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13:08 Nov 13, 2009
German to English translations [PRO] Tech/Engineering - Architecture
German term or phrase:die Statik
Context:
"Die Statik ist manchmal etwas schräg, aber dennoch ist es ein architektonisches Highlight!"
Talking about extraordinary examples of architecture such as the Hundertwasser houses.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 44 mins (2009-11-13 13:52:59 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
e.g.
While the structural design may be somewhat irregular/crooked/eccentric/..., the house itself is (nonetheless) an architectural highlight!
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 47 mins (2009-11-13 13:55:37 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
I feel the "design" is rather important here, since the "organic" design was Hundertwasser's priority. He abhorred straight lines, referring to them as "the devil's tools".
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 48 mins (2009-11-13 13:56:50 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
i.e. the structure did not just turn out crooked (e.g. due to sloppy workmanship), but was deliberately *designed* to be so.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 1 hr (2009-11-13 14:25:15 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
@Asker:
Indeed, "Sometimes the structural design is a bit crooked" does sound #etwas schräg# ;-)
I would thus render "manchmal" as "in places" rather than as "sometimes".
e.g. The structural design is a bit/somewhat crooked/irregular/etc. in places"
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 1 hr (2009-11-13 14:26:09 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
While the structural design may be somewhat irregular/crooked/eccentric/... *in places*, the house itself is (nonetheless) an architectural highlight!
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 2 hrs (2009-11-13 15:25:10 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
As far as "eccentric" is concerned, I suggested that in my first note!
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 2 hrs (2009-11-13 15:28:36 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Taking your example sentence:
"Die Statik ist manchmal etwas schräg, aber dennoch ist es ein architektonisches Highlight!"
What exactly does the "es" refer to?
I took it to refer to a specific building (e.g. the Hundertwasserhaus), but now you say there is more than one involved...
Many thanks, this answer was definitely the most helpful, even though I didn't use "structural design" in this context, hence the lack of an entry in the glossary. 4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer
"Die Statik ist manchmal etwas schräg, aber dennoch ist es ein architektonisches Highlight!"
What exactly does the "es" refer to?
I took it to refer to a specific building (e.g. the Hundertwasserhaus), but now you say there is more than one involved...
Thanks for the answer to my question!!!! I would love a non-compound noun, but I guess it doesn't exist, unless statics is really used - I just don't know...
I think something along the lines of "Sometimes the buildings are a bit crooked" would work better than translating "Die Statik ist manchmal etwas schräg" literally.
statics, theory of structures, structural analysis and structural statics, but most compound phrases involving statik do tend to use 'structural' and a Statiker ist a structural designer, so "structural design" is presumably a valid translation too.
This is something I would desperately like to know. I do all this construction work with a German engineer who says things like von der Statik her geht das nicht... And the translation I use is "structural design", but I've never known if there is another term that real architects use or a better one....
because I feel that the "normal" meaning/translation of 'Statik' doesn't work in this context.
Automatic update in 00:
Answers
19 mins confidence:
die Statik (here)
structure
Explanation: I believe they are talking about the structure. Baustatik translates as structural analysis.
(Gaudi, for instance was once called "Pioner der Baustatik", this is referring to the structure of his buildings, the idea of nature and natural forms, etc., principles that Hundertwasser later incorporated and developed in his own)
Hope it helps you on. http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baustatik http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structural_analysis (and then "structure" disambiguation)
libelulariae United States Local time: 18:47 Specializes in field Native speaker of: English, Spanish
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 44 mins (2009-11-13 13:52:59 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
e.g.
While the structural design may be somewhat irregular/crooked/eccentric/..., the house itself is (nonetheless) an architectural highlight!
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 47 mins (2009-11-13 13:55:37 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
I feel the "design" is rather important here, since the "organic" design was Hundertwasser's priority. He abhorred straight lines, referring to them as "the devil's tools".
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 48 mins (2009-11-13 13:56:50 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
i.e. the structure did not just turn out crooked (e.g. due to sloppy workmanship), but was deliberately *designed* to be so.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 1 hr (2009-11-13 14:25:15 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
@Asker:
Indeed, "Sometimes the structural design is a bit crooked" does sound #etwas schräg# ;-)
I would thus render "manchmal" as "in places" rather than as "sometimes".
e.g. The structural design is a bit/somewhat crooked/irregular/etc. in places"
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 1 hr (2009-11-13 14:26:09 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
While the structural design may be somewhat irregular/crooked/eccentric/... *in places*, the house itself is (nonetheless) an architectural highlight!
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 2 hrs (2009-11-13 15:25:10 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
As far as "eccentric" is concerned, I suggested that in my first note!
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 2 hrs (2009-11-13 15:28:36 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Taking your example sentence:
"Die Statik ist manchmal etwas schräg, aber dennoch ist es ein architektonisches Highlight!"
What exactly does the "es" refer to?
I took it to refer to a specific building (e.g. the Hundertwasserhaus), but now you say there is more than one involved...
Colin Rowe Germany Local time: 00:47 Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 6
Grading comment
Many thanks, this answer was definitely the most helpful, even though I didn't use "structural design" in this context, hence the lack of an entry in the glossary.
Notes to answerer
Asker: True, but "Sometimes the structural design is a bit crooked" doesn't really work, does it?
Asker: The comparison here isn't limited to one building though, so it sounds wrong to say "The structural design is a bit/somewhat crooked/irregular/etc. in places" The whole Hundertwasser house is crooked, whereas other buildings (e.g. Schönbrunn Palace) are very straight and orderly.
Asker: I like 'eccentric' for 'schräg', Michael, thanks!
Asker: Good point. The Text (narration for a video) actually refers to the Hundertwasser house in Vienna on the one hand and Schönbrunn Palace etc. on the other. I took the "es" in conjunction with "ein architektonisches Highlight" to be referring to "das Hundertwasserhaus"
Asker: (Not "die Statik" itself. It would seem rather rather odd to describe that as an architectural highlight, even if the gender was right.)
Asker: ...and "aber dennoch ist es ein architektonisches Highlight!" comes while the camera is still panning the Hundertwasser house, before then cutting to views of Schönbrunn etc., which is when the narrator says that other buildings are, in contrast, very straight and orderly.
The translation workplace 
peer agreement (net): +6
