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die Zeit einengen oder das Wesen einengen

English translation: his nature, which caused time to slip through his hands and closed him in

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:sein Wesen, das ihm die Zeit nicht nur verkürzte, sondern auch einengte
English translation:his nature, which caused time to slip through his hands and closed him in
Entered by: Johanna Timm, PhD

17:12 Jan 24, 2008
German to English translations [PRO]
Social Sciences - Psychology / A little philosophy!
German term or phrase: die Zeit einengen oder das Wesen einengen
I am confused about the following sentence:

Sein Wesen das ihm die Zeit nicht nur verkuerzte, sondern auch einengte.

Is it the time that is being eingeengt?
Is it the person's nature that is being eingeengt?
Is it the time that is being verkuerzt?
Is it the person's nature that is being verkuerzt?


Context is possibly also needed:
This paragraph is about a clinically depressed and very philosophical man: the man had a normal life and job. then it says: Er sah sich und anderen zu und er tat dies gelegentlich immer noch, tat, was er erlernt hatte und was nicht zu erlernen war, was mit Neigung oder Abneigung zu tun hat, mit Lust und Geluesten, mit Beobachtungsfaehigkeit und Spazierengehen und Wallungen in denen er manches sah, was ihn eingeholt hatte: sein Wesen das ihm die Zeit nicht nur verkuerzte, sondern auch einengte. - I'm so sorry its so long!
Holly Sayer
Local time: 20:36
his nature, which caused time to slip through his hands and closed him in
Explanation:
Quite a brain teaser!

As we've seen from our colleagues, the German is not very clear.

This is how I interpret this text:

When we are depressed, our feelings about time change. It's also not uncommon for people who are struggling with severe emotional problems to feel closed in (trapped) by their very nature or their mind.

As I see it, this man's own nature is his worst enemy. His mind causes him to "lose precious time" and feel closed in.

We've all had feelings like this.

The subject of this phrase is thus "Wesen". The direct object is "Zeit" and "ihm" is of course the indirect object.

To answer your questions:

Is it the time that is being eingeengt? NO
Is it the person's nature that is being eingeengt? NO
Is it the time that is being verkuerzt? YES
Is it the person's nature that is being verkuerzt? NO

What does it mean "to shorten" time? As I see it, means time just flies by, leaving us with nothing but vague memories.

I'd take a bit of poetic license and translate it like this:

His nature, which caused time to slip through his hands and closed him in.

Thus, you might be able to replace the word "nature" with "mind" in your translation.

Duden
Wesen = die charakterlichen Eigenschaften einer Person

I wouldn't worry about the fact that you haven't translated "nicht nur...sondern auch". This is a formulation that is often used in German but not always directly translated into English.

Hope that helps.
Selected response from:

Paul Cohen
Greenland
Local time: 18:36
Grading comment
Thank you so much - I believe you have hit the nail on the head - sorry I didn't answer quicker, I didn't have instant access to the internet - thank you everyone!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +3constricted him
Kim Metzger
3 +2his nature, which caused time to slip through his hands and closed him in
Paul Cohen
3not only shortened time for him but also constricted it
Tom Tyson
3constricted time
Darin Fitzpatrick


Discussion entries: 7





  

Answers


18 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
constricted him


Explanation:
A very rough attempt that would need quite a bit of fine-tuning:

...turmoil in which he saw some things that had caught up with him: his nature, which had not only made time shorter for him but had also constricted him

Kim Metzger
Mexico
Local time: 13:36
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 64

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Darin Fitzpatrick: Shouldn't the DO of "einengen" be "die Zeit" as well - not "ihm", which is the IO?
11 mins
  -> Yes - you're right.
neutral  Tom Tyson: With Darin - would be ihn not ihm
13 mins
agree  Johanna Timm, PhD: the grammar might be ambiguous, but I understand the sentence exactly the way Kim interpreted it: it's his nature that is making life difficult for him
1 hr
agree  Karin Maack: with Johanna. I think the text is ambiguous just because the style is - uhm- not very clear.
1 hr
agree  Paul Cohen: With some fine-tuning...yes! Basically, his nature has made time "verkürzt" and it has also "eingeengt" him.
5 hrs
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33 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
not only shortened time for him but also constricted it


Explanation:
whatever that means

Tom Tyson
Local time: 20:36
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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33 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
constricted time


Explanation:
"... his character, which not only shortened, but also constricted, his time."

Could be made more elegant, though.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 39 mins (2008-01-24 17:51:30 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Hmm... after reading your questions again I see that I don't have a good answer. The original is completely ambiguous to me.

The alternative reading would be:

"his character, which time had not only shortened, but also constricted for him." (or "nature", if that suits you better)

In either case, it appears that a comma would be needed: "sein Wesen, das ihm die Zeit ..."


Darin Fitzpatrick
United States
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thank you so much everybody - I'm actually glad not many people understand it, I was starting to doubt my German skills! :-)


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Paul Cohen: At the end of the day, we need a translation that has legs. Is this phrase "completely ambiguous" or not? BTW, I can't get my head around what "constricted time" means. And I don't understand a "shortened character" either. Sorry.
4 hrs
  -> The ambiguity is whether "das Wesen" or "die Zeit" is the subject, that's all. But your translation seems to capture the sense, such as it is. If it works for Holly, it works for me!
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
Sein Wesen das ihm die Zeit nicht nur verkuerzte, sondern auch einengte
his nature, which caused time to slip through his hands and closed him in


Explanation:
Quite a brain teaser!

As we've seen from our colleagues, the German is not very clear.

This is how I interpret this text:

When we are depressed, our feelings about time change. It's also not uncommon for people who are struggling with severe emotional problems to feel closed in (trapped) by their very nature or their mind.

As I see it, this man's own nature is his worst enemy. His mind causes him to "lose precious time" and feel closed in.

We've all had feelings like this.

The subject of this phrase is thus "Wesen". The direct object is "Zeit" and "ihm" is of course the indirect object.

To answer your questions:

Is it the time that is being eingeengt? NO
Is it the person's nature that is being eingeengt? NO
Is it the time that is being verkuerzt? YES
Is it the person's nature that is being verkuerzt? NO

What does it mean "to shorten" time? As I see it, means time just flies by, leaving us with nothing but vague memories.

I'd take a bit of poetic license and translate it like this:

His nature, which caused time to slip through his hands and closed him in.

Thus, you might be able to replace the word "nature" with "mind" in your translation.

Duden
Wesen = die charakterlichen Eigenschaften einer Person

I wouldn't worry about the fact that you haven't translated "nicht nur...sondern auch". This is a formulation that is often used in German but not always directly translated into English.

Hope that helps.


Paul Cohen
Greenland
Local time: 18:36
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 27
Grading comment
Thank you so much - I believe you have hit the nail on the head - sorry I didn't answer quicker, I didn't have instant access to the internet - thank you everyone!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Kim Metzger: Very nice, Paul. Holly has good taste.
2 hrs
  -> Thanks, Kim! ;-)
agree  PoveyTrans (X): Interesting question and equally interesting answer - tehehe, well, it sounds like our poor patient could do with some cerebral connectivity to ease his depression :-)
2 hrs
  -> Thanks, Simon. But does it have that essential je-ne-sais-quoi ..."connectivity" ?? ;-)
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