zunächst am Beginn

English translation: initially / at the beginning

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:zunächst am Beginn
English translation:initially / at the beginning
Entered by: BrigitteHilgner

06:47 Jan 27, 2009
German to English translations [Non-PRO]
Folklore / Martinstag (St. Martin's Day)
German term or phrase: zunächst am Beginn
Greetings,

Please see:
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martinstag

"Die verschiedenen Bräuche wurzeln in zwei wohl zusammenhängenden Umständen. In der von Byzanz beeinflussten Christenheit lag der Martinstag zunächst am Beginn der 40-tägigen Fastenzeit ab dem 11. November, die vom Mittelalter bis in die Neuzeit hinein – in den Orthodoxen Kirchen teilweise bis heute – vor Weihnachten begangen wurde."

I can find no dictionary entry for "zunächst an".

Many thanks,

Simon
SeiTT
United Kingdom
Local time: 13:47
initially / at the beginning
Explanation:
"zunächst" and "am" don't belong together.
zunächst = in the early years after people began to celebrate the saint's day.
The celebration took place at the beginning/start of ...
Selected response from:

BrigitteHilgner
Austria
Local time: 14:47
Grading comment
many thanks excellent
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +6possible explanation
Ken Cox
5 +2originally
rcmold
3initially / at the beginning
BrigitteHilgner


  

Answers


36 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
zunächst / am Beginn
initially / at the beginning


Explanation:
"zunächst" and "am" don't belong together.
zunächst = in the early years after people began to celebrate the saint's day.
The celebration took place at the beginning/start of ...

BrigitteHilgner
Austria
Local time: 14:47
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
Grading comment
many thanks excellent

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Ken Cox: I agree that they don't belong together. IMO the interpretation 'at first' is possible, but I don't see any indication (in the text) that the date has changed since then.
2 mins
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37 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +6
possible explanation


Explanation:
I suspect that in this constellation 'zunächts' has nothing to do with 'am Beginn', but instead marks the first of the two circumstances the author intends to describe, which means it is paired with 'Daneben' later on and can be interpreted as 'firstly' (and the author could have worded this more clearly).

Ken Cox
Local time: 14:47
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Ulrike Kraemer: It becomes clearer when reading the Wikipedia article.
16 mins

agree  Helen Shiner: This is how I would see it.
2 hrs

agree  Thomas Pfann: Yes, given the context of the whole paragraph this is the only possible explanation. The German should have been phrased differently to avoid confusion.
2 hrs

agree  Katia DG: In the first place, the saint's day marked the beginning of the Fastenzeit; furthermore, it also was...
2 hrs

agree  Ingeborg Gowans (X): it is indeed a bit confusing, "at first"
4 hrs

agree  Inge Meinzer
5 hrs
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59 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +2
originally


Explanation:
originally at the start of..
I agree ,the orignal text is awkward, as it is not defined what prompted the original timing

rcmold
Local time: 14:47
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Harald Moelzer (medical-translator)
10 mins

agree  Jonathan MacKerron: originally observed at the beginning of
25 mins

agree  franglish
31 mins

disagree  Ulrike Kraemer: Sorry for disagreeing with your suggestion but if you read the Wikipedia article, you will see that Ken's explanation is correct = firstly (zunächst) and secondly (daneben).
41 mins
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