Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.
You will also have access to many other tools and opportunities designed for those who have language-related jobs (or are passionate about them). Participation is free and the site has a strict confidentiality policy.
German to English translations [PRO] Art/Literary - Philosophy / Religion
German term or phrase:Strebekraft
What does Strebekraft translate as in English? The Latin word would be appetitus and the English word may be close to hope. I appreciate your help. With your help, I translated Strebevermoegen as "desire" in this same text (Thanks!). Strebekraft is used 3 times in the text. I will list them below, mostly as context since I am only really concerned about "Strebekraft". This text makes frequent mention of Thomas Aquinas and Descartes as well as Fonseca and the Conimbricenses, if that helps.
"Das Erkennen ist ein Instrumentum remotum, das die Seele dazu disponiert, mit Hilfe der Strebekraft zu wirken."
"Hauptursache des Lachens ist die Seele, Instrumentalursache ihre Strebekraft und ihr Vermoegen, Bewegungen hervorzubringen, gleichzeitig aber das Ausstroemen von Blut and Geistern als Verboten des Lachens."
"Als Beispiel koennte ein Passus Ponces ueber das Verhaeltnis der Erkenntnis zur Strebekraft dienen."
Explanation: Appetitive power in contrast to cognitive power (Erkenntniskraft/ vis cognitiva v Strebekraft/ vis appetitiva).
Since you are rendering "Strebevermoegen" as desire, you might want to use a contemporary interpretation for "Strebekraft" by translating it as will power.
I don't think the distinction applies to this text because the question of whether the author is discussing the abstract capacity for "appetite" or the actual, psychological or physiological exercise of this capacity is not at issue here. It seems clear that the discussion concerns the capacity as such. Hence, whatever translation is chosen, it should be the same for both terms. That much I can be certain of.
My reference in this case was more a quotation than a "reading", phenomenological or of another nature.
However, back to the main subject, I do have my doubts now about the translation. Here is my problem: in its Scholastic use, which is the relevant sense here, appetitus was considered, in opposition to intellectus, one of the two basic capacities of the human soul. Because of this fundamental status, it covers a broad semantic range, which includes conscious will power (a. intellectivus), and sensual inclination or desire (a. sensitivus). Our occurences of the term here refer to "appetite" as a guide for action and a source of laughter. Therefore, the term seems to be used in its full breadth here. Perhaps a more neutral solution is thus my earlier suggestion: "appetite".
Thanks for providing the three example sentences for the word you need to translate. With reference to andyhd's and Marcos' entries below, we now need to see similar examples for "Strebevermoegen" to see if they are being used synonymously or not.
Automatic update in 00:
Answers
54 mins confidence:
(appetitive) power/ will power
Explanation: Appetitive power in contrast to cognitive power (Erkenntniskraft/ vis cognitiva v Strebekraft/ vis appetitiva).
Since you are rendering "Strebevermoegen" as desire, you might want to use a contemporary interpretation for "Strebekraft" by translating it as will power.
andyhd United Kingdom Local time: 13:15 Works in field Native speaker of: English, German PRO pts in category: 4
Explanation: If the Latin original is still appetitus, the English translation must remain the same. In German philosophy, Kraft and Vermögen are cuasi synonims for "faculty". Kant, to provide the canonic example, refers to the Erkenntnisvermögen and the Erkenntniskraft indistinctly to discuss the faculty or capacity of knowledge. There is of cours the possibility of making a distinction between Kraft and Vermögen, but it does not apply to this case. I think the German author was just avoiding repetition by resorting to synonims.
Hope this helps,
cheers!
Marcos
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 1 hr (2010-08-04 14:08:02 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Typo: I meant "synonyms". Yawn!
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 4 hrs (2010-08-04 17:12:45 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
I am still confident that both terms must be translated equally. However, due to the reasons mentioned above, I am now more inclined to suggest, for the sake of accuracy, that you do without a conjectural contemporary equivalent, and stay close to the Latin text, translating both "Strebekraft" and "Strebevermögen" as "appetite".
It is the reader who should make an educated guess as to which contemporary concept better compares to the scholastic notion of "appetitus".
Marcos Guntin Local time: 09:15 Specializes in field Native speaker of: Spanish, English PRO pts in category: 15
The German text is listed below. In the meantime I think I will retain the shade of difference and translate Strebekraft as appetitive power and Strebevermoegen as appetitive faculty.
Example sentence(s):
Das Erkennen ist ein Instrument, das die Seele dazu disponiert, mit HIlfe des Strebevermögens zu wirken.
The translation workplace 
