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German to English translations [PRO] Social Sciences - History / The Third Reich
German term or phrase:Zur mahnenden Erinnerung
These words are part of the text of a plaque to be installed on the location of the Nazi book-burning in Salzburg. It begins with the famous quote from Heinrich Heine: "'Das war ein Vorspiel nur. Dort wo man Bücher verbrennt, verbrennt man am Ende auch Menschen.' Zur mahnenden Erinnerung an die am 30. April 1938 von den Nationalsozialisten inszenierte Bücherverbrennung auf dem Residenzplatz." The problem, as I see it, is that Erinnerung/remembrance is too neutral to stand alone and has to be modified in a way that clearly expresses abhorrence and admonishes future generations to not take the first step down this horrendous path. But what could that modifier be, considering that something stilted seems utterly out of place in this context and obscure fails too since the text is going to be read by many people who aren't native speakers of English? So the approach I've taken is to sidestep the whole issue (and leave it up to the beholder to understand what's meant, I suppose): "Nazis staged a book-burning here on April 30, 1938. Lest we forget ... " Does someone have a better, more literal idea? Thank you very much for any help you can render in this matter of great personal importance to me. NOTE: I plan to leave this question open for several weeks so latecomers have a chance
Hi MH. Just saw this was closed. I lived in Salzburg for 5 years. Great challenge. I wish I could give you the perfect phrase. I believe the "mahnend" part could be stronger than "never forget" but this is quite good because it's simple, as requested. I also think it's the best suggestion here. If something else strikes me, I'll post it. I have thought about it quite a lot. ...
my per-hour fee has now sunk below minimum wage and there's no end in sight. At this point, I'm working strictly for non-cash compensation: the honor of making my second contribution to the written cityscape of this historic place (plaque commemorating the liberation/occupation of Salzburg in spring 1945, the wording of which was also quite a challenge, as you may well imagine)
I've been getting these dunning e-mails to close this question but I stuck with my original decision to keep it open for a few weeks (even though these hasn't been much activity of late) and now this .... Anyway, forget the points; let's talk about reality, which is that this KudoZ discussion really is determining the way this inscription will read! I spend two hours at the client's office yesterday afternoon, and we went through everything -- discussion entries, answers and comments as well as Diana's Holocaust memorials reference. The short list is headed by Helen's "Let us never forget". Andrew, I think this is what you will ultimately find on your stroll around Residenzplatz; nevertheless, I want you to know that I argued the case of "forewarned" as best I could but it looks like brevity will win out in the end. I'll post another discussion entry when there's a development.
I agree wholeheartedly with you. It would be nice, but perhaps the implied praise in the message of Nov 22nd will be the last you hear. Other Askers simply disappear, which is worse. Unfortunately KudoZ questions often tail away in this manner.
I see the system has chosen the preferred option here. May I ask that given all the help you received here that you return to the question and let us know what was, in fact, used? Thank you.
Sincere thanks for your insightful comments. I’ve invited several scholars who work in this field (some native speakers of English, some of German) to provide input. A couple of them are lurking here even as we speak. They’ll decide what has to be said and then their job is done. I’m definitely not interested in some academic consensus wording; you can imagine how camel-like that horse would turn out. It will ultimately be some Prozian masters of this magnificent English language who will know how to phrase it best. The quality of the comments, the insights about nuances, associations and implications, the excellent suggestions lead me to believe that. I’ll end up making the decision, but I have to be able to back it up with solid reasoning as to content and form.
I like Helen's "Let us never forget", which gets round the problems associated with "Lest we forget". She should post it as an answer. I also think her point about consultation should be taken on board - an issue like this deserves more than discussion on the cheap by a group of Prozians (however professional they may be).
If there is a problem using this, how about coming up with something near to it such as 'Let us never forget'. Without wishing to simplify matters, it is generally held in Germany that every German is responsible for ensuring that this never happens again. There is a special class of monument in Germany - the Mahnmal, as opposed to the Denkmal or the Gedenkstätte. The notion is, therefore, inherent in the name. I am not entirely saying that this is a class of monument which we do not have in the UK/US, etc. but this sense of responsibility is not as alive in succeeding generations on the then Allied side. We are, therefore, not admonished by our monuments in the same way, and it is thus difficult to find an equivalent without sounding preachy or heavy-handed. I'm sure I'm just putting into words what you all are struggling with, but I thought it worth voicing.
People normally deliberate about such things for months, produce consultation documents and the like. Rather a daunting task you have here, misterherrnau!
I do think it might work better in EN to state what took place here and then follow it with something along the lines of 'Lest we forget', though I take the point about its association with memorials to the fallen. 'We must never forget'. I would be tempted to get expert advice on something like this, I must admit.
"Lest we forget" is by far the best suggestion in my opinion - the first world war doesn't have a monopoly on this phrase. Obviously you'd have to juggle the German around a bit.
Is there any limit on the number of chisel strokes? I have an idea, but it's 40 characters including spaces. Also, do you intend that the phrase chosen should flow naturally into the rest of your sentence (...an die am 30. April 1938 von den Nationalsozialisten inszenierte Bücherverbrennung auf dem Residenzplatz)? Or are you willing to take 'Zur mahnenden Erinnerung' in isolation?
In many ways I really like "Lest we forget", but part of me is wondering whether some people might be offended to see it used in this context. It's widely used on WW1 war memorials, where the implication is that we must not forget those who sacrificed their lives (as well as not forgetting the horror of war in general). It has (I think) very British overtones. Could some people think is has been inappropriately hijacked here?
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21 mins confidence:
admonishing reminder
Explanation: You really said this yourself.
This link says: "The town itself surprised me by exhibiting a quaint kind of charm, somewhat similar to what you see in the old mining towns of Colorado. These days they are banking their future on the tourist trade, and are positioning themselves both as a monument and an admonishing reminder of the impact of strip mining."
