# Please help with Translation of German to English



## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

I am putting together a video for YouTube in which I show the English translation of what is being sung in German. I have four different libretti and two scores and I am not happy with any of the translations for one line in particular. Please look over the following and tell me what you think would be the best translation.

Many Thanks! (For sake of time I don't use umlauts, etc.)

Hab ich ubel geredt, so beweise es, dass es bose sei, hab ich aber recht geredt, was schlagest du mich?

What I think captures the essence is something like:

If I have spoken incorrectly, then demonstrate that I am wrong, but if I am correct, why do you strike me?


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## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

Again, request for an English translation or your opinion if I have correctly translated a line from a vocal piece in German. Thank you.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

German is my third language, but I'm reasonably fluent in it. Here's my take:

_"Hab ich ubel geredt"_

This refers to malicious gossip rather than 'incorrect speak", imo

_"so beweise es, dass es bose sei"_

"so prove that it was malicious"

_"hab ich aber recht geredt, was schlagest du mich?"
_
"but if what I said was right, why do you hit me?"


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## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

Art Rock said:


> German is my third language, but I'm reasonably fluent in it. Here's my take:
> 
> _"Hab ich ubel geredt"_
> 
> ...


Many Thanks, Art Rock!


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## Euler (Dec 3, 2017)

As this is a direct quote from the Luther Bible (Johannes 18:23), you can look it up in various English language Bibles.

The good old King James Version puts it thus:



> Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest thou me?


For plain English there are many choices, e.g. the New International Version:



> "If I said something wrong," Jesus replied, "testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?"


If you'd like to choose your own wording, you could perhaps read John 18:20-23 in English for context.

Sorry if this is too obvious!


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## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

Euler said:


> Sorry if this is too obvious!


Thank you, Euler. Not too obvious: I got lost thinking about the best way to present a complex "libretto" in as simple and clear a way as possible to an audience that might know next to nothing about even the story narrative! Instead of reaching for the bibles I reached for Eric Chafe's_ J.S. Bach's Johannine Theology: The St. John Passion and the Cantatas for Spring 1725_. A book I had to put down earlier until I learned more music theory. At one level of the attempt to present an English translation of this work, it doesn't matter what any translation reads; it's more important to know what Bach understood it to mean. What Bach thought his congregation understood it to mean. Did these differ in a way that Bach thought needed to changed? And, the work was revised four, five times and his cantata composition also influenced his continual exploration of the meaning of the John's theology.

Right now I am so humbled by the complexity and my humble knowledge I am tempted to forget about including English translations/text at all in this video. Maybe I will leave the screen blank in certain places where I don't feel comfortable. I need to think about this. Better to not say anything for fear of giving someone a terribly erroneous impression? Better to say at least something and trust that it will work out for the best, assuming anyone watches the thing at all? I will continue to work on it, but I need to think about this.

Thank you again for your reply and anything you would like to say regarding my dilemma. :tiphat:


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

I am curious to see the finished video anyway, but am of no help in translation, knowing no other languages than English and a smattering of pig-Latin.


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## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

Thank you, Fritz. It's not going to be a sophisticated video. CD cover image; identification of principle singers; and then mostly small blocks of English translation as German is sung. This is the first time I am creating such a long video from CD and entering corresponding text. I'm leaning towards the idea of leaving the screen blank when I am very uncomfortable with any of the translations. It's still very much a work in progress.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

JosefinaHW said:


> Thank you, Fritz. It's not going to be a sophisticated video. CD cover image; identification of principle singers; and then mostly small blocks of English translation as German is sung. This is the first time I am creating such a long video from CD and entering corresponding text. I'm leaning towards the idea of leaving the screen blank when I am very uncomfortable with any of the translations. It's still very much a work in progress.


Well, as that particular bit of German text is from the Bible, perhaps you should get the Greek text and have a translation direct from Greek? Seems going from Greek to German to English is going to be less reliable. But if you are shooting for the way the writer put it in the musical work, then you should work from the work's original German.


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## JosefinaHW (Nov 21, 2015)

TY, Fritzi and Everyone who posted here. Someone else uploaded the Goerne performance of the _St. John Passion_ and I think it is better left untranslated.


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