English translation: enthusiasm / zeal / euphoria for progress
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German to English translations [PRO] Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / Guidebook to Prague
German term or phrase:Fortschrittseuphorie
This is from a guidebook to Kafka's Prague. The term "progress-euphoria" gets a few google hits, but they seem mainly to be translations from German and it sounds very "translationese" to me. I was thinking about "rejoicing in progress for its own sake" but that's very wordy. Has anybody got any better suggestions? Thanks!
"man sah den Wandel der Stadt, sah neue Brücken und Paläste, neue Museen und Denkmäler, hier ein neues Repräsentationshaus, dort ein modernes Rathaus - wohin Kafka auch blickte, überall wucherte Neues aus dem geschichtsträchtigen Prager Boden. Auch in der Altstadt wurde abgerissen, verändert, Neues gebaut. Besonders hart traf die **Fortschrittseuphorie** das alte Judenviertel, das sich hinter dem Altstädter Ring ausdehnte."
I'm not sure about that, since 'progressive' is so politically laden. But I'd suggest leaving it to the Asker who has a wider sense of the text. Progress is altogether a hugely disputed notion, but not really the place to get into that.
Hi Helen, "progressive zeal" would be unequivocal in the context. It wouldn't imply that the zeal itself is progressive any more than, say, "biological theory" (instead of "theory pertaining to biology") would imply that the theory itself was living matter.
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Answers
7 mins confidence:
euphoria of progress
Explanation: ...my first idea
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On second thoughts: euphoria about progress
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 10 mins (2009-06-27 13:21:52 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
The official euphoria about progress contradicted the quasi-modern classicism, which referred not only to the timeless aesthetic values, but also brought analysis to bear on its ethical implications and thereby served an important function in protesting the gauges of art. http://www.aicgs.org/documents/gdrart.pdf
Audrey Foster Works in field Native speaker of: English
Explanation: A bit more over the top than "mere" enthusiasm. Glee suggests not only excitement but a bit of hysteria mixed in, which in my impression is what Kafka is communicating here.
Anja Wulf Local time: 08:20 Native speaker of: English, German PRO pts in category: 2
Explanation: I'm used to hearing the phrase "faith in progress" or "belief in progress" used to describe an uncritical attitude toward progress and its presumed beneficent gifts ;-)
So, to remain true to the original German here, the phrase "euphoric belief (or faith) in progress" could work.
John Fenz Poland Local time: 14:20 Works in field Native speaker of: English
Explanation: Could it be this? Doesn't get many hits in google, but does make sense to me.
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Here's the answer:
enthusiasm for radical makeover
got that from a description of the Judenviertel:
In their enthusiasm for radical makeovers, the city fathers' original plan for urban renewal also called for this building, the Jewish Town Hall, to be demolished. But, in the end, it wasn't.
Hope that suggestion finds more takers!
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 10 hrs (2009-06-28 00:08:46 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
...even Mrs. O’Leary’s house (the fire burned north from her barn, sparing the house) survived into the 1960s, only to be razed during the manic progress frenzy of urban renewal.
The translation workplace 
