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Abendland der Menschheit

15:03 Jun 24, 2013
This question was closed without grading. Reason: Errant question

German to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - History
German term or phrase: Abendland der Menschheit
In this context:

This is from a travel report on Alexandria. The writer is currently sitting in front of a café on the Alexandria Corniche.

An der Hafenpromenade, der Corniche von Alexandria, stehen einige weiße Plastikstühle und der eine oder andere kleine Tisch. Hier etwa, wo nun nur diese Plastikstühle übrig sind, saß im Jahr 1952 Lawrence Durrell, Verfasser des legendären Alexandria Quartetts, und beobachtete die Schuhputzjungs, die schon damals emsig von einem Herren zum nächsten flitzten.

In der tagsüber unvergleichlich glitzernden Bucht von Alexandria, deren Tiefen noch immer die mythische größte Bibliothek des Abendlands der Menschheit vorenthalten und in der heutzutage äußerst unseriös ausgerüstete Taucher der ägyptischen Regierung nach den untergegangenen Kulturschätzen des makedonischen Kaisers fahnden, tauchen die Schuhputzer auch auf Wunsch nach der Ledersandale, die Lawrence Durrell vor Wut über die schlechte Qualität der Zitronenlimonade damals ins Meer katapultierte.
Daniel Gray
Germany
Local time: 03:11


Summary of answers provided
4 +1Western civilization
Katarina Peters
3 +2whose depths still deprive humankind of the Occident's mythical largest library
NGK
4s. below
Gert Sass (M.A.)
4Western humanity
William Howden


Discussion entries: 3





  

Answers


7 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Western civilization


Explanation:
...:)

Katarina Peters
Canada
Local time: 21:11
Native speaker of: Native in HungarianHungarian, Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Lise van der Eyk (X): Although it's not a direct translation, this is likely what is meant. If you google the German phrase, you'll note how rare it is, which leads me to think that it's a bit of a journalistic flourish that can be translated somewhat freely.
6 mins
  -> thanks Lise, but I just realized the sentence was misinterpreted and the question was incorrect...
neutral  philgoddard: I think you're misreading the text in the same way as the asker has.
32 mins
  -> of course you are right - the question was incorrectly posted, if it had to be posted at all...
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10 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
deren Tiefen noch immer die mythische größte Bibliothek des Abendlands der Menschheit vorenthalten
whose depths still deprive humankind of the Occident's mythical largest library


Explanation:
whose depths still deprive humankind of the Occident's mythical largest library

Or something to that effect.

Menschheit is the indirect object of vorenthalten.

NGK
United States
Local time: 20:11
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 55
Notes to answerer
Asker: Yep, I stupidly misinterpreted 'Menschheit'. As you rightly point out, it's obviously an indirect object of 'vorenthalten' here.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Edwin Miles: I like the use of 'Occident' here (more than 'Western civilisation' e.g.)
3 hrs
neutral  Gert Sass (M.A.): As a matter of (grammatical) fact, 'who(se)' refers to persons (or, at best, animals), while for inanimate objects it must be '(the ... of) which'.
6 hrs
  -> Not according to sources such as the Chicago Manual of Style or http://www.thefreedictionary.com/whose
neutral  Jim Tucker (X): ("whose" can absolutely refer to things! And extremely commonly does so. It's genitive of "which" as well as of "who" -- agree on that)
9 hrs
agree  Klaus Schmirler
2 days 4 hrs
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12 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
deren Tiefen ... vorenthalten
s. below


Explanation:
"..., the depths of which still withhold (or: deprive mankind of) the ... greatest library of the Western world" (or similar)


Gert Sass (M.A.)
Germany
Local time: 03:11
Works in field
Native speaker of: German
PRO pts in category: 4
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13 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
Western humanity


Explanation:
"greatest library of Western humanity" would be my suggestion (in this context)

William Howden
Local time: 20:11
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8
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