Glossary entry (derived from question below)
German term or phrase:
Silvias Seele (Please read the context)
English translation:
the quintessence of Silvia / heart and soul
Added to glossary by
BrigitteHilgner
Nov 16, 2017 09:24
6 yrs ago
German term
Austria
b2b/economics/marketing/market research/
Native in: German 
Works in: German to English, French to German, English to German
Silvias Seele (Please read the context)
German to English
Art/Literary
Mining & Minerals / Gems
Competition for gemstone and jewellery design
I admit it immediately: I am only marginally involved, but the question intrigues me.
Every year, there is a competion among designers of jewellery and precious objects (in Germany). At the award ceremony, the creations are exhibited and the organisers provide a leaflet (in German and English) which provides some information about the objects (material) and the decision of the jury. The information about the piece of jewellery/precious object is provided by the artists.
This year, one young lady (her name is Silvia) wrote:
Ring und Anhängerschmuck aus Silber, Bergkristall, blauem Chalcedon, Cacholong, Ölfarbe und SILVIAS SEELE. In English, this was turned into "Silvee's soul".
When asked by the organisers, she explained that this expression was meant to indicate her own, personal input.
After some "soul searching", the organisers dropped this last term.
The young lady has my sympathy (but I would not have chosen the word Seele/soul), and I am wondering how to put her idea into English:
Silvia's ingenuity? Silvia's creativity? Would "inspiration" or "imagination" work? "Craftsmanship" seems a bit too technical to me. Am I wrong by rejecting the word "soul" in this context?
I am looking forward to all suggestions.
Every year, there is a competion among designers of jewellery and precious objects (in Germany). At the award ceremony, the creations are exhibited and the organisers provide a leaflet (in German and English) which provides some information about the objects (material) and the decision of the jury. The information about the piece of jewellery/precious object is provided by the artists.
This year, one young lady (her name is Silvia) wrote:
Ring und Anhängerschmuck aus Silber, Bergkristall, blauem Chalcedon, Cacholong, Ölfarbe und SILVIAS SEELE. In English, this was turned into "Silvee's soul".
When asked by the organisers, she explained that this expression was meant to indicate her own, personal input.
After some "soul searching", the organisers dropped this last term.
The young lady has my sympathy (but I would not have chosen the word Seele/soul), and I am wondering how to put her idea into English:
Silvia's ingenuity? Silvia's creativity? Would "inspiration" or "imagination" work? "Craftsmanship" seems a bit too technical to me. Am I wrong by rejecting the word "soul" in this context?
I am looking forward to all suggestions.
Proposed translations
(English)
Proposed translations
+2
37 mins
Selected
the quintessence of Silvia
Seems to embrace soul, spirit, creativity, "inner values", aesthetics and just about everything else.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
seehand
35 mins
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Thanks!
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| agree |
Karolin Schmidt
4 days
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Thanks from a wet and windy Hannover to the Wedemark
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "To my rational mind, "quintessence" is highly appealing, but I guess your later suggestion (discussion entry: heart and soul) might come closer to the idea of the young lady who tried to express her personal input."
+3
9 mins
soul/heart/breath/aura/intent of Silvia
I don't think soul is inappropriate, but would use a prepositional phrase,
the , to underscore the poetic intent. It really depends on how Silvia sees this herself.
the , to underscore the poetic intent. It really depends on how Silvia sees this herself.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
philgoddard
: Soul. I think all the others are too far away from the German.//"Heart and soul" is good.
4 hrs
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I'd also go with heart, but soul is her choice.
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| agree |
Thomas Pfann
: I'd have thought heart was the closest match to the German Seele. Or what about heart and soul?
4 hrs
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Yes, "heart" for "Seele" in this case.
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| neutral |
Yorkshireman
: all well and good for "Seele", but the "of Silvia" part is far from ok.
8 hrs
|
| agree |
Lancashireman
: An open-and-shut case of auratization.
46 days
|
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Very true! I've got it now and will never forget it, either.
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+1
1 hr
Herbmione Granger
Germany
Germany
Native in English
Germany
An American scholar based in Germany
Native in: English (Variant: US) 
Works in: French to English, German to English, English
charged with Silvia's energy
Nicer way of saying "a part of Silvia's soul."
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Note added at 2 hrs (2017-11-16 12:02:27 GMT)
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Tuning this down to "infused with Silvia's energy."
