{"id":2522,"date":"2021-05-06T21:52:59","date_gmt":"2021-05-06T20:52:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/whiteroseproject.seh.ox.ac.uk\/?p=2522"},"modified":"2022-02-24T11:17:46","modified_gmt":"2022-02-24T11:17:46","slug":"translating-the-white-rose-pamphlets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whiteroseproject.seh.ox.ac.uk\/index.php\/2021\/05\/06\/translating-the-white-rose-pamphlets\/","title":{"rendered":"Translating the White Rose Pamphlets"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The student translator<\/em>s of the White Rose resistance pamphlets introduce their experiences and approach.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the course of eight months, from October to May 2019, we worked together to produce a new translation of the White Rose resistance pamphlets. We approached this project from a number of different backgrounds and perspectives. Some of us had studied the White Rose at school, through Marc Rothemund\u2019s film Sophie Scholl \u2014 Die letzten Tage <\/em>(Sophie Scholl \u2014 The Final Days<\/em>, 2005), while for others it was a name and a story that had been encountered only vaguely. Few of us had read the pamphlets, and this project offered the opportunity to approach the White Rose from a linguistic, as well as an historical, perspective. Here, we outline our response to the texts and the approaches we took as translators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our translation was a collaborative project. This proved to be a fruitful and exciting way to work. \u2018As well as mirroring the way the leaflets were originally written\u2019, Amy Wilkinson writes, \u2018translating in a team meant that there were always several solutions we could pick from, resulting in the best translation possible\u2019. The result was that frequently, the process of exchange and peer review made us think about the texts in new ways. As Pauline G\u00fcmpel comments: \u2018Especially when bearing in mind that the White Rose itself was a group of students, working together on these texts, I feel very grateful for this opportunity to discuss possible phrasings for our translation with my peers and hear their thoughts.\u2019 Our experience translating this material necessitated reflection on the kind of texts the pamphlets are, and how we as students approach them in a unique way. For example, Ro Crawford emphasises the affinity between student activism in the past and the present: \u2018A lot has changed in the seventy-five years since the White Rose group was active, but the social and political activism concentrated at universities is still a big part of the student experience for many of us.\u2019 Unlike the White Rose members, however, as Madeleine Williamson-Sarll points out, \u2018we could work on the leaflets without the fear of discovery and return to our studies knowing that we were in no danger\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Translating as a group meant we had to come to decisions collectively, which included agreeing on standard terms for words that recur throughout the six pamphlets. This sometimes proved difficult. Ilona Clayton writes: \u2018I loved going over the pamphlets with everyone, but sometimes it felt like we were going in circles because everyone preferred different things.\u2019 Even the word \u2018Flugblatt\u2019 was disputed, as Emily Rowland explains: \u2018The publishing of \u2018Flugbl\u00e4tter\u2019 is an established tradition in the German-speaking world, but the word does not have a direct English-language equivalent.\u2019 Although \u2018leaflet\u2019 is often used to refer to the White Rose\u2019s \u2018Flugbl\u00e4tter\u2019, we finally decided to use the word \u2018pamphlet\u2019 because of its political connotations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We were also aware of the very particular context in which the pamphlets were written and disseminated. This was not like doing a translation in a tutorial, where we usually work on an extract from a text, complete a version individually, and receive feedback (principally) from a tutor. G\u00fcmpel writes that she felt \u2018a particular kind of responsibility to try and convey the historical reality as accurately as possible, which was different from all the translations I had done before.\u2019 Similarly, for Crawford,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

one of the most striking aspects of the language of the originals is how jarring it is; it\u2019s easy to dismiss the drama of their work as proof of the White Rose members\u2019 youth, passion and idealism \u2014 and they certainly represent all of those things \u2014 but there\u2019s also the crushing reminder that for these young people, their activism really was a matter of life and death.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Sophie Bailey adds: \u2018When translating the White Rose, I felt very strongly the weight attached to their words and the importance of translating them as accurately as possible, whilst still preserving their original beauty and power.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The language of the pamphlets threw up several challenges. The style changes, as Williamson-Sarll notes, \u2018partly due to who wrote them, but also due to the increasing sense of urgency\u2019. We can also discern the influence of other individuals in the wider circle of the White Rose.[1]<\/a> Williamson-Sarll adds that we were faced with a \u2018text-book\u2019 translation problem:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

if we wanted to stay completely true to the originals, our versions might also sound bizarre and jarring, and might look like a \u2018bad\u2019 translation. But if we succumbed to the temptation of over-correction, we would be producing something different, which was not our intention.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

