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German to English translations [PRO] Real Estate / part of a property
German term or phrase:im dritten Hinterhof
Im Atelier im dritten Hinterhof eines Altbauhauses arbeiten die beiden. Hier fertigen sie kleine Bilder, für Einsteiger sozusagen: Fische auf Gold, kleine Zwerge, Mädchen, die den Schlaf des Kindes behüten, wenn man sie übers Bett hängt.
I'm not sure what hs means, precisely. Is it a precise location or something which sounds precise but is not, like "right at the back of the rear courtyard".
Explanation: I imagine it could well mean literally what it says, particularly if the studio is in Berlin. There you often enter through the old building on the main street and pass through into a first inner courtyard, to find another old house behind - and sometimes there can be a whole succession of courtyards leading to houses further and further back from the main street.
The term "courtyard" (surprisingly enough) does not necessarily imply and area that has any courtly status or appearance. Very often it is simply a paved area partially or completely surrounded by buildings.
A 'yard' in European English generally means any open paved work or storage area.
In American English it often simply means the garden surrounding a house.
For me "back yard" is just the American English for 'back garden'.
The only other relevant context provided in this text of 450 words is that the accommodation mentioned is in Berlin. I sent the translation as "third inner courtyard" to the client 11 hours ago, by the way.
Quite so. Your answer gave more emphasis to the present day and I wanted to underline the historical context. In this particular case now, however, I agree, we need more context. The Asker has it and has not yet provided it. He will, however, be quite aware of it himself and perhaps thinks it unnecessary to let us know.
Der Frage ist nicht zu entnehmen, ob sich der Satz auf eine heutige Situation bezieht oder ob es um irgendeine vergangene Zeit geht. Genau auf diesen Punkte habe ich hingewiesen und wollte ich hinweisen - denn er hat Auswirkungen auf die passendste Übersetzung.
Meine ganz private Meinung: Das hängt vom Ort und vom Kontext (von welcher Zeit ist hier die Rede?) ab! Ich habe in einigen Städten in Dt (Klein-, Mittel- und Großstädte) und in London gelebt, ohne dass mir Hinterhöfe besonders auffielen, während es hier in Wien zahlreiche Hinterhöfe/Hinterhäuser gibt, und die sind teilweise sehr hübsch und ansprechend (aber das war wohl nicht immer so). Man lebt hier im Hinterhaus oft angenehmer als im Haupthaus an der Straße. Aufgrund des einen Satzes habe ich einfach das Gefühl, dass es sich um einen eher schäbigen Hinterhof handelt - aber damit kann ich völlig falsch liegen.
... courtyard vs. backyard distinction -- what do the native speakers among you think?
Here in Berlin and elsewhere, I would always think of these places as "backyards" -- "courtyard" sounds much too stately to my ears. When they were built, only workers lived there -- many are barely large enough to move a fire engine.
... i.e. on the one hand, exactly the third backyard, especially if it's one the industrial cities in Germany, where buildings may have many backyards (probably a Gründerzeit period building) -- at the same time, the 3rd sounds like "the last", meaning they work where the rent is really low, it may be damp and dark there -- it's like an indication of their poor/bohemien status (however you perceive it).
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Answers
5 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +2
third inner courtyard
Explanation: I imagine it could well mean literally what it says, particularly if the studio is in Berlin. There you often enter through the old building on the main street and pass through into a first inner courtyard, to find another old house behind - and sometimes there can be a whole succession of courtyards leading to houses further and further back from the main street.
phoeberuth Local time: 18:36 Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 12
Grading comment
Thanks very much!
28 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +1
in the third courtyard back from the [high]street
Explanation: carries a little of the nuance that the place is off the beaten path and/or located somewhat away from high street/high-end commerce.
Jaime Hyland Local time: 18:36 Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 4
The translation workplace 
peer agreement (net): +2
