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16:05 Apr 21, 2009
English to Norwegian translations [PRO] Tourism & Travel
English term or phrase:5 great fjords
Hello. I'm posting this in the Eng>Nor pair to make sure it gets to the right people.
I'm dealing with a Japanese to English tourism translation, in which the source Japanese continually uses the phrase "5 great fjords". It could also mean "5 large fjords", "5 major fjords", "5 big fjords", etc.
They are spoken of vaguely, but one sentence does say:
"Of the 5 great fjords, the most idyllic is Hardangerfjord."
That's the only one that's mentioned specifically.
In Norway, are there 5 fjords that are known as being the "5 great fjords"?
I am wondering whether I should just say "great fjords" in English, or if such a thing actually exists in Norway (5 specific fjords).
Thank you!
(Please answer in English, as I don't speak Norwegian.)
Explanation: I think this must be an invention by a Japanese travel agency.
The five longest fjords are Sognefjorden, Hardangerfjorden, Trondheimsfjorden, Porsangen og Storfjorden - but as far as I know, they don't occupy any unique position.
It would be better not to write major or great fjords, just big or something similar.
I just said "great fjords" and included a note to the client summarizing what everyone said here. Thanks so much! 4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer
I am going to mention all this to them... Otherwise people will go to Norway and be like "hey I want to see the 5 great fjords." and the local Norwegians will say "huh?" :P
Nærøyfjord and Geirangerfjord are both on the UNESCO World Heritage List as two separate fjords and not as parts of Sognefjord and Storfjord respectively. If you add the, in my opinion, spectacular Lysefjord you have three. A Japanese with limited knowledge on the subject would just add Sognefjord and let's say Hardangerfjord, and voila! Five it is..
I'm not saying that this makes any sense to me as a Norwegian, but at the same time I understand why they want to lay it on thick, given the nature and purpose of the text..
5 great fjords is a nice translation. It means 5 spectacular fjords.
And no, there are no 5 fjords that are known as being the the five great fjords (or major fjords).
Automatic update in 00:
Answers
11 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +2
no such thing
Explanation: I think this must be an invention by a Japanese travel agency.
The five longest fjords are Sognefjorden, Hardangerfjorden, Trondheimsfjorden, Porsangen og Storfjorden - but as far as I know, they don't occupy any unique position.
It would be better not to write major or great fjords, just big or something similar.
Bjørnar Magnussen Local time: 04:02 Works in field Native speaker of: Norwegian PRO pts in category: 50
Grading comment
I just said "great fjords" and included a note to the client summarizing what everyone said here. Thanks so much!
Notes to answerer
Asker: Hehe, yes they are known to invent such buzz words. I will include a note to the client.
43 mins confidence:
5 great fjords
Explanation: It is possible that the five great fjords refer to a specific tour, for example a cruise or excursion.
As my colleagues say, there are many fjords, but maybe the travel agency actually has five specific fjords in mind. The cruise ship Five Stars of Scandinavia cruises through five fjords as mentioned in the reference below. Hence, I think you should keep the "five".
Example sentence(s):
Cruise through five fjords, including two that were both recently declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The translation workplace 
peer agreement (net): +2