We aimed to produce an equivalent effect in our English translation as was created by the German. This applied to individual words and phrases, and to the overall style of the texts. Zo\u00eb Aebischer explains:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes we translated a sentence, but when spoken out loud it didn\u2019t carry the same ring as the German, or ended weakly, or lost some of its emphatic nature, which then required less literal translation solutions.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

We also had to agree on the kind of style and register we wanted for our English versions. Crawford explains that we had to decide whether \u2018to put the English versions into today\u2019s vernacular or attempt to make the language authentic to the time of writing.\u2019 We had a choice: to aim our translations at twenty-first-century readers, or for the audience for which the group was writing in the early 1940s. We prioritised what Finn Provan summarises as \u2018voice, nuance, and raw intention\u2019 and tried to ignore \u2018our privileged position of hindsight\u2019. We had to bear in mind too that as Timothy Powell notes, \u2018The elevated language the group used conveys their idealistic view of humankind\u2019s capacity for good as well as for evil.\u2019 We did not want to lose this aspect of the texts. Eve Mason writes: \u2018it was important to us as a group to convey the vigour, the emotion behind the words of the pamphlets. These were students who wanted more than anything to provoke action, to inspire resistance, and this meant we prioritised tone and emotion over pedantic linguistic accuracy.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge was dealing with the intertextuality embedded in the original pamphlets, especially biblical references. Crawford explains that such references \u2018often required research to find both the sources and the wording of these other texts where they appeared in existing translations that would be familiar to an English-speaking audience\u2019. The pamphlets also quote from a range of writers and philosophers. G\u00fcmpel writes of the second pamphlet,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

the translation of a passage by Laozi sounded very awkward and old-fashioned in German and it was therefore difficult to make a decision about the extent to which this should be \u2018improved\u2019 in English.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Indeed, the quotations made us more aware of the \u2018group\u2019s desire to draw on authors and philosophers who had influenced them, but this often came across as out-of-place, as if they were desperate to make use of anything and everything they had read and studied\u2019 (Williamson-Sarll).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the most significant challenges was to translate especially \u2018German\u2019 terms which do not have straightforward English-language equivalents. The word \u2018Geist\u2019, for example was problematic. Powell explains that it is \u2018a highly complex philosophical and religious concept deeply rooted in German philosophy, particularly Enlightenment discourse\u2019 and that \u2018it was difficult to find an equivalent in English philosophy (intellect would probably be the best word we have but it\u2019s not perfect for a number of reasons)\u2019. Zo\u00eb Aebischer adds that even a word like \u2018Staat\u2019, used particularly in the third pamphlet, was tricky, because \u2018in English \u201cstate\u201d can have a different meaning; sometimes we used \u201cgovernment\u201d to make it clearer.\u2019 On the difficulty of translating \u2018Staat\u2019, Williamson-Sarll adds<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In some places, the translation as \u2018state\u2019 was unproblematic and made sense, but in other paragraphs the implication seemed to be \u2018government\u2019 rather than \u2018state\u2019. This led to a discussion of the difference between the two, and we had to consider whether leaving it in the German would in fact be less misleading. \u2018Unstaat\u2019 was of course even more problematic, given that there is no obvious English equivalent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another challenge was posed by words which had been part of Nazi propaganda. The word \u2018Volk\u2019, as Tim Powell explains, \u2018has been rooted in German philosophical\/political\/religious discourse since the late Middle Ages\u2019. G\u00fcmpel adds<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is hard to express the role it took on in the context of Nazi society, and also, how it has changed throughout history, for example by being included in the 1989 reunification slogan \u2018Wir sind das Volk!\u2019.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The authors\u2019 use of such terms also reflects their understanding of the regime, as Powell points out: \u2018they demonstrated a high level of awareness and understanding of the failings of National Socialist ideology by using the regime\u2019s own ideological language against it.\u2019 This is particularly clear in the second pamphlet, when the Nazis are referred to with the word \u2018Untermenschentum\u2019 (\u2018sub-humanity\u2019), a term they themselves were using to refer to those they considered racially inferior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We encountered some instances where we had to resign ourselves to \u2018loss\u2019 in translating the texts from German to English. Crawford notes that the word \u2018Verf\u00fchrer\u2019, which appears in the fifth pamphlet, \u2018seems much more powerful than the English \u201ccorruptor\u201d, and echoes the Nazi term \u201cF\u00fchrer\u201d used for Hitler; there was no way for us to preserve the relationship between the words that the German manages so neatly.\u2019 Zo\u00eb Aebischer writes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

we had to decide where it would be more appropriate to use a more literal translation or to use a more interpretative translation to make our version more accessible. One example in the third pamphlet is the simile of guilt rising \u2018gleich einer parabolischen Kurve\u2019 (literally: \u2018like a parabolic curve\u2019) \u2014 it is as if they had been studying parabolic curves in class. I\u2019m proud of our solution of \u2018guilt growing exponentially\u2019, as it is still linked with maths, but conveys the meaning in a clearer way.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

