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+--- Thread: English translation of "an sich" and "für si (/showthread.php?tid=14196)
English translation of "an sich" and "für si - Jona Lendering - 12-14-2008
An easy question, but my Dutch-English dictionary does not help me: how can I best translate the German expressions "an sich" and "für sich"?
Re: English translation of "an sich" and "für si - L C Cinna - 12-14-2008
I'd suggest "actually" but dependes on the sentence and context. most of the time it's better to avoid literal translation imho.
Re: English translation of "an sich" and "für si - Jona Lendering - 12-14-2008
Quote:dependes on the sentence and context.Yeah, I should have mentioned that:
Heinrich Schliemann wanted to solve "historical questions" and was not really interested in the material culture of a civilization an sich.
Re: English translation of "an sich" and "für si - Viventius - 12-14-2008
Quote:Heinrich Schliemann wanted to solve "historical questions" and was not really interested in the material culture of a civilization an sich.
Could be:
as such
or even, to use the Latin, which gets used in English:
per se
Either of those seem to fit the context.
Re: English translation of "an sich" and "für si - Tiberius Clodius Corvinus - 12-14-2008
Quote:L C Cinna:2gkd9a72 Wrote:dependes on the sentence and context.Yeah, I should have mentioned that:
Heinrich Schliemann wanted to solve "historical questions" and was not really interested in the material culture of a civilization an sich.
hm, why use it at all? "an sich / für sich" is mostly used to reiterate a fact that is (or should be
) already clear from the same sentence.... but to convey the stylistic meaning I'd think this would do the job.
Heinrich Schliemann wanted to solve "historical questions" and was not really interested in the material culture of a specific civilization.
Re: English translation of "an sich" and "für si - Tiberius Clodius Corvinus - 12-14-2008
wow, Viventius.
you beat me by a second. :lol:
Re: English translation of "an sich" and "für si - Jona Lendering - 12-14-2008
Quote:hm, why use it at all? "an sich / für sich" is mostly used to reiterate a fact that is (or should beI have a feeling that this is something else; Schliemann was interested in history, generally, and not in the material culture, generally. "Of a specific civilization" is -I think- something else.
... but to convey the stylistic meaning I'd think this would do the job.
Heinrich Schliemann wanted to solve "historical questions" and was not really interested in the material culture of a specific civilization.
I think I'll settle for "as such"; there is a difference between
- being interested in the material culture of a civilization
and
- interested in the material culture of a civilization as such
because in the second example, it is clearer that S. was not interested in the material culture of no matter what civilization.
As such and per se - Paullus Scipio - 12-14-2008
Quite right, Jona, there is a clear difference......Viventius has 'hit the nail on the head' !
D ....if you wanted an alternative you could also say ' for it's own sake', but 'as such' or 'per se' would be best,,,,
Re: As such and per se - Jona Lendering - 12-14-2008
Quote:'for it's own sake'That's the one! Thanks.
Re: English translation of "an sich" and "für si - L C Cinna - 12-14-2008
Quote:L C Cinna:1fjqn2us Wrote:dependes on the sentence and context.Yeah, I should have mentioned that:
Heinrich Schliemann wanted to solve "historical questions" and was not really interested in the material culture of a civilization an sich.
ah ok, well the others have solved it already. I first thought you meant the whole phrase "an und für sich".