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16:21 Jan 19, 2011
German to English translations [PRO] Social Sciences - Psychology / somatoform disorders
German term or phrase:[syntax question] ... identifiziert werden
Als weitere Prädiktoren für die Anzahl der MUS [medizinisch nicht erklärten Symptomen] konnten die Anzahl der Beschwerden, deren Dauer, Krankheitsängste und Funktionsbeeinträchtigung zur Baseline identifiziert werden.
I can't figure out what the verb "identifizieren" goes with -- the predictors or the duration, worries, etc., or both. If it only goes with one of these noun clusters, then what about the other?
My draft:
Other predictors of the number of MUS were [I put this verb in, because it's the only way I can make sense of it, although it's not in the source text--SW] the number of complaints whose duration, illness worries, and functional impairment were identified at baseline.
Explanation: Als weitere Prädiktoren für die Anzahl der MUS [medizinisch nicht erklärten Symptomen] konnten ... (( die Anzahl der Beschwerden, deren Dauer, Krankheitsängste und Funktionsbeeinträchtigung zur Baseline )) ... identifiziert werden.
My suggestion:
Number of complaints, their duration, disease anxieties, and functional impairment at baseline could be identified as additional predictors of the number of MUS [medically unexplained symptoms].
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 1 hr (2011-01-19 17:38:41 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
SORRY! -> were identified: "... at baseline were identified as additional ..."
could & should = pesky = Past Simple a-n-d Conditional .. argh!
'Konnten' / 'könnten' = equally pesky
Thanks to you, and to Volkmar who suggested the re-ordering. The "konnten" was not of so much concern to me here, but the syntax. What I used was: "The number of ailments, their duration, fears of illness, and functional impairment against a baseline have been identified as further predictors of the number of MUS." I asked my client to let me know if the 2-3 sentences I queried were misunderstandings, and she didn't say they were, so I guess (?) she thought this one was correct. 3 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer
One comment before putting this Kudoz to bed: I think Volkmar, with the ear of a native German-speaker, is clearly correct that there is a nuance of difference; but Armorel, with the ear of a native English-speaker, is also correct, that it sounds unnecessarily long-winded in English. I think English native-speakers make the assumption that if researchers "identified" something in their research, they had to put some effort into doing it (especially after all the charts and tables and statistics that are crammed into these articles!). Thanks to you both.
I haven't closed this question yet, because I have two different interpretations from you colleagues as to what was or could be "identified." I sent the translation off with a query to the author, and if she comments on it then I will know who was right (whether she expressed herself clearly or not is another question). If she doesn't answer, my inclination is to go with the view of the native German speaker, Volkmar, which is what I used in my submitted translation.
"konnten identifiziert werden" und "wurden identifiziert" aren't quite the same, I'm afraid. The former implies that it wasn't easy to identify them and that there was a certain effort involved...
... "could be identified" because in English that sounds as though it means "might possibly be identified", whereas the German means "it was possible to identify" (which is typical German long-windedness, since it adds nothing to the more concise "were identified" ).
You might want to try this: Die Anzahl der Beschwerden, deren Dauer, ....und Funktionsbeeinträchtigungen...konnten als weitere Prädiktoren für die Anzahl der MUS identifiziert werden
Further predictors could be identified for the number of MUS and other complaints such as..... But it's rather murky. Good Luck!
Automatic update in 00:
Answers
11 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +2
the number of predictors identified
Explanation: I think you've basically got it right but have tripped up because you had to find a verb to go with "whose". I see it as "Other predictors of the number of MUS that were identified were the number of complaints, their duration, illness anxieties and functional impairment in relation to a baseline".
In other words I think "identifiziert" definitely goes with the predictors - exactly which things go with the baseline is harder to say, but I'm inclined towards just the functional impairment (although it could also include the anxieties).
Armorel Young Local time: 17:35 Specializes in field Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 88
27 mins confidence:
... could be identified...
Explanation: Als weitere Prädiktoren für die Anzahl der MUS [medizinisch nicht erklärten Symptomen] konnten ... (( die Anzahl der Beschwerden, deren Dauer, Krankheitsängste und Funktionsbeeinträchtigung zur Baseline )) ... identifiziert werden.
My suggestion:
Number of complaints, their duration, disease anxieties, and functional impairment at baseline could be identified as additional predictors of the number of MUS [medically unexplained symptoms].
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 1 hr (2011-01-19 17:38:41 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
SORRY! -> were identified: "... at baseline were identified as additional ..."
could & should = pesky = Past Simple a-n-d Conditional .. argh!
'Konnten' / 'könnten' = equally pesky
Amanda A Local time: 18:35 Specializes in field Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 3
Grading comment
Thanks to you, and to Volkmar who suggested the re-ordering. The "konnten" was not of so much concern to me here, but the syntax. What I used was: "The number of ailments, their duration, fears of illness, and functional impairment against a baseline have been identified as further predictors of the number of MUS." I asked my client to let me know if the 2-3 sentences I queried were misunderstandings, and she didn't say they were, so I guess (?) she thought this one was correct.
1 hr confidence:
were able to be identified
Explanation: Typical way to avoid confusion with the conditional "could." And turn the sentence around like Volkmar suggested.
Grüße !
mary austria Local time: 18:35 Native speaker of: English
The translation workplace 
peer agreement (net): +2
