creative leeway, I'd rewrite it to make it clear exactly what the museum houses, and put a translator's note explaining why.
I'd say something like:
"The Dreiländermuseum has one of the biggest and most eclectic collections in Südbaden, including objects as varied as coins, maps, and ceramics."
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 1 day 2 hrs (2018-01-03 17:45:19 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Thanks, Phil. I think this suggestion, which was also made by people in the discussion threads, is the best and I liked the way you worded your suggested translation. 4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer
One thing that may deserve a translator's note more than this question here is the name of the region. I don't know how you have translated it, but the people commenting on this question have given you three options thus far: Südbaden, South Baden and south of Baden.
Unless your audience consists of only WWII veterans, I am not sure a reference to Südbaden/South Baden is the best option in this context (the French translator seems to have chosen Lancashireman's option if I'm not mistaken).
E.g.: "Upon founding in 1949, West Germany had eleven states. These were reduced to nine in 1952 when three south-western states (South Baden, Württemberg-Hohenzollern and Württemberg-Baden) merged to form Baden-Württemberg." http://familypedia.wikia.com/wiki/States_of_Germany
Considering the referendum to merge these states was roundly rejected in South Baden, keeping the name may be a source of pride for people in the region. But I'm sure it's going to confuse the heck out of foreign visitors. I only saw an indirect reference to the confines of the region somewhere on the website ("Region zwischen Breisgau und Bodensee"); no clear explanation, though.
What did you think about "diverse," as suggested further below?
"The Museum’s permanent collection amounts to some 8 million works, a mere fraction of which can be displayed at once, showcasing a diverse range of human history and culture." http://www.whitelight.ltd.uk/venues/british-museum-events/
Thanks for all these replies. I think versatile means adaptable or multi-skilled in relation to a person or tool rather than a museum so I like Brigitte's suggestion of "covering many subjects," or I would say topics.
Thanks for all these suggestions and sorry for the delay in replying. I am still working on this 10,000-word translation. I think i am going to have to be creative in rewriting it.
I would definitely rewrite it along the lines of: The Drei-Länder-Museum houses one of the most extensive collections in South Baden, with an impressive array of (diverse) items on display.
http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showpdf.php?id=20349 Schaffhauser Museum ist, ungewöhnlich für die Gründung im Jahr 1938, ein Mehrspartenhaus. Es führt unter seinem Dach die unterschiedlichsten Objekte zusammen – ausgestopfte Tiere, Waffen, archäologische Funde, Gemälde, religiöse Kultobjekte und stadt- und regionalhistorische Überreste. Die verschiedenen Abteilungen und wissenschaftlichen Schwerpunkte bilden keine in sich geschlossene Einheit, eher ist die Diversität der versammelten Objekte und Wissensbestände das auffällige Merkmal dieses Museums.
Exactly. Straight from the horse's mouth [emphasis mine]: "Neben den Schwerpunkten Regional- und Dreiländergeschichte, südbadische Kunst und Kunstkeramik ist das Museum auch literarische Gedenkstätte zu Johann Peter Hebel." https://www.dreilaendermuseum.eu/de/Sammlung
I believe "Sparte" means "Schwerpunkte" here. As Phil rightly pointed out, these aren't genres. The "Mehrsparten" is not a direct reference to the collection. What they want to say in German is that for the curators to be able to offer a "[diverse] range of exhibitions (maybe that's an option too)," the museum needs to have a big collection. Admittedly, the causal link seems a bit strained. Just think of Tate's big collection, which doesn't include archaeological finds.
or this? https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/NMB_Neues_Museum_Biel Anfänglich war das Museum Schwab ein Mehrspartenhaus, das neben Archäologie auch Kunst, historische Objekte und naturwissenschaftliche Präparate zeigte. Nach einer Reorganisation und einem Umbau wurde es 1947 als reines Archäologiemuseum wieder eröffnet.
Another compare-and-contrast: http://europe-museum-project.andreasschlothauer.com/blog.htm... Das Museum ist ein Mehrspartenhaus mit rund 70.000 Objekten, außer der ethnografischen Sammlung (ca. 20.000 Stücke) gibt es Bestände zur Stadt- und Kantonsgeschichte. The museum's 70,000 artifacts are a combination of the ethnographic collections (comprising approx. 20,000 pieces) with the municipal and cantonal collections.
http://www.cms.residenzschloss-altenburg.de/index.php/collec... The castle museum and the museum of playing cards almost classical represent the combination type within a larger and regional positioned museum – a „Mehrspartenhaus” (more divisional house). It is a town- and cultural historical museum with a dominant of arts and crafts. The playing cards are one of special collection.
BTW, I'm not sure how the jacket really "adapts" either. The only thing that is possibly more strange than this here is the response to Stephen's other question, where the "low-hanging roof" of a jungle house and the "low-lying roof" of a building on a ranch are considered valid alternatives to the kind of steep hip roof that he asked about.
PS "You could say 'displays'..."
Yes, it's 2018, but this is still called "elegant variation." I liked you better as the Wordcutter-in-Chief. In any case: Happy New Year!
PS2 To be fair, I agree with your other neutral comment.
https://www.dreilaendermuseum.eu/de/Das-Museum/Dreiländermus... (DE) Als Mehrspartenhaus verfügt das Dreiländermuseum über eine der umfangreichsten Sammlungen in Südbaden. (FR) La collection du musée est l’une des plus riches dans le sud de Bade. -> The museum's collection is one of the richest in the south of Baden.
Explanation: This refers to a theatre that is used for various forms of entertainment, as per the Wiki entry quoted above. So "Multi-purpose venue" or "Multi-purpose theatre" would be a form of description without making a long-winded sentence.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 1 hr (2018-01-02 16:51:46 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
As pointed out below, this is a museum, not a theatre. So "multi-purpose venue" or "multi-purpose museum" is obviously more appropriate.
Sarah Lewis-Morgan Germany Local time: 02:55 Specializes in field Native speaker of: English
3 hrs confidence: peer agreement (net): +1
institution with a variety of collections and exibitions
Explanation: "Mehrspartenhaus" kann sich auf mehrere "Fachgebiete, Disziplinen, besonders der Wissenschaft, Kunst" oder "(thematische) Gruppen, Abteilungen innerhalb einer Organisation, Institution" beziehen. [https://www.dwds.de/wb/Sparte,https://www.dwds.de/r?q=Sparten&h=1]
