it became a powerful weapon against his rivals

German translation: wurden sie zu einer schlagkräftigen Waffe gegen seine Rivalen

14:16 Aug 25, 2007

English to German translations [PRO]
Science - History

English term or phrase: it became a powerful weapon against his rivals

Geschichtsbuch/Biografie; Und schon komm ich wieder nicht mehr weiter. Kontext: "The political scene in Graubünden was turbulent and violent when Jenatsch began working in Scharans, as political divisions and religious zeal drove ambitious men to extreme solutions. One growingly important tactic in the intensifying struggles was the calling of mass political assemblies, a political event unique to Graubünden and possible only because of its federal structure and the autonomy of the individual communes that made up the Three Leagues. Graubünden's armed adult males, who made up the citizenry, felt that the future of the Leagues rightly lay in their own hands. It was therefore easy to appeal to them to assemble in order to take control of a political process that was obviously corrupt and dysfunctional. Usually, the leaders of one faction would appeal to communes where their own personal or financial influence guaranteed a sympathetic hearing; once these communes had voted to raise their banners—something which gave these impromptu assemblies their Swiss German name, Fähnlilupf—other communes across the Leagues would rush to join the action, lest they be left out of any decisions.
Such gatherings took place in 1565, 1572, 1585, and 1607. Often consisting of several thousand armed men gathered together in some central location in Graubünden, these assemblies resisted all outside control. The courts' judges typically did their work surrounded by dozens or hundreds of 'guardians,' soldiers appointed by the communes to oversee who was accused and who was spared. More often, however, these wild assemblies surged out of control, turning the Strafgericht against the leaders of all factions. For a powerful politician in Graubünden, calling for a Fähnlilupf therefore meant playing with fire. If he could keep the movement under his guidance, it became a powerful weapon against his rivals, whereas an assembly that slipped out of control inevitably endangered everyone in the political class. "
Meine Übersetzung des vorangehenden Teilsatzes: . "Wenn er die Massen unter Kontrolle halten konnte,...".

Peter Jäger KudoZ activity Questions: 20 (none open) Answers: 0
Local time: 10:29

German translation:wurden sie zu einer schlagkräftigen Waffe gegen seine Rivalen

Explanation:
Für einen Machtpolitiker in Graubünden war der Fähnlilupf-Aufruf ein Spiel mit dem Feuer. Konnte er die Massen unter Kontrolle halten, wurden sie zu einer schlagkräftigen Waffe gegen seine Rivalen. Gelang dies jedoch nicht, geriet zwangsläufig sofort die gesamte politische Klasse in Gefahr ...

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Local time: 10:29

Grading comment

Thanx.
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Summary of answers provided

3 +3

wurden sie zu einer schlagkräftigen Waffe gegen seine Rivalen

sci-trans

3 +1

im Besitz einer mächtigen Waffe

Sandra Becker

Answers

48 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

im Besitz einer mächtigen Waffe

Explanation:
Wenn er es schaffte, die Bewegung unter seine Führung zu bringen, war er im Besitz einer mächtigen Waffe gegen seine Feinde. Außer Kontrolle geraten, würde sie jedoch eine Bedrohung für die gesamte herrschende Klasse darstellen.

Peter, im Satz davor: 'Leaders of all fractions'?

Gruß, Sandra

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Note added at 51 mins (2007-08-25 15:08:48 GMT)
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bzw, 'die Führung über die Bewegung zu behalten' - auf jeden Fall 'behalten', nicht 'bringen', war ein Vesehen! Und 'politische Klasse'. Ist nicht mein Tag heute...:-)

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Note added at 1 hr (2007-08-25 15:20:55 GMT)
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oder 'die Führung zu übernehmen'. Und 'unvermeidlich' für 'inevitably. Meine Güte...

Erstmal.

Sandra Becker
Germany
Local time: 10:29
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

German
PRO pts in category: 4

Notes to answerer

Asker: Hallo Sandra. Es heisst tatsächlich 'leaders of all factions', was hier wohl eine Splittergruppe 'innerhalb' einer Partei, also eine Fraktion, die sich von ihrer ursprünglichen Partei getrennt hat, bedeutet. Ob der Autor nicht eher Fraktion, also "Teilgruppe einer Partei" meint, muss ich mit ihm klären. Danke für die Hilfe, auch wenn ich schlagkräftig noch besser finde als mächtig. Gruss, Peter

1 hr confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

wurden sie zu einer schlagkräftigen Waffe gegen seine Rivalen

sci-trans
Local time: 10:29
Native speaker of: German
PRO pts in category: 4

Grading comment

Thanx.

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it became a powerful weapon against his rivals

German translation: wurden sie zu einer schlagkräftigen Waffe gegen seine Rivalen

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