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Note added at 5 hrs (2017-11-16 15:22:27 GMT)
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Basically, I would avoid directly putting Silvia or any part of her into the jewelry. Another suggestion: infused with Silvia's creative energy.
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Note added at 2 hrs (2017-11-16 12:02:27 GMT)
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Tuning this down to "infused with Silvia's energy."
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Note added at 5 hrs (2017-11-16 15:22:27 GMT)
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Basically, I would avoid directly putting Silvia or any part of her into the jewelry. Another suggestion: infused with Silvia's creative energy.
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Ramey Rieger (X)
: so you get shocked when you wear it? :-)
5 hrs
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I realized it might sound dangerous :) Also perhaps too New Age. Hence the toned down versions.
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| agree |
Lancashireman
: Charged is good.
9 hrs
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Thanks :)
|
6 hrs
Michael Martin, MA
United States
United States
Native in German
&
English
United States
Creativity wins in the long run
Native in: German (Variant: Germany) , English (Variant: US)
Works in: German to English
Silvia's essence
Compare with following sources:
http://allofmyessence.com/
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/109706/quintesse...
http://allofmyessence.com/
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/109706/quintesse...
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Lancashireman
: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela's_Ashes // Distilled essence of Silvia - how sweet that perfume...
4 hrs
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Saxon genitive wrong here? Good thing you're not the boss of me:)
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| neutral |
Karolin Schmidt
: ew... this reminds me of "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer".
4 days
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What you're citing seems to be a highly idiosyncratic use of "essence. Don't see why other (more normal) ways of using "essence" must also be tainted by that connotation.
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4 days
Karolin Schmidt
Germany
Germany
Native in German
Germany
Quality translations since 2004
Native in: German
Works in: English to German, German to English
Silvia's heart and soul
Es geht in Richtung "mit viel Herzblut". Das wird wohl mit "heart and soul" übersetzt. Vielleicht hat sie das heart vergessen, oder sie fand es so einfach spiritueller? Steine sind ja sehr spirituell. The quintessence of Silvia finde ich auch toll!
Discussion
If anyone would like to agree (or not) with an answer already provided - please do so.
As you all know, I am not allowed to split points and I want to be reasonably fair when picking the "winner". I hope to get round to this tomorrow.
Edelsteinobjekt aus Silbercalcit, Bergkristall, gelb-, grün-, blau- und rotgefärbtem Achat, Karneol, Amethyst und Perlmut
Edelsteinobjekt aus Silber mit Amethyst, Citrin, Peridot sowie synthetischem rotem Spinell und synthetischem Blautopas
I have been doing the editing of similar texts for several years now and I have the impression that the competition offers people the chance to experiment, be more creative than in their bread-and-butter work. I also get the impression that they select material which is not too expensive - rock crystal seems to be a favourite.
I'm sure that you will find a way to sensibly respect her word choice :)
I confess that my ideas regarding a translation of "Seele" were probably too rational and a more emotional approach is better. I'll leave this question open for a bit longer to see whether a favourite solution crops up.
https://www.healing-crystals-for-you.com/lapis-lazuli-stones...
Gemstone magnetism
https://www.gemsociety.org/article/gemstone-magnetism-proper...
PS imbued with
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/imbue
2) I think it helps to think of Seele here as spirit. Heart is too warm and far from Brigitte's insights.
3) I prefer the Saxon genitive here.
2) Has anyone mentioned vitality yet?
3) 'Silvia's' or 'of Silvia'? Personally, I think the Saxon genitive sounds wrong here.
You could say what she does comes "straight from her heart", but "straight from her soul" just doesn't sound right.
Then again, she puts her heart and soul into what she does.
Suggestion: "... and perfectly reflects Silvia's creative persona."
Designers often talk about pouring their very heart and soul into their creations, e.g.
I had created some amazing designs that had every bit of my heart and soul poured into them but no way of expressing that on my website.
It might cost a little more than a mass produced item but you are getting something money can’t buy, a little piece of our heart and soul and a whole lot of love.
https://vanessamailejewellery.co.uk/blogs/news
Since I feel that I understand what the young woman wanted to express, I want to send a message to her via the organisers to make a suggestion how to phrase her statement in English (there are international competitions, and she might want to compete in one of them). Given the context, I would not have chosen the word "Seele" in German, nor the word "soul" in English, but I want to find out what others think about this - therefore my question. I'm collecting suggestions and I'll pass them all on - I won't suppress anything I might dislike - I'm just trying to be helpful.