Glossary entry (derived from question below)
German term or phrase:
Die Natur läßt sich biegen, aber nicht brechen
English translation:
The infinite flexibility of nature
Added to glossary by
Katy L Dean
Oct 19, 2016 11:12
7 yrs ago
1 viewer *
German term
Die Natur läßt sich biegen, aber nicht brechen
German to English
Marketing
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
This is being used in an advert that I have been asked to translate, showing a picture of a woman (who may be a Paralympic athlete) doing a yoga pose. The advert itself is supposed to encourage people to donate blood.
I'm unsure what the saying itself means first of all - I then need to decide if we have a similar saying in English and whether this would be appropriate in this context.
I was wondering if it was something like 'you can't teach an old dog new tricks'/'you can't teach your grandmother to suck eggs' or a 'leopard never changes its spots' - none of which would then be appropriate for this advert.
All help gratefully appreciated :)
I'm unsure what the saying itself means first of all - I then need to decide if we have a similar saying in English and whether this would be appropriate in this context.
I was wondering if it was something like 'you can't teach an old dog new tricks'/'you can't teach your grandmother to suck eggs' or a 'leopard never changes its spots' - none of which would then be appropriate for this advert.
All help gratefully appreciated :)
Proposed translations
(English)
Change log
Oct 19, 2016 11:16: writeaway changed "Field" from "Other" to "Marketing"
Proposed translations
+2
15 mins
Selected
The endless/infinite flexibility of nature
or: The flexibility of nature is endless/infinite
This is the sort of thing that instinctively comes to mind - it says roughly the same sort of thing as the German, and links with the picture (yoga = flexibility + Paralympians = "flexibility" of the human form, i.e. people can be successful whatever nature has bestowed on them).
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Note added at 1 hr (2016-10-19 12:13:06 GMT)
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Another option that comes to mind is simply "People can do all sorts of things" (because one can at least mentally complete that with "... including give blood").
This is the sort of thing that instinctively comes to mind - it says roughly the same sort of thing as the German, and links with the picture (yoga = flexibility + Paralympians = "flexibility" of the human form, i.e. people can be successful whatever nature has bestowed on them).
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Note added at 1 hr (2016-10-19 12:13:06 GMT)
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Another option that comes to mind is simply "People can do all sorts of things" (because one can at least mentally complete that with "... including give blood").
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "This was one of the options I sent the client. However, I did also like lancashireman's suggestion (even though it may not be exactly what the German means - my agency client wanted to keep the idea of bending/flexibility in the English, because of the visual)"
10 mins
The laws of nature can be bent, but not broken.
This might fit in with the picture and the message...
+1
1 hr
I may bend, but I don't break[.]
English prefers the first person approach, phrasing this as a caption expressing the woman's indomitable will.
I think that any reference to 'nature' just detracts from the message.
The full stop at the end is optional.
I think that any reference to 'nature' just detracts from the message.
The full stop at the end is optional.
Peer comment(s):
agree |
philgoddard
: This is very good, even though I don't think the copy or the visual seem very relevant to the message.
4 hrs
|
disagree |
Rosa Paredes
: I don't think it conveys the meaning. Sorry.
14 hrs
|
Hell hath no fury... http://www.proz.com/kudoz/3984221
|
|
agree |
Björn Vrooman
: Cancelling out answer above. Site rule 3.3: A peer comment must be based on linguistic evaluations of the answer. I don't see any evidence of that.
2 days 19 hrs
|
4 hrs
I bend with (to) what nature gave me/Nature's gifts bend the rules
A wildly free translation, but with the context, it seems appropriate.
As to spending blood, this also occurred to me:
Give generously of what nature gave you
As to spending blood, this also occurred to me:
Give generously of what nature gave you
+2
6 hrs
It won't cost you an arm or a leg
No, this is not an accurate "translation" of the German. Instead, it’s my rather blunt American (i.e. undiplomatic) attempt to convey what could be the underlying message of the campaign: Donating blood won't cost you and arm or a leg, but it saves lives.
It always amazes me how companies and organizations can put so much time, energy and money into developing advertising campaigns and yet simply dump the job of "translating the untranslatable" into a translator's lap. Advertising agencies are paid a lot of money to come up with snappy slogans and captivating images. How much money does the translator get for the thankless task of coming up with a corresponding catchy phrase in another language? Pennies per word ... and often no guidance whatsoever for the translator as to the extensive decision-making process that went into the campaign. Absolutely mind-boggling.
Pictures of people missing limbs may be eye-catching, but if the message is muddled, the campaign is admittedly not very effective. In my opinion, this particular campaign is less about flexibility or the laws of nature and more about the life-saving measures (blood transfusions, etc.) that allowed people to survive horrific accidents and yet remain vibrant human beings (minus a limb or two, aber immerhin). At any rate, if the idea is to encourage people to donate blood, I see no reason why you can't spell it out.
Why the low confidence level, Katy? Because I doubt that you could hand in such a “translation” to the client without getting into hot water because it ignores all of the obvious “clever” plays on words with “bending” and “flexible” and instead goes in a completely different direction.
Okay, to be honest, I also just couldn't resist suggesting it.
But what do you have to lose? It won’t cost you an arm or a leg. ;-)
By the way, if the client insists that the message here is that we should admire the resiliency of the flexible and well-balanced one-legged woman in the photo, then you could always write something along the lines of the following:
First law of nature: you can’t keep a good woman down
And the connection to donating blood? Just as obscure as in the original! Then it becomes (merely) a celebration of diversity, or the "feel-good factor" (thanks, Andrew!) without directly pointing to the underlying message of “donate blood” ... which might just be the solution that the client wants.
