THIS TRANSLATION WORK: IS IT TRYING TOO HARD OR JUST BOASTING?

THIS TRANSLATION WORK: IS IT TRYING TOO HARD OR JUST BOASTING?
Let me begin this by saying that I can’t speak for anyone else when it comes to the subject of
learning, practicing and communicating in a foreign language at a respectable (as opposed to
opportunistic) level. But I’m sure most people who learn a foreign language end up proud of
themselves the first time they have convinced someone that they have done a good job
(especially if it’s a job which seems “surprisingly well done”) translating something
“important” (in a very subjective sense, and not necessarily in terms of the subject matter of
the material in question).

But when you actually go as far as to become a professional translator, like me, then it’s a
whole new ball game. That’s just beyond dispute. And there’s never any shortage of people
willing to elaborate on just how true it is that translation is not just a matter of replacing
words with words. Indeed, it is now commonly said that “the best translations do not read like
they are translations”, and I’ll certainly drink to that.
Enter this translation work, by myself, that the title of this article refers to; it hints at the topic
of how best to translate (into German) the famous words “Celebrate good times, come on!”
from – you’ve guessed it – the lyrics of the song Celebration by Kool and The Gang.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWLIgjB9gGw I must confess I couldn’t care less about
the song itself – but consider the fact that I realised I was in no position to state definitively
whether “good times” in this context really means “a moment of fun” (as in a party, with
plenty of dancing, where everyone lets their hair down, lets their inhibitions down, lets their
mother down) or rather a reason to celebrate (especially when life has recently been cruel).
Now, have you ever been to France? (I know it seems like I’m jumping from topic to topic
here but stay with me.) If yes, then presumably you have used French to order something in a
bar, café or restaurant – typically “Je voudrais [what you’re ordering]” or “Je peux avoir
[what you’re ordering]?” or simply “[What you’re ordering], s’il vous plaît” as a sentence (if
an incomplete one). Myself, I felt I was showing off a bit when I first invented and used the
expression “Soit/soient me donné(e)(s)…” followed by whatever it is you are ordering – the
“soit/soient” bit and exactly how the verb (in the past participle) is spelled are a matter of
conjugation depending on the number and gender of the French word(s) for what it is you are
ordering. This expression actually uses a verb which employs a subjunctive form – the same
as that used in an expression like “Vive la France!”; just that the sentence is in the passive
rather than the active mode.

But that’s not the translation work alluded to in the title. No, this is a German phrase I
invented. For “Celebrate good times, come on!”, maybe a literal translation like “Feiert gute
Zeiten, kommt schon!” would be passable… but what if I wanted to actually pass for a
native? Then I would suggest this expression: “Es werde nun gefeiert!” The grammar in this
expression parallels that employed in the expression “Soit/soient me donné(e)(s)…” above –
the same kind of subjunctive as that identifiable in an expression like “Es lebe der König!”
(“Long live the King!”) while the expression also uses the German grammatical form
recognisable in an expression like “Es wurde getanzt”, which means “There was dancing” /
“Dancing took place” (not “It was danced”, a literal rendition which makes no sense at all); I
chose to use the modal particle “nun” to represent the “come on!” bit. Two sentences rolled
into one. I don’t what native German speakers would really suggest for something like this
but I speak from experience when I say that they like to do that sort of thing in their own
language.