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Sample translations submitted: 2
Spanish to English: Londres veta el ‘tulipán’ de Norman Foster, Rafa de Miguel, 18.07.19 El País General field: Social Sciences Detailed field: Journalism
Source text - Spanish El alcalde de Londres, el laborista Sadiq Khan, ha decidido cortar de raíz el tulipán de la City, el rascacielos diseñado por el arquitecto Norman Foster que en 2025 hubiera dominado el paisaje de la capital británica y hecho sombra al resto de rascacielos del distrito financiero. El edificio, de 300 metros de alto, asemeja en el proyecto ya conocido desde hace tiempo un enorme tulipán (o una cerilla, o un bastoncillo de algodón, según a quién se pregunte) y hubiera sido el segundo rascacielos más alto de Europa Occidental. Apenas cinco metros menos que The Shard, también en Londres, pero que juega con la trampa de arañar un poco más el cielo con su aguja puntiaguda.
A pesar de que los promotores aseguran que la construcción podría atraer 1,2 millones de visitantes en los próximos años, el alcalde ha decidido vetar el proyecto por no reunir la suficiente calidad estética y, sobre todo, por alterar considerablemente las vistas de esa zona y eclipsar un monumento histórico como la Torre de Londres.
“El alcalde tiene serias reservas sobre el proyecto, y después de un intenso estudio del asunto, ha decidido conceder su permiso a un esquema urbanístico que, según piensa, resultaría en un beneficio muy limitado para el público londinense”, ha dicho un portavoz de Khan.
Khan ha cubierto su decisión de un lenguaje técnico y de argumentos urbanísticos, al contrario que otros detractores del tulipán que habían emprendido una campaña feroz contra el proyecto de Foster, como por ejemplo, Duncan Wilson, el director de la organización Historic England: “Este edificio, un poste con ascensor y un bulto arriba del todo, dañará de modo irreparable aquello que sus promotores aseguran que van a enriquecer, el turismo y las vistas que proporciona la extaordinaria herencia cultural de la ciudad de Londres”.
Las relaciones entre lo que se denomina Greater London, la vasta megalópolis de 12 millones de habitantes sobre la que Khan extiende su autoridad, y la City of London (la almendra financiera y jurídica con gobierno y autonomía propios) han sido siempre tensas y sus intereses, en muchas ocasiones, contrapuestos. Este ha sido uno de esos casos. La City of London Corporation, la entidad medio municipal medio empresarial que controla esta multimillonaria aldea gala, concedió permiso para la construcción del rascacielos en abril, y sus técnicos defendieron que el tulipán sería “una atracción turística genuinamente única” que ayudaría a que un distrito que suele convertirse en un páramo durante los fines de semana pudiera atraer nuevos turistas. Unos 20.000 vecinos residen en la City (y tienen un tercio del poder político, los otros dos se los reparten las grandes corporaciones y los anacrónicos pero poderosos gremios históricos).
El proyecto contemplaba que el rascacielos, uno más de las decenas de ellos que proliferan como setas en los últimos años en el paisaje londinense —si bien muchos de ellos hacia el este del Támesis, en la zona de Canary Wharf-—, tuviera una inmensa plataforma observatoria en su cima, una serie de góndolas giratorias, restaurante, bar y “zonas educacionales”.
“El equipo del Proyecto Tulipán está decepcionado con la decisión del alcalde de rechazar tajantemente la construcción del edficio, particularmente porque habría generado beneficios socio-económicos inmediatos y a largo plazo para la ciudad de Londres y para el Reino Unido en su conjunto”, ha dicho un portavoz de los promotores.
Si deciden finalmente recurrir la decisión de Khan, algo que aún están tomando en consideración y no han anunciado, la decisión final recaería en un alto inspector de planificación o incluso en el ministro de Vivienda.
Los medios de comunicación se han dedicado estos meses a realizar encuestas entre sus lectores sobre el proyecto, y en muchas de ellas ganaban los que defendían el tulipán, pero Khan ha recibido también decenas de protestas escritas. En una de ellas, citada por el diario The Independent, se criticaba el diseño “por ser más propio de un parque de atracciones que del centro de la ciudad de Londres”.
Translation - English The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan of the Labour Party, has decided to nip in the bud "The Tulip of the City", the skyscraper designed by the architect Norman Foster that in 2025 would have dominated the landscape of the british capital and overshadowed the rest of the skyscrapers of the financial district . The building, 300 meters high, which resembles in the long-known project a huge tulip (or a match, or a cotton swab, depending on who you ask), would have been the second tallest skyscraper in Western Europe. Barely five meters less than The Shard, also in London, but which plays a bit more with the trick of scratching the sky with its pointy needle.
