Like-Blog
Presenting you the most interesting translation solutions
Why Like-Blog? Now, first of all, this blog is a blog that you should like (and read regularly) – at least, if you are interested in translation. Then, the topic discussed here is one in which the meaningful likeness between a text and its translation in the language pair English-German plays a key role. On this page, I will take a close look at some interesting translation solutions that I have come across in the course of my work as a translator and translation scholar.
A translation solution is only as good as the arguments that support it. This means that any translation criticism, whether positive or negative, needs to be justified. The quality of a translation solution shows only when we compare it to other possible translation solutions in a given translation situation. Therefore, a translation critic should not only say why a translation solution is bad, but also demonstrate what a better solution might look like. I will try to stick to these principles of translation criticism. So if you have any questions regarding my line of argument or if you disagree, please, let me know your opinion by phone at +49 4171 6086525 or by e-mail to bittner@businessenglish-hamburg.de. So much for the introduction. I hope you’ll enjoy reading this blog!
CO2 in water (October 2026)
The following sentence is taken from “Saving our Oceans: Code Blue” (www.time.com, 23 September 2010):
“Thanks to all the fossil fuels humans have burned, the seas have also become more acidic because dissolving CO2 in water lowers the pH – the oceans store 50 times as much carbon as the atmosphere does – and that change will have consequences no one can predict, though none are likely to be positive.”
In German: “Aufgrund der Verbrennung aller fossilen Brennstoffe durch die Menschheit ist der Säuregehalt in den Meeren gestiegen, da durch Auflösung von CO2 in Wasser der pH-Wert sinkt – die Ozeane speichern 50-mal mehr Kohlenstoff als die Atmosphäre – und diese Veränderung wird Auswirkungen haben, die niemand vorhersehen kann, zumal sie wahrscheinlich nicht gerade positiv ausfallen werden.”
Can you find the two translation errors?
First there is a problem with the translation of the relative clause (“humans have burned”) at the beginning of the sentence. The defining character of this relative clause is ignored, which results in an incorrect meaning. After all, humans have not yet burned all fossil fuels. Correct would be: Aufgrund all der fossilen Brennstoffe, die die Menschheit verbrannt hat or Aufgrund all der von der Menschheit verbrannten fossilen Brennstoffe or Aufgrund der Verbrennung fossiler Brennstoffe durch die Menschheit – with the last version lacking the colloquial style of “all der”. Starting the translation with “Aufgrund” provides a neutral solution for the slightly ironic undertone expressed in “Thanks to”. It might be worth considering use of the preposition “Dank” instead of “Aufgrund”.
The second error is a terminology error as the noun “Auflösung” doesn’t fit into the context. “Auflösung” can be used when solids are dissolved in a liquid; for a gas like CO2, the correct word is “Lösung”.