Der Übersetzer: Cicerone in einer fremden Stadt

Abstract

Against the background of the Vulgata deutsch project and the desired approach of a credible translation of the Sacra Vulgata of Jerome, this article mentions two different translation concepts. A translation should primarily be a helpful guide and an efficient tool for the reader. Some concrete examples exemplify the difficulties of the translation process and how it is influenced by preliminary considerations. It is made clear that the translator must pay attention to the smallest details in stylistics and syntactics in order to reproduce the text authentically. The article draws the view also on other obligations of the translator, because the translation is only a first exegetical step on the way to understanding the original text. The duty of the translator does not end with taking the barrier of knowledge around original words and the language of origin, but also includes the didactic task of mediating between the languages, and finally the exegetical explanation of the original inner meaning. This is where the translator, like a cicerone in a foreign city, has taken on the challenge of introducing his readers, once strangers to this city, as inhabitants, so that they now belong there.