Despite the fact that the promoters say that construction could attract 1.2 million visitors in the coming years, the mayor has decided to veto the project because it does not have enough aesthetic quality and, above all, significantly alters the views of the area and eclipses historical monuments like the Tower of London.
"The mayor has serious reservations about the project, and after an intense study of the matter, has decided to grant his permission to an urban plan that, he thinks, would result in a very limited benefit to the London public," said a spokesperson of Khan
Khan has covered his decision in technical language and urban planning arguments, unlike other detractors of the tulip who had launched a fierce campaign against Foster's project, such as Duncan Wilson, the director of the organization Historic England: "This building, a post with elevator and a bulk above the whole, will irreparably damage what its promoters say will enrich: tourism and the views provided by the extaordinary cultural heritage of the city of London ".
The relations between what is called Greater London, the vast megalopolis of 12 million inhabitants over which Khan extends his authority, and the City of London (the financial and legal center with its own government and autonomy) have always been tense and their interests, in many occasions, opposed. This has been one of those cases. The City of London Corporation, the half-municipal, half-business entity that controls this multimillion pound ceremonial city, granted permission for the construction of the skyscraper in April, and its technicians argued that the tulip would be "a genuinely unique tourist attraction", potentially attracting tourists, which would help a district that usually becomes a wasteland during the weekends. Some 20,000 residents reside in the City (and have a third of the political power, the other two are large corporations and the anachronistic but powerful historical guilds).
The project planned that the skyscraper, one of the dozens that proliferate like mushrooms in the last few years across the London landscape - although many of them towards the east of the Thames, in the area of Canary Wharf, had an immense observatory platform at its top, a series of rotating gondolas, restaurant, bar and "educational areas".
"The Tulipán Project team is disappointed with the mayor's decision to categorically reject the construction of the building, particularly because it would have generated immediate and long-term socio-economic benefits for the city of London and for the United Kingdom as a whole," said a spokesperson for the promoters.
If the promoters finally decide to appeal Khan's decision, something they are still considering and have not announced, the final decision would fall on a senior planning inspector or even the Housing Minister.
The media have spent the last few months polling their readers about the project, and many of the polls were won those who defended the tulip, but Khan has also received dozens of written protests. In one of them, quoted by the newspaper The Independent, criticized the design "for being more typical of an amusement park than the center of the city of London."
German to English: In Städten zu wenig, auf dem Land zu viel, Tagesschau 22.07.19 General field: Social Sciences Detailed field: Journalism
Source text - German Eine bezahlbare Wohnungen finden? Das ist in vielen Städten zu einem Problem geworden. Laut einer Studie ist ein Grund, dass zu wenig gebaut wird - vor allem in Großstädten. Auf dem Land sehe es dagegen anders aus.
Steigende Mieten, starker Zuzug und ein immer knapper werdendes Angebot: Die Situation auf dem Wohnungsmarkt in deutschen Großstädten ist angespannt. Um den Bedarf zu decken, wären Tausende Neubauten nötig. Laut einer Studie des Instituts der deutschen Wirtschaft (IW) wird in Metropolen jedoch viel zu wenig gebaut.
Krise in Großstädten
Ob in Köln, München oder Stuttgart - die Zahl der Neubauwohnungen sei in Großstädten viel zu gering, bemängeln die Autoren. So sei der Bedarf in Köln seit 2016 noch nicht mal zur Hälfte gedeckt worden (46 Prozent), in Stuttgart würden nur 56 Prozent der nötigen Wohnungen gebaut, in München seien es 67 Prozent.
Besser könnte die Lage der Studie zufolge auch in Berlin (73 Prozent des Bedarfs) und Frankfurt am Main (78 Prozent) sein. "Hier fehlen nicht nur aktuell Wohnungen, sondern auch längerfristig bedarf es einer weiteren Steigerung der Bautätigkeit", schreiben die Autoren.
Für ihre Untersuchung verglich das IW die Zahl der von 2016 bis 2018 fertiggestellten Wohnungen mit dem Bedarf, den sie anhand von Faktoren wie Bevölkerungsentwicklung und den Leerständen schätzten. Gründe für die Misere sind der hohe Zuzug in die Städte, das knappe Personal in Bauämtern, strenge Vorschriften und der Fachkräftemangel in der Bauwirtschaft. "Man kommt mit dem Bauen nicht hinterher", sagte Mitautor Ralph Henger.
Zu viele Neubauten auf dem Land
Vollkommen anders stellt sich die Situation auf dem Land dar: Dort werde mancherorts zu viel neu gebaut, etwa in Sachsen-Anhalt, Sachsen, im Saarland und in den Randgebieten Bayerns. "Obwohl es auf dem Land viel Leerstand gibt, entstehen relativ viele Neubauten, die bevorzugt werden, obwohl Umbauten im Altbestand vielerorts sinnvoller sind", sagte Henger.
