Glossary entry (derived from question below)
German term or phrase:
Lutherstadt Eisleben
English translation:
Luther´s city, Eisleben
Added to glossary by
Chris Rowson (X)
Aug 20, 2002 11:38
22 yrs ago
German term
lutherstadt
German to English
Art/Literary
"Helfta ist heute ein Vorort der Lutherstadt Eisleben im neuen Bundesland Sachsen- Anhalt." This occurs in a large document prepared (by Roman Catholic worthies, with foreword from the Bishop, etc.) to mark the 700th anniversary of the death of St. Gertrude of Helfta.
I am not sure how to express the Lutheran connection for the English version. (He was born there, died there, and maintained a connection with it throughout his life.)
I am not sure how to express the Lutheran connection for the English version. (He was born there, died there, and maintained a connection with it throughout his life.)
Proposed translations
(English)
Proposed translations
+1
1 hr
Selected
just for a smile:
whether it's an epithet or part of the proper name, much depends on how succesful the towns public relations machine has been. For Lutherstadt Wittenberg, for instance, they were succesful in getting this full name written on most maps (not only on the road signs, which are easier to influence). Fontane being less famous than Luther, Neuruppin calls itself Fontanestadt Neuruppin in all offical publications, on road signs etc., but to get this name onto maps, they will have to work much harder.
Greetings,
Nikolaus
Greetings,
Nikolaus
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thanks to everyone. I gave very careful consideration to the recommendation to treat it as part of the name. That I decided against this was based on my feeling that before I came to Germany I would not have understood "Lutherstadt Eisleben".Even my Bach, and hence Lutheran, involvement had not brought me to an awareness of Eisleben (with or without its prefix).
Instead, my sentence reads "Helfta is today a suburb of Luther´s city, Eisleben, in Sachsen-Anhalt in the former East Germany.", since that is what I feel best communicates the German sense for the English reader. Difficult then to choose an answer, particularly since my further research confirmed that it is a part of the name on at least some maps. But not the English mind-map, so the smile gets it :-)"
-1
6 mins
Luther's City of Eisleben
would the genitive not cover all possibilities?
Peer comment(s):
disagree |
Steffen Walter
: Be careful, Lutherstadt E. is a proper name. Beside, "Luther's City" has also a possessive connotation which is not at all intended here. And I would be hesitant using "city" since it's rather a town. Or aren't we making these distinctions any more?
6 mins
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you might like to inform Encyclopaedia Britannica of their mistake in referring to it as a city
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+1
6 mins
home city of Luther
or "native city of Luther"
or simply, "Eisleben, the city of Luther".
or simply, "Eisleben, the city of Luther".
Peer comment(s):
neutral |
Steffen Walter
: I'd have my reservations using "city". See my comment above.
7 mins
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okay, make it town if you will.
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agree |
Gillian Scheibelein
: with Steffen, perhaps Eisleben, home town of Luther, ...
1 hr
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7 mins
Lutherstadt
It appears to be part of the city's name. Here's some info I found about it:
"Eisleben, like most cities associated with Luther and the Reformation period of the 16th century, is located in the former German Democratic Republic behind the Iron Curtain. Since the city is very important in the life of the great Reformer, being the site of Luther’s birth and death, it was known in the GDR as Lutherstadt-Eisleben, or Luther-City-Eisleben. A few other cities have been designated as Luther cities. They include Lutherstadt-Wittenberg where Luther spent most of his life; Lutherstadt-Eisenach, where Mrs. Cotta took Martin into her home, and where he later translated the New Testament into German at the Wartburg Castle overlooking the city; Lutherstadt-Mansfeld, where Luther’s parents lived and where Martin attended school as a boy; and Lutherstadt-Erfurt, where Luther attended the university and entered the Augustinian monastery to please God. There is a statue of Luther in every Lutherstadt, some of which have plaques depicting scenes significant in the Reformer’s life.
This article concentrates on Lutherstadt-Eisleben. It describes the Luther statue erected in the middle of the 19th century, the events surrounding his birth on November 10, 1483, his baptism on the following day, his frequent visits to the city, and his death in a home of a friend adjacent to St. Andrews Church on February 18, 1546.
Erwin Weber
April, 1997"
"Eisleben, like most cities associated with Luther and the Reformation period of the 16th century, is located in the former German Democratic Republic behind the Iron Curtain. Since the city is very important in the life of the great Reformer, being the site of Luther’s birth and death, it was known in the GDR as Lutherstadt-Eisleben, or Luther-City-Eisleben. A few other cities have been designated as Luther cities. They include Lutherstadt-Wittenberg where Luther spent most of his life; Lutherstadt-Eisenach, where Mrs. Cotta took Martin into her home, and where he later translated the New Testament into German at the Wartburg Castle overlooking the city; Lutherstadt-Mansfeld, where Luther’s parents lived and where Martin attended school as a boy; and Lutherstadt-Erfurt, where Luther attended the university and entered the Augustinian monastery to please God. There is a statue of Luther in every Lutherstadt, some of which have plaques depicting scenes significant in the Reformer’s life.
This article concentrates on Lutherstadt-Eisleben. It describes the Luther statue erected in the middle of the 19th century, the events surrounding his birth on November 10, 1483, his baptism on the following day, his frequent visits to the city, and his death in a home of a friend adjacent to St. Andrews Church on February 18, 1546.
