This site uses cookies. Some of these cookies are essential to the operation of the site, while others help to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used. For more information, please see the ProZ.com privacy policy.
Cookie settings
  1. KudoZ™ Top
  2. German to English
  3. Art, Arts & Crafts, Painting

Gärteig

English translation: fertile soil

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:Gärteig
English translation:fertile soil
Entered by: Kim Metzger

15:28 Apr 17, 2008
German to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Art, Arts & Crafts, Painting
German term or phrase: Gärteig
I haven't found Gärteig in any of my dicos, including the Duden and Wahrig and a Google search yielded nothing useful, but I can imagine the literal translation is fermented dough or something along those lines. Something to do with nurturing creativity.

Im Jubiläumsjahr vergab das Migros-Kulturprozent zehn spezielle Preise. Eine Expertenjury bestimmte autonom Preisträger in 10 Kategorien des kreativen, sozialen und unterhaltenden "Gärteigs" Schweiz: Projekte, Institutionen oder Personen, deren Innovation, Kreativität und Phantasie herausragen.
Kim Metzger
Mexico
Local time: 17:35
fertile soil
Explanation:
Might be a possibility, as an alternative metaphor?
Selected response from:

Catherine Winzer
Germany
Local time: 01:35
Grading comment
I am grateful to all of you for helping me crack this nut. In the end I chose a combination of Catherine's and Sabine's suggestions (seedbed instead of hotbed).
"jury selected prize winners in 10 categories from the fertile soil of Switzerland's creative, social and entertainment seedbed".
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +1cradle
DonM
2 +2hotbed
Sabine Voigt
3breeding ground
Nicole Snoek (X)
2 +1fertile soil
Catherine Winzer
3upsurge
Bernhard Sulzer
3comment
Ken Cox


  

Answers


13 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
breeding ground


Explanation:
as in 'breeding ground for innovation, creativity etc', a suggestion

Nicole Snoek (X)
Netherlands
Local time: 01:35
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman, Native in DutchDutch
PRO pts in category: 4
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

34 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
cradle


Explanation:
Nicole's suggestion is more satisfactory in many ways, but should possibly be avoided as 'breeding ground' is usually used in a negative sense. 'Cradle' is a prosaic option, but should fit your purpose.
Another alternative would be 'brew' in the sense of 'mix' (prizes being awarded to excellence in the Swiss creative, social and entertainment 'brew').

DonM
Ireland
Local time: 00:35
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Sabine Winter: Yes to both. Cradle: As in "The place where anything is nurtured during its early existence" - http://www.reference.com/browse/all/cradle; or brew but I'd almost rather use "brewery" then.
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Sabine!
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5 peer agreement (net): +1
fertile soil


Explanation:
Might be a possibility, as an alternative metaphor?

Catherine Winzer
Germany
Local time: 01:35
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
I am grateful to all of you for helping me crack this nut. In the end I chose a combination of Catherine's and Sabine's suggestions (seedbed instead of hotbed).
"jury selected prize winners in 10 categories from the fertile soil of Switzerland's creative, social and entertainment seedbed".

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Stephen Reader: Gärteig rings fruitful but not sensational/spectacular, & this matches that pitch, seems to me. Fertile MEDIUM?
8 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5 peer agreement (net): +2
hotbed


Explanation:
Switzerland as a "hotbed of creativity and entertainment" might work. Not sure about *sozial*, though.

Sabine Voigt
United States
Local time: 19:35
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jeanette Phillips
2 hrs
  -> Danke, Jeanette.
agree  Peter Manda (X): any culture that vacuums the sidewalk is a hotbed of sozial for sure ...
8 hrs
  -> ;<)
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
upsurge


Explanation:
the French version keeps this image of growing, rising, fermenting...
in "bouillon de culture"
http://www.kulturprozent.ch/g3.cms/s_page/56160/lang/fr

surge/upsurge would be the English equivalent for the German "Aufwallung". Might fit here.

or maybe something with just "culture" or "climate"

the social, creative and entertaining vibrancy of Swiss culture/art/Switzerland
(although it doesn't get the 'growing' aspect across).

the ever growing/intensifying/intensified/ social, creative and entertaining Swiss culture

the climate (not so sure on the adjectives here)


"culture medium" would be more literal, but it doesn't sound right (to me anyway).

and I was also thinking "the social....catalyst that is Switzerland"

Bernhard Sulzer
United States
Local time: 19:35
Native speaker of: German
PRO pts in category: 32
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

17 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
comment


Explanation:
'Gärteig' is yeast dough in the literal sense, and apparently a fertile mixture or medium in the figurative sense.
IMO it's imporant to maintain the idea of fostering/nurturing incipient talent in the translation, along with the idea of a medium that is alive and capable of giving rise to wonders (if you pardon the hyperbole).
In a society where breadmaking has become an industrial activity, a dough metaphor naturally won't work at all.

refs:

www.der-Sauerteig.de :: Thema anzeigen - GASOFEN, HILFE
22 Jul 2006 ... Übrigens meine Schlangen in deren Behausung ich meinen Sauerteig, Ruheteig und Gärteig in einer Plastikbox gebe und noch von aussen mit ...
www.der-sauerteig.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=832

Franzensbader Blätter Franzensbader Blätter
Den aufgegangenen Gärteig ver-. arbeitet man gut mit Mehl, Zucker, Marga-. rine und Eiern. Den Teig lässt man nochmals. aufgehen und rollt ihn dann etwa 1 ...
www.franzensbad.cz/listy/marz08.pdf

DorfWiki: Triesterviertel/GesprächsThemen/ARBEIT/BürgerInnenarbeit ...
Dieses bildet den Gärteig einer zukunftsfähigen Demokratie. Es entsteht nicht aus einem moralischen Kraftakt, der den hedonistisch gesonnenen Subjekten als ...
www.dorfwiki.org/.../Gespr�chsThemen/ARBEIT/B�rgerInnenarbeit...


Ken Cox
Local time: 01:35
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 31
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)



Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.

You will also have access to many other tools and opportunities designed for those who have language-related jobs (or are passionate about them). Participation is free and the site has a strict confidentiality policy.

Return to KudoZ list

KudoZ™ translation help

The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.

See also:
ProZ.com term search
Search millions of term translations
Close search
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search