German term
Spannungsverhältnis
I see there was already an entry for this word, but it is a different context. Linguee.com offers tension, but I don't think that fits either. Would just relationship work?
| 4 +2 | examines the tension between.. |
Michael Martin, MA
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| 4 | disjuncture |
Lancashireman
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| 3 | tense dynamic |
Herbmione Granger
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| Spannungsfeld |
Steffen Walter
|
Oct 12, 2017 19:28: Murad AWAD changed "Field" from "Other" to "Social Sciences" , "Field (write-in)" from "abstract" to "(none)"
Oct 12, 2017 21:39: philgoddard changed "Level" from "PRO" to "Non-PRO"
PRO (3): Steffen Walter, Björn Vrooman, Herbmione Granger
Non-PRO (3): writeaway, Susan Welsh, philgoddard
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Proposed translations
United States
Creativity wins in the long run
Native in: German (Variant: Germany) 
, English (Variant: US)
Works in: German to English
examines the tension between..
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Note added at 27 mins (2017-10-12 16:25:01 GMT)
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Here's a working translation of your sentence. See for yourself whether that makes sense:
"Among several things, what is being examined here is the tension between autocratic rule exalted in historiography and the exercise of power rooted in the bonds between the elites."
| Ok. That's what I had while I was waiting for responses to this, so I'll stick with that. Thanks for the vote of confidence :) |
| Thanks @Michael! I really like the exalted in historiography, I was having issues formulating that part well too. |
United Kingdom
disjuncture
This strained relationship is not so much one of tension but rather of disconnect or disjuncture, i.e. the two versions of reality are at odds with each other.
Germany
An American scholar based in Germany
Native in: English (Variant: US)
Works in: French to English, German to English, English
tense dynamic
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2017/08/in_lakewood_a_tense...
In Lakewood, a tense dynamic between Orthodox employers and Hispanic workers
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Note added at 17 hrs (2017-10-13 09:19:45 GMT)
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Less idiomatic but longer would be "sensitive and emotionally charged relationship": https://www.thebalance.com/what-is-a-stress-interview-206210...
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Note added at 18 hrs (2017-10-13 10:47:56 GMT)
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However, the relata in your relation (if you want to call it that) are not people. "Dynamic" by itself might work. It's not really the same as "relationship."
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/dynamic
1. An interactive system or process, especially one involving competing or conflicting forces: "The traditional nineteenth-century dynamic between the sexes had begun to erode" (Jean Zimmerman).
http://www.baggagereclaim.co.uk/do-you-understand-the-dynami... (not great reference but illustrates dynamic well)
One person in the relationship doesn’t create the dynamic; you both do.
Reference comments
Germany
Top-Notch Service | Direct Clients Only
Native in: German (Variant: Germany) 
Works in: English to German, German to English, French to German, and 1 more.
Spannungsfeld
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Note added at 17 hrs (2017-10-13 09:34:45 GMT)
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... such as https://www.proz.com/kudoz/german_to_english/architecture/33...
| agree |
Björn Vrooman
: Thanks for the link, which is better than mine posted in the d-box. // OK, I regret upvoting this. I thought we could discuss it before going for a literal translation, but oh well.
12 hrs
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| agree |
Herbmione Granger
: It's clear from your reference that the translation of this term needs to be adapted to the situation.
4 days
|
Discussion
http://www.imdb.com/list/ls079055096/
Enjoy your evening!
I'm contemplating "dialectic," suggested by Björn https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialectical_materialism
https://www.proz.com/kudoz/german_to_english/philosophy/6391...
http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Antinomy
An expression in law and logic to indicate that two authorities, laws, or propositions are inconsistent with each other.
See: inconsistency, opposition, paradox
ANTINOMY. A term used in the civil law to signify the real or apparent contradiction between two laws or two decisions. Merl. Repert. h.t. Vide Conflict of Laws.
A deliberate/non-literal translation of Spannungsverhältnis is "contrariness."
http://orgprints.org/9548/
Regionalvermarktung und Bio-Produkte: Spannungsverhältnis oder sinnvolle Ergänzung? [Regional marketing and organic products: Contrariness or reasonable completion?]
https://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/contrariness
See: antipode, conflict, contradiction, contradictory, difference, disaccord, disagreement, discordant, hostile, impugnation, incongruity, lawless, opposite
More context, or at least the sentence following this one, would be helpful.
"Historiographie bezeichnet die schriftliche Darstellung historischer Ereignisse, die entweder vor der Herausbildung der modernen Geschichtswissenschaft im 19. Jahrhundert entstanden sind oder den Kriterien der Wissenschaftlichkeit nicht genügen."
https://de.wikisource.org/wiki/Historiographie
It's not quite the same as in EN:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/historiography
But I don't see anything wrong with "historical writing." Take Britannica, for example:
"The slightest familiarity with historical writing shows that historians believe that they are explaining past events."
https://www.britannica.com/topic/historiography/Methodology-...
