Glossary entry (derived from question below)
German term or phrase:
Wertgefühle
English translation:
perceptions/concepts of value
Added to glossary by
British Diana
Jun 11, 2010 14:27
13 yrs ago
German term
Germany
enthusiast
Native in: English (Variant: British) 
Works in: German to English, English to German, English, and 1 more.
Wertgefühle
German to English
Art/Literary
Philosophy
ethics
I have been asked to help somebody translate the term ‘Wertgefühle’ into English. The full sentence in the text (which I don't know any more about, unfortunately) reads: „In der Einmaligkeit, der Unvergleichlichkeit des Gegenstandes wurzeln alle unsere Wertgefühle.“
She has rendered it as „The singularity, the incomparability of an object constitute the roots of all our felt values.”
The editors don’t think that ‘felt values’ is adequate. It is of course an inversion, but the literal ‘value feelings’ also sounds somehow wrong. What is meant is sth like ‘the appreciation of objects based on intuition’.
Sorry not to have any more context, but perhaps someone can put us on the right track?
Thanks a lot for your ideas, especially if you can spare a few minutes during the weekend..
She has rendered it as „The singularity, the incomparability of an object constitute the roots of all our felt values.”
The editors don’t think that ‘felt values’ is adequate. It is of course an inversion, but the literal ‘value feelings’ also sounds somehow wrong. What is meant is sth like ‘the appreciation of objects based on intuition’.
Sorry not to have any more context, but perhaps someone can put us on the right track?
Thanks a lot for your ideas, especially if you can spare a few minutes during the weekend..
Proposed translations
(English)
| 4 +6 | perceptions/concepts of value |
David Williams
|
| 3 | turn it around |
mill2
|
| 3 | feelings about the value of an object |
Bernhard Sulzer
|
Proposed translations
+6
15 mins
David Williams
Germany
Germany
Native in English
Germany
Scientific & technical expertise
Native in: English (Variant: British)
Works in: German to English
Related KudoZ points
:
4
Selected
perceptions/concepts of value
I'd say perceptions or concepts of value, although it will depend on the borader context, of course.
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Note added at 2 days15 hrs (2010-06-14 05:55:14 GMT) Post-grading
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Many thanks, Diana!
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Note added at 2 days15 hrs (2010-06-14 05:55:14 GMT) Post-grading
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Many thanks, Diana!
Example sentence:
Perceptions of value and value beyond perceptions.
Concepts of Value In the contemplation of values we must distinguish between that which is value in our being and that which HAS value. ...
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Rolf Keiser
16 mins
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Thanks!
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| agree |
philgoddard
: Or perceived values.
19 mins
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Many thanks!
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| agree |
CArcher
45 mins
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Thanks!
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| agree |
Vera H.
: with philgoddard, or "sense" of values
1 hr
|
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Thank you!
|
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| agree |
Melanie Meyer
: with philgoddard
2 hrs
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Thanks!
|
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| agree |
Thayenga
2 hrs
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Thanks!
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "To be quite honest, the philosophical discussion this term has sparked is way over my head. So I will go with the six Agrees and choose David's suggestion perhaps as modified by some of his Agreers. Will pass the entire discussion on to my acquaintance and encourage her to join Pro.com. herself.
The amount of massed expertise available on this site from really brilliant translators is absolutely unique.
Thanks to everyone who has contributed so splendidly here!"
21 hrs
turn it around
We value something because we perceive it to be unique and incomparable
(or something along those lines)
(or something along those lines)
Note from asker:
| Dear mill, personally I am all for this type of paraphrase, but I had to go with the majority, (see above). Thanks for your contribution! |
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
David Williams
: That wouldn't really work as a translation of Wertgefühle though, or let alone of the sentence given above. That would change the meaning entirely.
1 day 18 hrs
|
|
Why not? It renders the meaning of the German sentence better than the literal translations proposed// how so?
|
9 hrs
Bernhard Sulzer
United States
United States
Native in German
Works in field
United States
High quality at a reasonable price
Native in: German
Works in: English to German, German to English, German, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
24
feelings about the value of an object
To me, it means the personal feelings we have/establish towards an exciting object. It's based on our subjective perception/experience.
I also thought of "valuations" but it doesn't convey the "Gefühle" part quite right but it's a possibility.
how to say this shorter?
well, maybe: value feelings
as it is used here:
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/meinong/
Meinong's early theory of value (1894; 1895) can be dubbed a subjectivist theory insofar as Meinong holds the thesis that there are values because of our value attitudes [Werthaltungen], and not that we would value things because they have value. Value attitudes are value-feelings; they are neither judgments about one's value-feelings nor judgments about the values of objects. A value-feeling is an emotional response to believed states of affairs and presupposes, therefore, judgments and representations (ideas) of the intended objects as so-called “psychological presuppositions” (1894, §11).
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Note added at 9 hrs (2010-06-12 00:26:18 GMT)
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also from the above link:
Despite the fact that emotions play the crucial role in Meinong's value theory, values are not just a matter of consciousness, not a complex of emotions only, but value experiences (value-feelings [Wertgefühle]) are explanatorily prior to values. Although values are neither purely mental nor physical things or occurrences, it is an empirical fact that there are values, and value questions are factual questions; “hence ethics is an empirical science” (1894, §56, 170, §70, 225).
