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German to English translations [PRO] Marketing - Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
German term or phrase:Die Natur läßt sich biegen, aber nicht brechen
This is being used in an advert that I have been asked to translate, showing a picture of a woman (who may be a Paralympic athlete) doing a yoga pose. The advert itself is supposed to encourage people to donate blood.
I'm unsure what the saying itself means first of all - I then need to decide if we have a similar saying in English and whether this would be appropriate in this context.
I was wondering if it was something like 'you can't teach an old dog new tricks'/'you can't teach your grandmother to suck eggs' or a 'leopard never changes its spots' - none of which would then be appropriate for this advert.
Explanation: or: The flexibility of nature is endless/infinite
This is the sort of thing that instinctively comes to mind - it says roughly the same sort of thing as the German, and links with the picture (yoga = flexibility + Paralympians = "flexibility" of the human form, i.e. people can be successful whatever nature has bestowed on them).
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 1 hr (2016-10-19 12:13:06 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Another option that comes to mind is simply "People can do all sorts of things" (because one can at least mentally complete that with "... including give blood").
This was one of the options I sent the client. However, I did also like lancashireman's suggestion (even though it may not be exactly what the German means - my agency client wanted to keep the idea of bending/flexibility in the English, because of the visual) 4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer
I feel the more literal translation would be Lesley’s suggestion "The laws of nature can be bent, but not broken" - I actually also came up with this option myself before posting the thread, but my agency client wasn't happy with the suggestion as they felt it didn't go well enough with the image. For another context, that option would be better imho
It's closest to the "laws of physics" example. It's not a statement about how much "flexibility" there is in nature, but that there is no escape from the "nature of the beast." Think "instincts."
I'm sorry. However, in reply to your glossary entry and your comment "it may be useful for another translator in the future," I'd have to add:
I've tried to explain the use of the phrase in this particular context. If this is about general usage, the answer you chose - which may work fine in your context (which is why I didn't agree or disagree anywhere) - is completely off base, in my opinion. The alternative suggestion "People can do all sorts of things" is even worse.
See the other examples from the link below: "Natur ist mehr denn (überwindet) Gewohnheit. Natur gehet vor Kunst. Natur läßt sich nicht ändern. Natur ist Meister. Natur geht vor Lehre. Die Natur läßt sich biegen aber nicht brechen."
I completely agree with Paul that the client should have provided much more background information - in fact, I did advice the agency of this when the job was offered. Tbh, this is not the sort of job this agency usually takes, so is probably why they were out of their depth. They even originally wanted to pay me simply the 'word' rate!! I have another client who specialises in this area, and they always provide much more information. Thanks for all the comments - they have been very useful. I ended up sending them a selection of options (some suggested here and a couple of my own)
I think the five offerings below pretty much conform to that approach. Can we perhaps agree that the best option will not necessarily incorporate the word 'nature'?
I agree with Paul - it doesn't sound like a very good campaign, unless it works better in German than in English. Will this ad definitely be used, or is it just for information? A lot of the ads I translate are just ad agencies showing off their work. If it's going to be used, I think it needs a complete rewrite. So is it just the headline, the picture of the woman, her blood group, and the words Swiss Red Cross? Does it not even say Give Blood?
I'm a bit slow sometimes. Could you explain how, in your view, the phrase "Dank innerer Stärke wieder im Gleichgewicht" (with the photo of a one-legged woman doing yoga) is supposed to encourage people to donate blood? I don't see the connection between the image, the text and the blood campaign. Mind you, my critiscim is not of you, Andrew, but of the campaign, which I find very eye-catching but not very effective because it seems to lack clarity.
"the yoga woman has Dank innerer Stärke wieder im Gleichgewicht" So Pauls' interpretation of the campaign as a whole does not necessarily change the message conveyed by the image you are looking at.
From p. 5 of the PDF of the 2015 annual report that Alison found online:
"Auch dieses Jahr treten wir wieder mit einem Leitmotiv öffentlich auf: Es geht dabei um Mitmenschen, die dank der modernen Medizin von Krankheiten und Verletzungen geheilt sind und oft im Rahmen ihres Heilungsprozesses auf die Gabe von Blutprodukten angewiesen waren. Die Bilder von strahlenden Menschen, die teilweise für ihr Leben gezeichnet sind, sollen den gesunden und unversehrten Menschen Mut machen, mit ihrer Blutspende zur Genesung von Patienten beizutragen."
So the focus is on people who wouldn't be alive today if they had not received a blood transfusion.
I have come across the 2015 Annual Report for an organisation using adverts and phrases like these. The basketball one is there, but the Natur quote we are discussing has been placed with an image of an athlete wearing a blade on one leg. Meantime, the yoga woman has Dank innerer Stärke wieder im Gleichgewicht.
Thanks, that makes sense - I had kind of assumed that they had benefited from blood donation (i.e. were still alive today because of blood donation), but the other way of looking at it makes more sense.
... with maybe more to come, making a series? The consistent message is that, if disabled people can overcome adversity and manage to be blood donors, what's your excuse as an able-bodied person.
There are two adverts, one shows a man in a wheelchair with a basketball, saying "Mein Punktsieg im Spiel des Lebens" and the other shows a woman who I think is missing the bottom part of one leg, doing a yoga pose, saying 'Die Natur läßt sich biegen, aber nicht brechen', so I think you are definitely on to something with the message being about human resilience.
Explanation: or: The flexibility of nature is endless/infinite
This is the sort of thing that instinctively comes to mind - it says roughly the same sort of thing as the German, and links with the picture (yoga = flexibility + Paralympians = "flexibility" of the human form, i.e. people can be successful whatever nature has bestowed on them).
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 1 hr (2016-10-19 12:13:06 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Another option that comes to mind is simply "People can do all sorts of things" (because one can at least mentally complete that with "... including give blood").
Armorel Young Local time: 18:55 Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 134
Grading comment
This was one of the options I sent the client. However, I did also like lancashireman's suggestion (even though it may not be exactly what the German means - my agency client wanted to keep the idea of bending/flexibility in the English, because of the visual)
1 hr confidence: peer agreement (net): +1
I may bend, but I don't break[.]
Explanation: English prefers the first person approach, phrasing this as a caption expressing the woman's indomitable will. I think that any reference to 'nature' just detracts from the message. The full stop at the end is optional.
Lancashireman United Kingdom Local time: 18:55 Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 160