Durch Neubaugebiete vor den Toren von Kleinstädten verlieren Stadt- und Dorfzentren an Bedeutung und das Leerstandsproblem verschärfe sich noch. Kommunen auf dem Land fernab der Metropolen sollten ein besseres Flächenmanagement betreiben, um attraktiv zu bleiben und Leerstände in der Ortsmitte zu vermeiden."
Der Grundsatz "Umbau vor Neubau" sei hier wichtig. In einem Drittel der deutschen Kreise sollte "die Bautätigkeit im Neubau gebremst werden, um ein Überangebot zu vermeiden", heißt es in der Studie.
Höhere Mieten, weniger Baugenehmigungen
Zwischen 2016 und 2018 sind die Mieten in Deutschland laut Bundesbauministerium jährlich um fünf Prozent gestiegen. In den "Metropolkernen" der 19 größten Städte erhöhten sich die Mieten sogar um rund sechs Prozent jährlich.
Die Zahl der Baugenehmigungen in vielen Städten sank dagegen in den vergangenen Monaten. Laut Statistischem Bundesamt wurden von Januar bis Mai 2019 insgesamt 136.300 Wohnungen genehmigt - 2,4 Prozent weniger als im gleichen Zeitraum ein Jahr zuvor. Bei Neubauten wurden rund 120.600 Wohnungen genehmigt. Gegenüber dem Vorjahreszeitraum bedeutet das einen Rückgang um 2,7 Prozent oder 3300 Wohnungen. Gestiegen ist nach Angaben der Statistiker ausschließlich die Zahl der Baugenehmigungen für Einfamilienhäuser (plus 2,3 Prozent).
Translation - English Looking for affordable housing? This has become a problem in many cities. According to a study, one reason is that too little is being built - especially in big cities. In the countryside, on the other hand, things look different.
Rising rents, a heavy influx of new tenants and an increasingly scarce supply: the situation on the housing market in German cities is tense. Thousands of new buildings would be needed to meet the demand. According to a study by the Institute of German Business (IW), however, far too few are being built in major cities.
Crisis in Large Cities
Whether in Cologne, Munich or Stuttgart - the number of new housing is far too small in large cities, complain the authors. Thus, the need in Cologne has not even been half met since 2016 (46 percent), in Stuttgart, only 56 percent of the necessary apartments have been built, and in Munich, it was 67 percent.
According to the study, the situation could also be better in Berlin (73 percent of demand) and Frankfurt am Main (78 percent). The authors write: "Not only are there currently no apartments here, but there is also a need for a further increase in construction activity in the longer term."
For its study, the IW compared the number of flats completed between 2016 and 2018 with the needs they estimated, based on factors such as population growth and vacancies. Reasons for the misery are the high influx into the cities, the scarce staff in building authorities, strict regulations and the lack of skilled workers in the construction industry. "You can not keep up with building," said co-author Ralph Henger.
Too Many New Buildings in the Countryside
The situation in the countryside is completely different: In many places, too many new buildings are being built there, for example in Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony, Saarland and the outskirts of Bavaria. "Although there are a lot of vacancies in the countryside, a relatively large number of new buildings are being built. These are preferred, even though remodeling old buildings is more appropriate in many places," said Henger.
"New development areas on the outskirts of small towns are making urban and village centres less important and the vacancy problem is worsening. Municipalities in rural areas far away from the metropolises should have better land management in order to remain attractive and avoid vacancies in the centre of the village".
The principle of "renovation before new construction" is important here. In one third of German districts, "building activity in new buildings should be slowed down in order to avoid oversupply," says the study.
Higher Rents, Less Building Permits
According to the Federal Ministry of Construction, rents in Germany increased by five percent between 2016 and 2018. In the "metropolitan cores" of the 19 largest cities, rents increased by as much as around six percent annually.
In contrast, the number of building permits in many cities has dropped in recent months. According to the Federal Statistical Office, a total of 136,300 units were approved from January to May 2019 - 2.4 percent less than in the same period a year earlier. For new buildings, around 120,600 units were approved. Compared to the same period of the previous year, this means a decline of 2.7 percent or 3300 units. According to the statisticians, only the number of building permits for single-family homes has risen (2.3 percent).
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Years of experience: 5. Registered at ProZ.com: Jul 2019.
My professional background is in teaching English as a Second Language. I have always been interested in foreign languages, which led me to study Linguistics as my bachelor and then a Master's in Bilingual and Multicultural Education. As a teacher, I have extensive experience in proofreading and editing. I also enjoy reading about History, Art, Politics, and Design.
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