In essence, it's simpler in German. I'm not saying a sociological meaning is used; I'm saying the author--as happens quite often--is tripping over his own words.
Unless there's something I'm missing, I have to assume that this sentence is stylistically awkward; not sure he's contrasting the glorification of autocrats with the rule of oligarchs, if you know what I mean. But I can't tell from the snippet.
But yes, dynamic seems apt.
Best
"it isn't clear to me what is actually being related"
That's the trouble with this word. I can't really make out what he wants to say here either.
Side note (just my 2 cents):
While "historiography" is OK, it seems to have only one meaning in German and two in English; I'd suggest a simple "historical writing."
Second, "exalted" is ambivalent, IMO (take a look at your Bible at home); I'd prefer "extol" or much clearer: "glorified." Why don't you just call it what it is. He says "überhöht."
Based on the ENS books I read in university (sociology), I'm not very comfortable with a 1:1 translation, which may sound overly complicated.
Best
"1066 was when English monarchy acquired absolute power, but only as the start of a mighty struggle between Norman autocracy and a Saxon tradition of territorial self-rule."
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/sep/25/great-english-...
"During the Cold War, it was easy to forget that the struggle between liberalism and autocracy has endured since the Enlightenment. "
https://newrepublic.com/article/60801/the-end-the-end-histor...
But I can see how this might not be the best choice, I was thinking of this NY Times article:
"Well-established oligarchic republics have scarcely ever made war on one another. [...] For example, in Germany more than seventy autonomous Hanseatic city-republics maintained absolute peace among themselves for three and a half centuries, even as they battled every neighboring autocrat."
http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/w/weart-war.html
Interesting read. Less "florid," but I think OK would be "competing/competition." I wouldn't say "vying for attention" because they were the dominant forms of government; that may sound odd.
The relation between the idea of autocratic rule and that of rule by the elites is the relation between two sides of a prism. They aren't fighting each other. They could be fighting each other for space.
Let's say that the two ideologies are two voices speaking at the same time. The "volume ratio" might be of interest. Maybe they are "vying for attention."
We also are dealing with the theoretical (historiographically inflated) vs. actual (Herrschaftspraxis), so it isn't clear to me what is actually being related. In any case, the suggestions above would work.
"The fierce struggle between autocratic tyranny and oligarchic disorder, which went on in intermittent fashion during the whole of his reign, cannot be here described in detail, but the chief incidents may be mentioned."
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page:EB1911_-_Volume_23.djvu/...
Similarly:
"Historians have interpreted the internal conflicts of this period as a struggle between democracy and oligarchy"
http://users.trytel.com/tristan/towns/norwich6.html
"Two central points of debate are examined: the struggle between centralized socialism and free-market capitalism [...]"
https://www.history.ac.uk/ihr/Focus/Migration/books.html
"The struggle between individual rights and the good of the community as a whole has been the basis of"
https://www.amazon.com/American-Character-History-Struggle-I...
Correction [1st post]:
"There will always be some tension between the desire to reduce risk and the desire to make as much money as possible."
Ex. from http://www.learnersdictionary.com/definition/tension
Does work for "Spannungsverhältnis von Opportunismus und Effektivität"; I don't like it here for some reason.
Demokratie Und Liberalismus. Spannungsverhaltnis Oder Harmonie? https://www.amazon.com/Demokratie-Liberalismus-Spannungsverh...
What is counterpoint? (piano) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RALzK_w6XVQ
How to play counterpoint (guitar) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31pHidEBdk4
https://dict.leo.org/englisch-deutsch/Spannungsverhältnis
(tense relationship, balancing act, etc.)
You'd need at least a modifier. There's a Duden entry on it:
"[neue Impulse erzeugendes] Verhältnis von Position und Gegenposition"
http://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Spannungsverhaeltnis
It may be as simple as "contrast" or dialectics (incl. the modifier):
"the dialectical tension or opposition between two interacting forces or elements"
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dialectic
Another example:
"Das Widerrufsrecht bei Kaufverträgen im Spannungsverhältnis von Opportunismus und Effektivität"
https://www.mohr.de/buch/das-widerrufsrecht-bei-kaufvertraeg...
What are you going to do here? I don't know why Phil agreed; he did answer the question once before:
https://www.proz.com/kudoz/german_to_english/law_contracts/4...
Just look for another example to get a better idea:
"Spannungsverhältnis zwischen Kirche und Staat"; that's the conflict between Church and state. Likewise: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2190590?seq=1#page_scan_tab_con...
Best