Help with another German sentence.

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edmont
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Help with another German sentence.

Beitrag von edmont »

Hi,
The second German sentence quoted below is the one I could use help with. Below that, I have two different English translations -- actually not translations, not even first drafts -- I'm just trying to get at the basic meaning before I refine. When you read English meaning #1 below and English meaning #2, which of the two do find to be right? (I prefer English meaning #1, but am not sure.) Thank you very much for any assistance.


Code: Alles auswählen

Die Formulierungen müssen vielmehr auf dem Hintergrund der politischen Lage 1917 und der mit ihnen verbundenen Intentionen verstanden werden.

Code: Alles auswählen

Dabei leitete Steiner in erster Linie das Bemühen, eine Perspektive für die innere Ordnung des Vielvölkerstaates Österreich-Ungarn aufzuzeigen.
1) Thus, Steiner led the effort mainly in order to point out a prospect of inner order in the multi-ethnic state Austria-Hungary. 
2) Thus, the main effort Steiner led was an effort to point out a prospect of inner order in multi-ethnic state Austria Hungary.




tiorthan
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Re: Help with another German sentence.

Beitrag von tiorthan »

edmont hat geschrieben: 1) Thus, Steiner led the effort mainly in order to point out a prospect of inner order in the multi-ethnic state Austria-Hungary. 
2) Thus, the main effort Steiner led was an effort to point out a prospect of inner order in multi-ethnic state Austria Hungary.
Both are wrong, actually because Steiner doesn't lead an effort. You couldn't have spotted that, this is difficult even for a German speaker but the context shows that "Steiner" is actually the object in this sentence which means that we do not have a sentence in the form
  •  jemand leitet das Bemühen etwas zu tun = someone leads the effort of doing something
but rather
  • jemanden leitet das Bemühen etwas zu tun = someone is motivated to do something; literally it means: the endeavor of doing something leads someone (someone's actions, in fact)
Also, the phrase "innere ordnung" in the context of politics specifically means the socio-politicial order/structure/organization of a country or state not just any old inner order.
You're never too old to learn something stupid.
MistakeSuggestionYou sure that's right?

edmont
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Re: Help with another German sentence.

Beitrag von edmont »

jemanden leitet das Bemühen etwas zu tun = someone is motivated to do something; literally it means: the endeavor of doing something leads someone (someone's actions, in fact)
Thank you very much, tiorthan. So Bemühen is the subject.  So perhaps one would get something like:
Thus mainly the endeavor to point out a prospect of internally structuring the multi-ethnic state Austria-Hungary guided Steiner.
 

tiorthan
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Re: Help with another German sentence.

Beitrag von tiorthan »

The literal translation is no good here, IMO, because there isn't a real endeavor it's used figuratively. What it means is really "be motivated".
You're never too old to learn something stupid.
MistakeSuggestionYou sure that's right?

edmont
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Registriert: 7. Nov 2016 14:44
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Re: Help with another German sentence.

Beitrag von edmont »

I needed to go over the German a few times to get what you are saying here, but I now see that your translation is much better than the literal one. Thank you very much, Tiorthan.

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