Introduction to German Translation (GERM U311) was taught for the first time in USC Upstate’s history to eight students in Fall 2019. The focus of the course is on the essential goal of the translator, which is to transmit a living voice from one language, culture and moment to another. By using hands-on teaching techniques, students learn to develop effective strategies and techniques to translate a variety of texts from different subject areas and topics.

Dr. Alexander Lorenz, Assistant Professor of German, created the course for students to add these skills to their professional portfolio and make important documents accessible to those who are not able to read them in their original form. “I noticed that many documents that shaped the way we think about contemporary society are not available in the English language. I wanted to create an opportunity for our students to learn about Germany’s history, but at the same time give them an opportunity to create and publish high-quality translations,” said Lorenz.

Before translating original historic artifacts, students practice on typical problems that a translator encounters when faced with texts relating to technology, natural and social sciences, business, anthropology, history, literature, commerce, and advertising. Through practice exercises and assigned tasks, students learn how to use a variety of translation tools, software (CAT tools), dictionaries, glossaries, and handbooks that are useful for any type of translation task.

Students translated original handwritten documents from Nazi concentration camps, as well as Hitler Youth magazines and other documents related to Nazi Germany. Mr. Brad Lephew, a private collector of WWII documents, donated a digital version of his collection to the university. Lephew is impressed with the students’ translations saying, “I was astonished by the quality work that these German learners produced.” 

In collaboration with Ann Merryman, Coordinator of Archives and Special Collections at USC Upstate, these documents were scanned and made available along with student translations in the South Carolina Digital Library. The digital archive makes accessible these important and often personal records of a crucial period in world history. Lephew commented, “I am very pleased that the translations of these important documents will now be available for public use.”

In addition to building their resume with a portfolio of published translations, each student in the course received a scholarship through the Dell Scholars Program.

A Student’s Voice

Knowing (that work would be used for public scholarship) helped me realize that I really needed to remain unbiased and translate the true meaning of the text. There were some sentences that didn’t really make sense in English, but if I changed it around to make sense, it lost the original meaning. So there were a few times I had to keep confusing sentences in order to preserve the original context and meaning. This also made me work harder because I wanted people to actually be able to use these documents and appreciate the effort I put into translating them. <excerpted from an anonymous survey>

Sample Translation 
      (a letter written from Ravensbruck Concentration Camp)