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eine hohe Kunst

English translation: (It takes) a touch of genius

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GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

German term or phrase:	eine hohe Kunst
English translation:	(It takes) a touch of genius
Entered by:	Diana Loos

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16:23 Mar 5, 2008

German to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Music

German term or phrase: eine hohe Kunst

I'm translating information about concert programmes for a website. I simply can't find the right turn of phrase. Here's the context: "Jahrhundertealte Partituren so authentisch wie möglich zu neuem Leben zu erwecken, ist eine hohe Kunst. " TIA for all ideas!

Diana Loos KudoZ activity Questions: 33 (none open) (1 without valid answers) (3 closed without grading) Answers: 49
Local time: 15:01

(It takes) a touch of genius

Explanation:
As suggested by Ken, you could turn the sentence around. I would start with "It takes a touch of genius to..."

I agree with Kieran that the expression "hohe Kunst" is used rather loosely here (it's a rather common expression in German) and a specific reference to 'art' in the translation is not essential.

"It takes a touch of genius to bring a twelfth-century intellectual to life in this way."
http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/more_reviews.asp?ref=9780...

"It takes a touch of genius to sum up Beckett, the gloomiest of modern playwrights, in a laugh."
http://www.ezrabuzzington.com/reviews.htm

Selected response from:

Paul Cohen
Greenland
Local time: 11:01

Grading comment

This answer really does hit the sopt. Thanks to everyone for the stimulating discussion - !
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

4 +14

a fine art

mary austria

3 +6

[requires] the touch of a virtuouso

Colin Rowe

2 +4

an art form

Hilary Davies Shelby

4 +1

outstanding skills

Harald Moelzer (medical-translator)

3 +1

(It takes) a touch of genius

Paul Cohen

a creation of a genius/a truly artistic creation

Cathrin Cordes

4 -1

a higher art

Courtney Sliwinski

Answers

1 min confidence:

peer agreement (net): +14

a fine art

Explanation:
That's easy.

mary austria
Local time: 15:01
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

agree

GeorginaW

6 mins

-> Thanks, Georgina!

agree

Antoinette-M. Sixt Ruth: Antoinette-M. Sixt Ruth

7 mins

-> Thanks, Antoinette-M.

agree

Rahel H.

10 mins

-> Thanks, Rahel!

agree

Hilary Davies Shelby

11 mins

-> Thanks, Hilary!

agree

Ken McKerrow: I would say that if mainly the orchestra is being advertised, but I would be inclined to Colin's phrase if a special conductor, singer, or other individual is the main attraction.

11 mins

-> Thanks, Sprachkunst!

agree

Damian Harrison: With Sprachkunst

25 mins

-> Thanks, Damian!

agree

Marnen Laibow-Koser: Looks good. Or perhaps "a great art".

35 mins

-> Thanks, Marnen!

agree

LittleBalu: with Sprachkunst

50 mins

-> Thanks, LittleBalu!

agree

sappho: fine, rather that great captures the nature of the undertaking

1 hr

-> Thanks, Sappho!

agree

Stefan Boxhorn

3 hrs

-> Thanks, Stefan!

agree

Kathi Stock

3 hrs

-> Thanks, Kathi !

neutral

yyyzzz: Sorry to rain on your parade but, despite your 11 agrees so far (and still growing), I don’t think that an answer given in one minute flat is necessarily going to satisfy an asker whose profile states ‘Music from Albinoni to Zimmermann’.

4 hrs

-> A few raindrops never hurt. Thanks for your interest.

agree

Kinga Elsewesi-Korcsmaros

4 hrs

-> Thanks, Kinga!

agree

Steffen Walter: @ Andrew: Care to comment on the content of the answer, instead of referring to (largely) irrelevant side issues?

16 hrs

-> Thanks, Steffen. IMO that was a simple, straightforward, puristic translation.

agree

Amphyon

20 hrs

7 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

outstanding skills

Explanation:

...are required...

Harald Moelzer (medical-translator)
Germany
Local time: 15:01
Native speaker of:

German

1 hr confidence:

peer agreement (net): -1

a higher art

Explanation:
Why wouldn't the obvious literal translation work here?

Courtney Sliwinski
Local time: 15:01
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English

5 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +4

an art form

Explanation:
...is a real art form/...is an art form in itself

Just playing with the art theme!

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 hrs (2008-03-05 21:29:36 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

"requires a finely-tuned talent"
(OK, so that's pushing it a little, but I couldn't resist! ;-))

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 hrs (2008-03-05 21:30:15 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

"is a project on a major scale"

(Thank you, I'm here all week ;-)).

Hilary Davies Shelby
Local time: 08:01
Native speaker of:

English

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

agree

Steffen Walter: ... is an art in itself?

11 hrs

-> i like it!

agree

Colin Rowe: I can tell you had fun with this one!

11 hrs

-> heheh thanks ;-)

agree

Kieran McCann: I think this is better than 'fine art' which is too specific and not particularly relevant here anyway

13 hrs

-> Thanks Kieran!

agree

yyyzzz: Some good options here, Hil. Also using your space to respond to Steffen (hope you don’t mind). The ‘bandwagon effect’ can often be observed on KudoZ and it is not a ‘side issue’. A 1-minute response time (‘That’s easy’) does not do this question justice.

14 hrs

-> Thanks A - no problem, but he can't respond back to you here, so perhaps an Asker note would be better? I personally like "fine art" - we often say it jokingly in our house for mundane things - "ah, there's a fine art to this laundry folding, ya know" ;-)

7 hrs confidence:

a creation of a genius/a truly artistic creation

Explanation:
my idea

Cathrin Cordes
Local time: 14:01
Native speaker of:

German

6 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +6

[requires] the touch of a virtuouso

Explanation:
My suggestion

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 17 hrs (2008-03-06 09:38:22 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

For "virtuouso", please read "virtuoso"...

Colin Rowe
Germany
Local time: 15:01
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 16

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

agree

LittleBalu: see Sprachkunst's comment above // and with Ken's comment below

45 mins

-> Thanks!

agree

yyyzzz: If it were indeed as easy as one other contributor suggests, it is unlikely that this particular asker would have bothered posting the phrase. // Also agree with Bernhard below. 'Fine art(s)' has connotations other than musical.

2 hrs

-> I agree.

agree

Hilary Davies Shelby: i like this one, too, but isn't it "virtuoso"?

2 hrs

-> Thanks! I completely missed my typo this time!

agree

113160: gets across the tremendous artistry involved in this task. "Fine art" as suggested above does not. Sounds more like (one of ) the "fine arts" (IMO). And with Hillary.

3 hrs

-> Yes, sorry about the typo!

agree

Ken Cox: exactly, and perhaps with the sentence inverted (e.g. it takes true virtuosity to...)

7 hrs

-> Nice idea.

agree

Steffen Walter: with Ken

16 hrs

-> Me too!

22 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

(It takes) a touch of genius

Paul Cohen
Greenland
Local time: 11:01
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 8

Grading comment

This answer really does hit the sopt. Thanks to everyone for the stimulating discussion - !

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English translation: (It takes) a touch of genius

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eine hohe Kunst

English translation: (It takes) a touch of genius

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KudoZ™ translation helpThe KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.

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The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.