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die Todesnähe in Szene setzen

English translation: to stage-manage one's own final moments

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:die Todesnähe in Szene setzen
English translation:to stage-manage one's own final moments
Entered by: PoveyTrans (X)

12:57 Oct 9, 2006
German to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature
German term or phrase: die Todesnähe in Szene setzen
This is an extract from a 1950's novel. I am not translating for publication, just to get the sense across. The words are not difficult but the sense is not very obvious [to me].

In the preceding paragraph, the author describes a picture which depicts a battle field with slaughtered soliders. He then goes on to describe:

Es mag noch hingehen, dass ein Mensch die Todesnaehe fuer sich selbst in Szene setzt, doch auch meine Mutter war betroffen, freilich unter
gleichsam mildernden Umstanden: ueber ihrem Bett hing lange das Blind von de Vinci.
monumentales Gemalde ,,Tod und Lebencc
PoveyTrans (X)
Local time: 17:17
to stage-manage one's own final moments
Explanation:
It may be the case that every human being (to some extent) stage-manages his own final moments on earth
It may be the case that every human being (to some extent) stage-manages the manner of his dying
It may be the case that every human being (to some extent) stage-manages his death throes

i.e. there remains an element of choice and self-determination even in death
Selected response from:

Lancashireman
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:17
Grading comment
Thanks - this wasn't an easy one - next time I'll perhaps quote more.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +1to stage-manage one's own final moments
Lancashireman
3to sense the closeness of death for oneself.
muitoprazer (X)
3acts out their final moments on earth in their head
Henry Schroeder
3envisions approaching death in their own way
Lori Dendy-Molz
3conjures up the finality of one's own death
gangels (X)
3has panavision death-throes on his walls if that's what he likes, but...
Stephen Reader


  

Answers


7 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
to sense the closeness of death for oneself.


Explanation:
you could articulate the particular sense,i.e smell see hear feel the approach of death in a given context.

muitoprazer (X)
Local time: 17:17
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks so much for your conribution.

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38 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
to stage-manage one's own final moments


Explanation:
It may be the case that every human being (to some extent) stage-manages his own final moments on earth
It may be the case that every human being (to some extent) stage-manages the manner of his dying
It may be the case that every human being (to some extent) stage-manages his death throes

i.e. there remains an element of choice and self-determination even in death


Lancashireman
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:17
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 159
Grading comment
Thanks - this wasn't an easy one - next time I'll perhaps quote more.
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks so much for your conribution.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Ingeborg Gowans (X)
1 hr
neutral  Stephen Reader: Not sure. Txt sounds like a winge - loosely, ''s alright if you want to make a thing of approaching death for yourSELF, but me mum was put off too...' (we need more text really)
1 day 2 hrs
  -> Not sure? That makes six of us.
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
acts out their final moments on earth in their head


Explanation:
...that everybody acts out their final moments on earth in their head, but my...

"etwas in Szene setzen" means "inszenieren, aufführen", but the Leo translation "stage manage" is not really appropriate for literature. "to stage" alone or "produce" or "perform" would all be acceptible literal options, as would less literal ones like imagines, pictures, orchestrates, etc. The idea is not that he arranges the events in a certain way, but that he conceives of them in his mind, he creates a picture of them, i.e. in Szene setzen (create the scene).

Todesnähe is the "approach to death" or the last minutes before death. I would highly recommend looking a Prince Andrey's death in War and Peace and the death of a protagonist in Sevastopol Stories for literary, albeit translated descriptions of the last minutes before death.

Obviously the options are endless and you will probably be able to come up with a better sentence in the context.

Henry Schroeder
United States
Local time: 12:17
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 88
1 corroborated select project
in this pair and field What is ProZ.com Project History(SM)?
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks so much for your conribution.

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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
envisions approaching death in their own way


Explanation:
...another variation on the theme

Lori Dendy-Molz
Germany
Local time: 18:17
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 22
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks so much for your conribution.

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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
conjures up the finality of one's own death


Explanation:
Or as Woody Allen put it: "I am not afraid of dying; I just don't want to be there when it happens".

gangels (X)
Local time: 10:17
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 32
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks so much for your conribution.

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1 day 4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
has panavision death-throes on his walls if that's what he likes, but...


Explanation:
...might be a v. loose (maybe over-the-top) rendering of the sense I get here. I think it's a form of complaint, in the line of 'everyone to their own taste, but... '. As so often, background mood/context will be a factor.
In practice, 'Panavision' may be anachronistic - 'Technicolour'? That kind of thing for 'in Szene setzen in this context. Less specific metaphors might be (death-throesI 'splayed all over his wall/s','plaster his walls with...', etc. Background sense for me is 'make a whole environment/big feature of'.

Stephen Reader
Local time: 18:17
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks so much for your conribution.

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