Sorry this turned into such a novel. May the force be with you, Katy!
It always amazes me how companies and organizations can put so much time, energy and money into developing advertising campaigns and yet simply dump the job of "translating the untranslatable" into a translator's lap. Advertising agencies are paid a lot of money to come up with snappy slogans and captivating images. How much money does the translator get for the thankless task of coming up with a corresponding catchy phrase in another language? Pennies per word ... and often no guidance whatsoever for the translator as to the extensive decision-making process that went into the campaign. Absolutely mind-boggling.
Pictures of people missing limbs may be eye-catching, but if the message is muddled, the campaign is admittedly not very effective. In my opinion, this particular campaign is less about flexibility or the laws of nature and more about the life-saving measures (blood transfusions, etc.) that allowed people to survive horrific accidents and yet remain vibrant human beings (minus a limb or two, aber immerhin). At any rate, if the idea is to encourage people to donate blood, I see no reason why you can't spell it out.
Why the low confidence level, Katy? Because I doubt that you could hand in such a “translation” to the client without getting into hot water because it ignores all of the obvious “clever” plays on words with “bending” and “flexible” and instead goes in a completely different direction.
Okay, to be honest, I also just couldn't resist suggesting it.
But what do you have to lose? It won’t cost you an arm or a leg. ;-)
By the way, if the client insists that the message here is that we should admire the resiliency of the flexible and well-balanced one-legged woman in the photo, then you could always write something along the lines of the following:
First law of nature: you can’t keep a good woman down
And the connection to donating blood? Just as obscure as in the original! Then it becomes (merely) a celebration of diversity, or the "feel-good factor" (thanks, Andrew!) without directly pointing to the underlying message of “donate blood” ... which might just be the solution that the client wants.
Sorry this turned into such a novel. May the force be with you, Katy!
Peer comment(s):
agree |
Lancashireman
: An agree for the perspicacity of your analysis. What a pity these two versions are unusable!
44 mins
|
Yes, (*sigh*), even nature and advertising have their limits.
|
|
agree |
Rosa Paredes
: Fully agree with you. Saludos!
9 hrs
|
Glad to hear it, Rosa! Greetings from Greenland.
|
1 day 16 hrs
The lifeblood of survival
Suggests that perseverance is this woman’s lifeblood while reminding viewers that blood sustains life.
Discussion
"Die Natur läßt sich biegen, aber nicht brechen. Wenn die Natur rechts will, so gehe du nicht links."
https://books.google.de/books?id=hVx9AQAAQBAJ&pg=PP5&lpg=PP5...
It's closest to the "laws of physics" example. It's not a statement about how much "flexibility" there is in nature, but that there is no escape from the "nature of the beast." Think "instincts."
I'm sorry. However, in reply to your glossary entry and your comment "it may be useful for another translator in the future," I'd have to add:
I've tried to explain the use of the phrase in this particular context. If this is about general usage, the answer you chose - which may work fine in your context (which is why I didn't agree or disagree anywhere) - is completely off base, in my opinion. The alternative suggestion "People can do all sorts of things" is even worse.
See the other examples from the link below:
"Natur ist mehr denn (überwindet) Gewohnheit. Natur gehet vor Kunst. Natur läßt sich nicht ändern. Natur ist Meister. Natur geht vor Lehre. Die Natur läßt sich biegen aber nicht brechen."
Or here under "Artem natura superat sine vi sine curà":
https://books.google.de/books?id=oyh6y6bzkW0C&pg=PA490&lpg=P...
"Ist die Gewöhnung stärker oder die angeborene Natur?"
https://books.google.de/books?id=BPPbBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA317&lpg=P...
The closest I can come up with in English is:
You can bend but not break the laws of physics.
Don't try to break the rules, but bend them.
Close to Lesley's answer. Has little to do with celebrating "flexibility," though.
Based on Alison's link:
Dank innerer Stärke wieder im Gleichgewicht -> "innere Stärke" refers to the blood donated
Mein Punktsieg im Spiel des Lebens -> "Punktsieg" refers to one more time you escaped death (by getting a blood transfusion)
Die Natur läßt sich biegen, aber nicht brechen -> "brechen" refers to the importance of blood donations despite the many technological advances
Agree with my colleagues that the pictures seem to be a bit misleading. Physical disability isn't the main issue, as far as I can tell.
Will this ad definitely be used, or is it just for information? A lot of the ads I translate are just ad agencies showing off their work. If it's going to be used, I think it needs a complete rewrite.
So is it just the headline, the picture of the woman, her blood group, and the words Swiss Red Cross? Does it not even say Give Blood?
So Pauls' interpretation of the campaign as a whole does not necessarily change the message conveyed by the image you are looking at.
"Auch dieses Jahr treten wir wieder mit einem Leitmotiv öffentlich auf: Es geht dabei um Mitmenschen, die dank der modernen Medizin von Krankheiten und Verletzungen geheilt sind und oft im Rahmen ihres Heilungsprozesses auf die Gabe von Blutprodukten angewiesen waren. Die Bilder von strahlenden Menschen, die teilweise für ihr Leben gezeichnet sind, sollen den gesunden und unversehrten Menschen Mut machen, mit ihrer Blutspende zur Genesung von Patienten beizutragen."
So the focus is on people who wouldn't be alive today if they had not received a blood transfusion.
I can post a link if Katy agrees.