The language of the Third Reich by Victor Klemperer with regard to translations. An experience report Cover Image

Die Sprache des Dritten Reiches von Victor Klemperer unter Berücksichtigung von Übersetzungen. Ein Erfahrungsbericht
The language of the Third Reich by Victor Klemperer with regard to translations. An experience report

Author(s): Ana Dimova
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies, Translation Studies
Published by: Софийски университет »Св. Климент Охридски«
Keywords: Victor Klemperer; the language of the Third Reich; translation; cultural specifics

Summary/Abstract: The paper analyzes the language of the Third Reich, as portrayed by Victor Klemperer in his LTI, Lingua Tertii Imperii: A Philologist’s Notebook, by focusing on three terms that were foundational for the National Socialist ideology and its social practices: Reich, Gefolgschaft, and Gleichschaltung. For translation, they pose a problem as they were strongly ideologically conditioned and firmly bound to the German language, hence lacking equivalents in most languages. In translation, these culturally specific terms are typically rendered through loan words or are calqued. In cases where functional analogies were used in translation, intriguing historical or ideological similarities can be observed in different languages and cultures. The translatological analysis is based on translations into Bulgarian, Russian, and English.

  • Issue Year: 5/2025
  • Issue No: Special 2
  • Page Range: 326-338
  • Page Count: 13
  • Language: German
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