English term
Local
I am looking to translate a very short English phrase into Dutch as part of a university translation project. The phrase includes the word "local" in the English.
The Dutch phrase I am looking for is something along the lines of:
"Local Gems" or "Local Experiences" that would give the impression that the information provided by the publication would offer insight into hints/tips/secrets about the local area. I think in English we use "National treasures" and "local gems" quite nicely but if we were to omit the word "local" it implies a more literal meaning with regard to gems and treasure being literal diamonds etc as opposed to great finds!
However, I don't think 'local' has the same connotations in Dutch and isn't used in the same way as we do in English so I am unsure how to deal with this word. Would anyone be able to offer any advice on this?
Thanks!
| 3 +2 | in de omgeving |
Gerard de Noord
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Mar 26, 2011 10:12: Antoinette Verburg changed "Level" from "Non-PRO" to "PRO"
PRO (3): Gerard de Noord, Ron Willems, Antoinette Verburg
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Proposed translations
France
Striving to surpass your expectations
Native in: Dutch (Variant: Netherlands) 
Works in: English to Dutch, French to Dutch, German to Dutch
in de omgeving
Let me guess. You're studying at a good university and your teacher is either Dutch or just a good teacher. Or you're simply a very good student. Local can't be translated with 'lokaal' all the time. Lazy translators do but they're more or less stretching the original meaning 'lokaal' had 50 years ago. Dutch physicians have since long used 'lokale verdovingen', because they're fond of Latin. When the telephone was introduced in the Netherlands we adopted the notion of 'lokale gesprekken' and 'lokaal' found its way into sophisticated Dutch afterwards, like in 'lokale gebruiken' and 'lokale rites'.
Nowadays, we have to translate 'Visit your local dealer/store' several times a week and, in the spring of 2011, translating with 'lokaal' still doesn't cut it. The real problem is that local has lost most of its meaning (near you) in English – Visiting your local iPod dealer might take hours – while 'lokaal' still has some meaning in Dutch. That's why 'local' gems can be 'national' treasures in English. As you didn't give us the source text you have to translate – you're probably a good student – I'll just give you some of the solutions I use to circumvent the translation problem: leave it out (most of the time the reader knows you mean local), ter plaatse, ter plekke (we still use those archaic forms), plaatselijk and, in your case, in de omgeving. Rephrase: Wat u niet mag missen. De aandacht waard. In de buurt. Vergeet vooral niet het hunebed van Borger te bezoeken. Using 'het lokale hunebed' would be ridiculous.
Cheers,
Gerard
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Note added at 21 days (2011-04-16 18:12:48 GMT) Post-grading
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Retrospectively, I'm less convinced that you're a very good student. A very good student would have commented on my answer and wouldn't have left awarding KudoZ points to the ProZ robot. You're probably just a good student, who still has to learn that not all internet forums function like social media.
Cheers,
Gerard
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