ab initio German Paper GeA2
Introduction
Paper GeA2 consists of one translation into English and one into German. The texts are related to each other by content, and there is also much vocabulary which can be gleaned by careful comparison of the texts. On this page, you see the text for translation into English above, and the text for translation into German underneath. Any vocabulary in the first paragraph of the German text which has an equivalent in the English text is marked in bold. These words are also marked in bold wherever they occur in the English text (they are not only to be found in the first paragraph). You must find the rest of the parallel vocabulary yourself.
Strategies
First, think briefly about the topic &ndash here, two international radio stations, the BBC World Service and Deutsche Welle. What do you know about them? Note down vocabulary on broadcasting, radio and TV, both in English and in German, which comes to mind. Think of English equivalents of the German words you come up with, and vice versa.
Next, read both texts carefully, looking out for parallel vocabulary as you go along.
Are there any particular grammatical constructions which are used in both texts? Are the texts written in the same tense? Are they similar in style?
Translation into English: GeA2 Section B
It is best if you do the translation into English first, since you will gain confidence by using your own language. Don‘t translate word for word &ndash read the whole sentence in the source text, then the sentence within its immediate context, always bearing in mind the overall context.
To help with understanding the text, look out for sentence construction and the position of the finite verb: in main clauses it always comes in second position. Don‘t forget that ‘first elements’ in main clauses can be just about anything: for example, the subject, a dative or accusative object, a time phrase, a prepositional phrase, or even a whole subordinate clause. Subordinate clauses, on the contrary, send their own finite verbs to the end of the clause.
Look out for words which ‘glue’ text together and give it logical meaning: co-ordinating and sub-ordinating conjunctions, adverbial conjunctions (‘deshalb’, ‘deswegen’, ‘trotzdem’ etc) and prepositions (‘wegen’, ‘während’ etc).
Most importantly, look out for meaning and translate appropriately for the context: your translation should make sense and read fluently in English.
Note:
Click here for BBC World Service
Click here for Deutsche Welle
Chapter 39 of Blaue Blume has some vocabulary on TV and radio
Day 8 in Upgrade your German revises vocabulary on film and TV
Some Instructions
- The passage for translation includes footnotes: click on the footnote number to see more information about it in the right-hand column.
- In the CALL Facility and elsewhere via the PWF, you can use this dictionary or the following one
- Type up your translation with a separate program alongside your web browser. Use a word processor or text editor; on a CALL Facility PC WordPad (Go to Start > Programs > Accessories > WordPad) is reccomended.
- You can save your work on a floppy disk or send yourself (or your tutor) a copy of your translation by copying and pasting it into an email message. To simplify transmission, save your file as plain text rather than a word processor document: under Save As go for plain text. You may even wish to type your translation directly into an email message.