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German to English translations [PRO] History / Wording on a memorial plaque for DPs in WW2
German term or phrase:Irrfahrten
I would like to translate this inscription on a Memorial Plaque as accurately as possible : "1945 - 1949/ Im Lager Seligenstadt lebten 1200 Litauer./ Allmächtiger Gott, wir flehen zu dir um Schutz und Segen auf unseren Irrfahrten fern der Heimat./Hier hielten sich Litauer auf, die Gott und ihr Vaterland über alles liebten./ Ehre ihrem Andenken 7. Jan. 1993." The plaque is displayed on some buildings which now belong to the Breeding Station of a plant breeding company and which were once a camp for Displaced Persons. Apart from the "sich aufhalten" (which I am thinking of using "stay" for), I am having trouble with "Irrfahrten". Is the sentence in which this word occurs a reference to a prayer used by the DPs or is it a newer wish expressed by those who put the plaque there in 1993? Did the "Irrfahrten" take place before, during or after the DPs' time in the camp? All this affects the choice of English translation.
Explanation: Please see my discussion entries for my argument and suggestions. I really would suggest that you don't go for 'wandering' because of its very powerful resonance with the then anti-Semitic trope of the wandering Jew. Whilst as a figure in culture and literature/art the wandering Jew has sometimes been conceived of as sympathetic, he is based ultimately on a figure said to have mocked Christ on the Cross. I don't know if these Lithuanians were Jews or not, but at the time of their corralling, this trope would have had major currency, not least due to Nazi politics.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 18 hrs (2013-06-29 12:39:45 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Thank you, Helen. I think this reproduces the randomness of the Irrfahrten as well as the slightly emotional tone of the entreaty. 4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer
Thank you, everyone, for your thoughts and ideas. I will be using "odyssey" in a separate text as an alternative Rendering of "Irrfahrten" , so special thanks to David and supporters. BTW can I say "Visitors please report here" for the sign "Anmeldung" displayed outside the Office of the Breeding Station?
oa_xxx (X)
Germany
04:36 Jun 30, 2013
I like Helen's too. Irrfahrten is such an odd word, to me it sounds completely negative - lost, trials and tribulations etc. - I always find it so jarring when its used in such positive contexts as beautiful Irrfahrten through the countryside etc. Journey could possibly work here too, at least sounds a bit more like hard work than wanderings, journey far from home, still pales a bit in comparison to Helen's solution which does seem to get the feeling of the original across.
To avoid the similarity to the then frequently used term 'the wandering Jew' and to recognise the fact that these were forced marches/transports, I would say something along the lines of 'Oh Lord, we beseech your blessing and protection in the vicissitudes of our life of exile far from our homeland'
Your contribution is just the sort of input from a historian's perspective which I was hoping for. Thank you! The DPs were just that - "displaced", or "uprooted" as your source calls it. The ideal translation for "Irrfahrten" must get this across - they "irrten" across Europe, it was pretty haphazard and unorganised until they landed up in Southern Germany and were put into camps according to nationality. For the most part the refugees thought they were going to go back home eventually and spent their time in the camps in a kind of limbo ("transitional time" in your source). Eventually, of course, it became clear that going home to Lithuania was no option.
That's another possibility, do you want to enter it, gangels? The length is not important as my translation is not actually going to be chiselled into a plaque. As readers of my entry "Feldweg" will see, I teach English to the employees of the Breeding Station and so I decided that they ought to be able to translate the inscription on the Memorial to their groups of English-speaking visitors, particularly as the memorial is bang next to the "Anmeldung" (btw what is this in English, it's really just a little office staffed by a secretary?) and thus in a prominent place. Typical visitors will be biologists or farmers but you never know, if some of them might be interested in the history of the place.
I wonder whether 'wanderings in exile' or something similar would work. Since they were corralled in camps, 'wanderings' does seem rather strange. More to do with being exiled from home or the homeland, though obviously the GER does not say this exactly. Maybe the way forward is to come up with something suitable but that is not an exact translation, so that you convey the melancholy of the experience. Irrfahrten are really journeys or wanderings, if you like, away from the proper path or chosen path, aren't they? Though through no fault of their own; just the vagaries of Soviet era politics: http://www.albionmich.com/history/histor_notebook/LMR203.sht...
'trials and tribulations visited upon us in faraway lands" also does the trick nicely, although it's a tad lengthy in my view, considering it is for a plaque. Unsure whether number of words is an issue.
gangels (X)
I'd say ....'trials and tribulations visited
19:24 Jun 28, 2013
....upon us in faraway lands'.
That makes clear that they were driven from their homes.
"wanderings" also crossed my mind and might be better here although it depends on the degree
Automatic update in 00:
Answers
11 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +2
wanderings
Explanation: I don't believe it is possible to know whether the sentence in question is a prayer the DPs recited or comes from the authors of the plaque in their honor. The impression I get is "wanderings" in general.
peer agreement (net): +2
