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Praeludium

English translation: Prelude

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:Praeludium
English translation:Prelude
Entered by: Gillian Searl

08:07 May 24, 2003
German to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary
German term or phrase: Praeludium
Es ist der Kolportagemix, mit dem schon Dostojewski seine Romane wuerzte: Schuld und Suhne, Verschwoerung und Anarchie, Verrat, Intrigen, Millionen aus dem Nichts, die im Wind zerstieben. Zunaechst, als biederes Praeludium, die 25 Jahre als Mathematiker am Renommierinstitut der Akademie der Wissenschaft.
Gillian Searl
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:27
answer
Explanation:
Yes, of course it's prelude but that doesn't really solve the problem. I assume the text is about Dostoyevsky?

Here are a few suggestions for rephrasing:

By way of unimaginative foreplay, He spent his first 25 years as a mathematician …

While waiting for his real passion to become reality, he spent the first 25 years as an unassuming mathematician ….

As an uninspiring foreword to his later great literary achievements, he spent the first 25 years as an unassuming mathematician …

From his dull/dreary existence as a mathematician … he went on to achieve…

hope it helps

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Note added at 2003-05-24 09:16:59 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

excuse typos - haven\'t got my contacts in yet ;-)
Selected response from:

Nicole Tata
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:27
Grading comment
I wish I could divide up the points here - I couldn't find Praeludium in any dictionary but Nicole is right - I needed more help than that to get the sentence right. So that's why I'm giving her the points!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +4prelude
3Sigma
4 +1off to a rather bourgeois start
William Stein
4prelude
izy
4answer
Nicole Tata
4Due to his somewhat modest bourgeois beginnings
Ron Stelter
3warm-up
jerrie
3At first, a rather conventional/ordinary life as mathematician .........
writeaway


  

Answers


57 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +4
prelude


Explanation:
or is that too simple?

3Sigma
Local time: 21:27
PRO pts in pair: 32

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Henrique Magalhaes
1 hr
agree  Andrea Nemeth-Newhauser
2 hrs
agree  Mario Marcolin
3 hrs
agree  Andrea Kopf
5 hrs
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58 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
prelude


Explanation:
as a conventional prelude..


    PONS Gro�w�rterbuch
izy
Local time: 14:27
Native speaker of: German
PRO pts in pair: 69
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
answer


Explanation:
Yes, of course it's prelude but that doesn't really solve the problem. I assume the text is about Dostoyevsky?

Here are a few suggestions for rephrasing:

By way of unimaginative foreplay, He spent his first 25 years as a mathematician …

While waiting for his real passion to become reality, he spent the first 25 years as an unassuming mathematician ….

As an uninspiring foreword to his later great literary achievements, he spent the first 25 years as an unassuming mathematician …

From his dull/dreary existence as a mathematician … he went on to achieve…

hope it helps

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-05-24 09:16:59 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

excuse typos - haven\'t got my contacts in yet ;-)

Nicole Tata
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:27
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in pair: 1326
Grading comment
I wish I could divide up the points here - I couldn't find Praeludium in any dictionary but Nicole is right - I needed more help than that to get the sentence right. So that's why I'm giving her the points!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Andrea Nemeth-Newhauser: I don't really see a problem here. Praeludium is a musical term, not literary.
2 hrs
  -> I'm sure Gillian knows what Präludium/prelude means and that it doesn't really work in the context
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
warm-up


Explanation:
If you don't like prelude...

warm-up as opposed to main event
opening as opposed to finale

jerrie
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:27
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 1469
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

7 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
off to a rather bourgeois start


Explanation:
I would translate all of "Zunaechst, als biederes Praeludium" as X got off to a rather bourgeois start...

Or
The opening chapter of X's life is quite bourgeois

William Stein
Costa Rica
Local time: 07:27
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 1734

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  cjohnstone: why bourgeois, just prelude, begining, initial
23 hrs
  -> "biederes" is bourgeois
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1 day 7 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
Due to his somewhat modest bourgeois beginnings


Explanation:
my phrasing

Ron Stelter
Local time: 08:27
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 198
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1 day 8 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
At first, a rather conventional/ordinary life as mathematician .........


Explanation:
my shot at it.

writeaway
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 1179
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