German: MutterbodenEnglish translation: fertile soil 
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German to English translations [PRO]
Social Sciences - Philosophy / Ernst Cassirer | | German term or phrase: Mutterboden | "Another difficulty is that Cassirer repeatedly describes myth as the Mutterboden, as the ‘mother ground’ that constitutes the genetic basis for all other forms of culture."
Mother ground has been created here and sounds allright, too. But technically the Mutterboden is the top soil, the dark top layer that is fertile.
Following the metaphor, myth is a fertile breeding ground all other forms of culture develop from. This notion comes from the system of symbolic forms.
So one could say that myth is the 'mother' of all cultural forms? Or just a dirty substrate things may grow in? How to translate that into English?
I am aware that this question has been asked about a text on Descartes and Leibniz. |
| | | stick to yours - fertile soil | Explanation:
I like the way you translated it. Because it's a metaphor for the fertile soil, 'mother ground' sounds a bit off, not English in my opinion.
... describes myth as the Mutterboden, as the ‘fertile soil’ that harbors the genetic basis for all other forms of culture.
You could also include a play on words with <b>cradle</b> (somewhat related to mother and nurturing). e.g.: "... as the Mutterboden, the cradle which embraced the genetic basis for all other forms of culture." |
| Selected response from:
 Tamas Toth
Hungary
| Note from asker to answererWell, I said 'breeding ground' and you say 'soil'; but I will use this and your helpful 'harbours' which is indeed more apt folliwing the nurturing nature of soil than 'constitutes' is. But I am afraid I cannot go along with cradles embracing the genetic basis and so on. Keep in mind Cassires was a philosopher, not a mystic. ;-) thanks.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer |
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23 mins confidence:   peer agreement (net): +4 |
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The translation workplace 