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Note added at 1 day1 hr (2010-06-12 15:29:00 GMT)
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I did consider perceptions of value or perceived values but it could be interpreted differently, not as a feeling we have or establish about the value of an object (based on personal attitudes, experiences, our personal perceptive 'powers' and our personal history/experience of feelings) but as the (personal) perception of an existing value the object has.
But you can say that any value an object has only exists because somebody assigned that value first. But maybe there is a difference between a commonly perceived value and our own personal feelings about that value or that object....
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Note added at 1 day1 hr (2010-06-12 16:07:42 GMT)
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...although in the context above it is the uniqueness of that object as it is perceived by the viewer on which these feelings are based.
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Note added at 1 day8 hrs (2010-06-12 23:18:24 GMT)
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corr:...perceptions of values (plural); perceptions of value wouldn't work at all since it could mean valuable perceptions.
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Note added at 1 day9 hrs (2010-06-12 23:36:53 GMT)
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..let me rather say perceptions of value has other meanings, not that it wouldn't work at all...; of course, in this particular context, it can mean perception of a particular value/of particular values. But as I wrote above, it would not be my choice. Just my thoughts.
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Note added at 4 days (2010-06-15 14:38:55 GMT) Post-grading
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Thank you, Diana!
I also thought of "valuations" but it doesn't convey the "Gefühle" part quite right but it's a possibility.
how to say this shorter?
well, maybe: value feelings
as it is used here:
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/meinong/
Meinong's early theory of value (1894; 1895) can be dubbed a subjectivist theory insofar as Meinong holds the thesis that there are values because of our value attitudes [Werthaltungen], and not that we would value things because they have value. Value attitudes are value-feelings; they are neither judgments about one's value-feelings nor judgments about the values of objects. A value-feeling is an emotional response to believed states of affairs and presupposes, therefore, judgments and representations (ideas) of the intended objects as so-called “psychological presuppositions” (1894, §11).
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 9 hrs (2010-06-12 00:26:18 GMT)
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also from the above link:
Despite the fact that emotions play the crucial role in Meinong's value theory, values are not just a matter of consciousness, not a complex of emotions only, but value experiences (value-feelings [Wertgefühle]) are explanatorily prior to values. Although values are neither purely mental nor physical things or occurrences, it is an empirical fact that there are values, and value questions are factual questions; “hence ethics is an empirical science” (1894, §56, 170, §70, 225).
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Note added at 1 day1 hr (2010-06-12 15:29:00 GMT)
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I did consider perceptions of value or perceived values but it could be interpreted differently, not as a feeling we have or establish about the value of an object (based on personal attitudes, experiences, our personal perceptive 'powers' and our personal history/experience of feelings) but as the (personal) perception of an existing value the object has.
But you can say that any value an object has only exists because somebody assigned that value first. But maybe there is a difference between a commonly perceived value and our own personal feelings about that value or that object....
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day1 hr (2010-06-12 16:07:42 GMT)
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...although in the context above it is the uniqueness of that object as it is perceived by the viewer on which these feelings are based.
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Note added at 1 day8 hrs (2010-06-12 23:18:24 GMT)
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corr:...perceptions of values (plural); perceptions of value wouldn't work at all since it could mean valuable perceptions.
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Note added at 1 day9 hrs (2010-06-12 23:36:53 GMT)
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..let me rather say perceptions of value has other meanings, not that it wouldn't work at all...; of course, in this particular context, it can mean perception of a particular value/of particular values. But as I wrote above, it would not be my choice. Just my thoughts.
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Note added at 4 days (2010-06-15 14:38:55 GMT) Post-grading
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Thank you, Diana!
Note from asker:
| Dear Bernhard, Thank you so much for your detailed explanation. The very fact that you kept adding to your original idea shows that you have been thinking about the topic for a considerable amount of time and delving more deeply into it. This is humbling for me as unfortunately I cannot do your thoughts justice (as I say I am out of my depth with this discussion), nor am I in a position to decide against the 6 Agrees in your favour. I am passing the whole term on to my acquaintance and she will of course read everything and make the final decision as to which term to use. |
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
David Williams
: I think this COULD apply in the right context, but only in that specific context.
2 days 5 hrs
|
Discussion
Dem gegenüber muss daran festgehalten werden, dass sich alles Interesse und Beurteilen, alle Wertbestimmung des Menschen auf das Einzelne und das Einmalige bezieht. Bedenken wir nur wie schnell sich unser Gefühl abstumpft, sobald sich sein Gegenstand vervielfältigt oder als ein Fall unter tausend gleichartigen erweist. «Sie ist die erste nicht» - heisst es an einer der grausamsten Stellen des Faust. In der Einmaligkeit, der Unvergleichlichkeit des Gegenstandes wurzeln alle unsere Wertgefühle.
In other words, a "Gegenstand" here is indeed the object of feeling.
The question remains whether Wertgefühl is subjective ( = "sense of dignity") or objective ("perceived value" of something). Here I tend toward the latter. To reinforce this, I'd say look again at the last part of that first sentence:
"...dass sich alles Interesse und Beurteilen, alle Wertbestimmung des Menschen auf das Einzelne und das Einmalige bezieht". In other words, the focus is on something *outside* (Gegenstand) the person doing the feeling (the subject).
http://shortify.com/10387