Erwin Weber
April, 1997"
Peer comment(s):
disagree |
Lars Finsen
: Ï think Lutherstadt should be translated. In German it's more of an epithet than an actual equivalent part of the name.
8 mins
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Well, I agree with Steffen, and disagree with you!
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neutral |
Steffen Walter
: Lars, in the case of some German towns it actually *is* part of the name. See my answer.
11 mins
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That's what my quoted reference is talking about, basically.
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agree |
Barbara Lawson
: with Rowan and Steffen; it used to be a looser association like Hansestadt, but now has become a fixed part of the city/town name
43 mins
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+5
8 mins
Lutherstadt Eisleben
Despite the strongly religious character/background of your source text, I would leave the name "as is". This is at least how Lutherstadt Wittenberg has it in the English version of its website.
Another option would be to translate "Eisleben, Town of (Martin) Luther" but I'd prefer the first solution. The (German) website of Eisleben itself also uses the proper name "Lutherstadt Eisleben".
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Note added at 2002-08-20 13:08:58 (GMT)
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As a compromise, you could surely, as writeaway said, use \"Lutherstadt Eisleben\" and make an addition in brackets (or insertion after a comma) saying \"birthplace/hometown of Martin Luther\" (if it fits with your sentence).
Another option would be to translate "Eisleben, Town of (Martin) Luther" but I'd prefer the first solution. The (German) website of Eisleben itself also uses the proper name "Lutherstadt Eisleben".
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Note added at 2002-08-20 13:08:58 (GMT)
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As a compromise, you could surely, as writeaway said, use \"Lutherstadt Eisleben\" and make an addition in brackets (or insertion after a comma) saying \"birthplace/hometown of Martin Luther\" (if it fits with your sentence).
Peer comment(s):
agree |
LegalTrans D
27 mins
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Vielen Dank - und (zu Olafs Anmerkung unter writeaways Antwort): Ich denke, dass "Lutherstadt Eisleben" den ev.-lutherischen Hintergrund auch für eine engl.sprachige Leserschaft genauso berücksichtigt wie "home town of M.L." o.ä. Übersetzungen.
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agree |
Barbara Lawson
: It's also in Frommer's (English) travel website: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/lutherstadtwittenberg/0...
37 mins
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Danke für die Bestätigung.
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agree |
Manfred Mondt
: Lutherstadt: wenn sie das nicht vertragen koennen dan sind sie dessen nicht wert.
7 hrs
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Ganz schön kategorisch, Deine Meinung ;-)
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agree |
Joy Christensen
: quite right - terms like "Landeshauptstadt Stuttgart" are something else
8 hrs
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exactly!
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agree |
Chinoise
1 day 13 hrs
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Thanks
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+1
17 mins
Martin Luther's home town/the home town of Martin Luther
My suggestion. Elegant, refined? no.
.. He died in Eisleben (only in german), the town of his birth, in February 1546. ... With his translation of the Bible into German Martin Luther attained ...
Description: Biography, pictures and articles on people and places in his life, articles on related
subjects, and...
Category: Society > Religion and Spirituality > ... > Lutheran Reformation > Luther, Martin
www.wittenberg.de/e/seiten/personen/luther.html - 10k - 19 Aug 2002
. In 1521 Martin Luther rode away from his home town ... Luther's heresy had become a major public issue by the ... But would the execution of Martin Luther in any ...
www.thehistorychannel.co.uk/ classroom/alevel/luther.htm - 13k
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Note added at 2002-08-20 12:41:13 (GMT)
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Why not leave it as Lutherstadt and in () put Luther\'s home town. That could calm the storm. I am not sure that I myself would give a translation and not include the original, since it is one of a few cities that call themselves Lutherstadt. You could start an inter-city war by calling it the cradle of Lutheranism.
.. He died in Eisleben (only in german), the town of his birth, in February 1546. ... With his translation of the Bible into German Martin Luther attained ...
Description: Biography, pictures and articles on people and places in his life, articles on related
subjects, and...
Category: Society > Religion and Spirituality > ... > Lutheran Reformation > Luther, Martin
www.wittenberg.de/e/seiten/personen/luther.html - 10k - 19 Aug 2002
. In 1521 Martin Luther rode away from his home town ... Luther's heresy had become a major public issue by the ... But would the execution of Martin Luther in any ...
www.thehistorychannel.co.uk/ classroom/alevel/luther.htm - 13k
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Note added at 2002-08-20 12:41:13 (GMT)
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Why not leave it as Lutherstadt and in () put Luther\'s home town. That could calm the storm. I am not sure that I myself would give a translation and not include the original, since it is one of a few cities that call themselves Lutherstadt. You could start an inter-city war by calling it the cradle of Lutheranism.
Peer comment(s):
agree |
OlafK
: I'd translate it like this because it makes the Lutheran connection clear to the target readership. Even if it is part of the name it conveys meaning important in this context. What would you do with "Hansestadt Hamburg"?
26 mins
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the debate now seems to have swung to whether to translate it or not and not how to translate it. Interesting debate
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+1
38 mins
Luther's hometown
or: the town of Luther's birth and death
+1
2 hrs
.. a city with strong Luther connections..
Helfta is today a suburb of Eisleben, a city with strong Luther connections..
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