19 November 2016

translation variety example

Some OLB-'skeptics' argue that the language of the OLB is simply Old-Frisianised 19th century Dutch. Strong arguments can be made against that. For example, there are many sentences that are still not clear. The example below shows how much variety there is between the existing translations. 

(Prior phrase in Sandbach's translation: "They cunningly made themselves masters of our laws and customs, and ..." ~ The object of the following phrase is, thus: our laws and customs ~ VSA ÉWA ÀND SETMA)


[038/15]
THRVCH WANKÉTHINGA WISTON HJA ALLE TO WISA ÀND TO VRBRUDA

1-Ottema (Dutch, 1872/1876):
door listen en drogredenen wisten zij alles te bewijzen en te verbreiden verbruyen*.
(*correction in the back of the 1872 edition, sadly missed by Sandbach and not corrected in reprint of 1876)

2-Sandbach (English, 1876):
by craft and subtlety were able to explain and spread them around.
3-Wirth (German, 1933):
durch falsche Auslegungen wußten sie alles zu weisen und umzudeuten.
4-Overwijn (Dutch, 1951):
door bedriegelijke redeneringen wisten zij alles te duiden en te bederven.
5-Jensma (Dutch, 2006):
door wanspraak wisten ze alles te verdraaien en te verbruien.
6-De Heer (Dutch, 2008):
door wanspreken wisten zij alles te duiden en te verbruiden.
7-Raubenheimer (English, 2011):
by fallacies they wished to explain everything and expand thereon.
8-Menkens (German, 2013):
durch Trugreden/ Wahnsprache wußten sie alles umzudeuten und zu entstellen.
9-Lien (Norse, 2013):
gjennom falsk tale visste de å anvise og forderve alt.

WANKÉTHINGA (noun plur.)
D: listen en drogredenen (ruses and fallacies) - 1
D: bedriegelijke redeneringen (fallacies) - 4
D: wanspraak ('vainspeech') - 5*
D: wanspreken ('vainspeaking') - 6*
E: craft and subtlety - 2
E: fallacies - 7
G: falsche Auslegungen (false explanations) - 3
G: Trugreden/ Wahnsprache (fallacies/ 'vainspeech') - 8*
N: falsk tale (speak falsely) - 9

* Translations 5, 6 and 8b are the most literal, but the words are obsolete, unclear and seemingly inappropriate.

WISA (verb)
D: bewijzen (prove, establish) - 1
D: duiden (interpret) - 4,6
D: verdraaien (distort) - 5
E: explain - 2,7
G: weisen (point out?) - 3
G: umzudeuten (reinterpret) - 8
N: anvise (point out) - 9

VRBRUDA (verb)
D: verbruyen/verbruien/ verbruiden ( ,, ) - 1,5,6D: bederven (corrupt, pervert) - 4
E: spread around - 2*
E: expand thereon - 7*
G: umzudeuten (reinterpret) - 3
G: entstellen (distort) - 8
N: forderve (corrupt, pervert) - 9

* The misprint in Ottema' translation as 'verbreiden' (spread/ propagate) was corrected in the back of the 1872 edition but sadly not in the reprint of 1876. Sandbach copied the mistake and so did Raubenheimer.

Main question i.m.o. is how to interpret WISA.

My own provisional translation:
they managed to explain and distort them all through misinterpretations.

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