We also wanted to address the fact that existing translations did not seem to go far enough in conveying the gender inclusivity of the texts which, as Mason points out, is not insignificant. For example, the sixth pamphlet addresses student readers with the words \u2018Kommilitoninnen! Kommilitonen!\u2019 (literally: \u2018fellow female and male students!\u2019). Mason adds that the White Rose group was \u2018genuinely calling out to \u201calle Deutsche\u201d (\u201call Germans\u201d)\u2019 and adds that \u2018where German can employ the gender neutral \u201cman\u201d (\u201cone\u201d) or \u201cMensch\u201d (\u201chuman\u201d\/\u201cperson\u201d), we have tried to translate this wherever possible using \u201cthey\u201d rather than \u201che\u201d.\u2019[2]<\/a> This also struck us as a way of emphasising the importance of women\u2019s role within the resistance, including Sophie Scholl\u2019s contribution. Mason argues:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within a university context where female students were being attacked by Nazi leaders as \u2018well-bred daughters\u2019 who were shirking their war duties by studying at university, and being told that \u2018the natural place for a woman is not at the university, but with her family, at the side of her husband\u2019,[3]<\/a> Sophie Scholl\u2019s bravery not only to further her education, but to resist the tyranny of the Third Reich, must be celebrated. Neither should the work of many women within the periphery of the White Rose group, who supported the six core members, be overlooked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We decided to include a brief glossary of terms with recur throughout the pamphlets, and endnotes so that readers could access further information but could also read the pamphlets as stand-alone texts without further commentary if they wished. We hope that readers who do not speak German may find a way into the language through out translations, using the parallel text and the supporting materials as a guide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We hope our translation will reach a wide audience, including new readers who have perhaps never heard of the White Rose, or only have vague ideas about what it was and did. Bailey writes: \u2018Now, more than ever, the words of the White Rose are relevant and necessary, and I hope that our translation can give them a new lease of life.\u2019 Rowland adds that \u2018In times of growing uncertainty and tension, it is important that these texts are not forgotten, and that they continue to generate meaningful discussions.\u2019 For some of us, reading the pamphlets so closely over a considerable period of time, gave us a new perspective on this period of history. G\u00fcmpel writes of the emotional connection she developed with the material:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am deeply moved by the thought that Sophie Scholl was the same age as I am now when she made the decision to become part of the resistance against the Nazis \u2014 a decision that she paid for with her life. I hope that especially students will read these translations and that these translated texts will have a similar effect of bringing this part of German history emotionally closer to them, just as it brought the texts closer to me.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The translation project also led to some fascinating insights into writing and resistance more broadly, as Adam Mazarelo explains:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the Arab Spring, disabled mobile and internet networks meant activists turned to leaflets as a means of highlighting and railing against the current and historical abuses of dictatorial regimes. In the Egyptian case, many of these leaflets were scanned and made available as part of a collection called the Ta\u1e25r\u012br Documents. Reading these leaflets now, eight years later and with the White Rose in mind, it\u2019s impossible not to hear the echoes across time. Drawing, as the White Rose did, on cultural and religious heritage they saw themselves as defending against perversion and erasure, the printed ephemera of the revolutions of 2011 are just as rich in satire, irony and anger. In both cases, moreover, the words ring just as true for the leaflets\u2019 contemporary readers as they do today.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Finally, the process of translating this material has led to important reflections on the power of the written word and the potential young people especially have to stand up against injustice. As Mason concludes,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an age in which young people are constantly being accused of apolitical cynicism, I hope our translation of these pamphlets can provide an example to the youth of today of the political action our generation can achieve and of the true potential we have to make a change in the world.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

[1]<\/a> One example is the writer and translator Theodor Haecker (1879-1945), whose influence is traceable in the fourth pamphlet. It draws on theology and metaphysics, presenting Hitler as the Antichrist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2]<\/a> There was one instance where this didn\u2019t work, in the sixth pamphlet: \u2018Even the most dull-witted German has had his eyes opened by the terrible bloodbath, which, in the name of the freedom and honour of the German nation, they have unleashed upon Europe, and unleash anew each day.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3]<\/a> Paul Giesler, 13 January 1943, University of Munich, cited in Russell Freedman, We Will Not Be Silent: The White Rose Student Resistance Movement That Defied Adolf Hitler<\/em> (New York: Clarion Books, 2016), p. 65.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\u00a9 Taylor Institution Library, 2019. Permission to quote must be sought via whiteroseoxford@gmail.com. <\/strong><\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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