Glossary entry

German term or phrase:

aufgeben

English translation:

to pose a question/problem/present s'one with a question/riddle/problem

Added to glossary by davidgreen
Feb 15, 2005 12:41
19 yrs ago
1 viewer *
German term

aufgeben

German to English Art/Literary Art, Arts & Crafts, Painting art installation description
I have no idea what the sentence means. I'd also be grateful for any comments on the rest of the section if you think I've misunderstood anything.

Neben den großen, gleißendhellen Flächen der Lichtquellen sind es kleine, unscheinbare, plötzlich erspähte kahle Bereiche. Manche von diesen tragen ein Kreuz als Markierung - das Kreuz als ein Hinweis für die Künstler, hier sei noch etwas zu ergänzen, oder wie ein Pflaster, das notdürftig eine Verletzung bedeckt? Sie halten das Papier zusammen, als müssten sie den Riss in der dargestellten Wirklichkeit verbergen und offenbaren gleichzeitig die schnöde Wirklichkeit des bloßen Papiers. Sie stellen mit ihrem Zyklus auch die Grenzen der Abbildbarkeit dar. So manche Rätsel *geben* auch die unzähligen Schriftzeichen *auf*: Manche davon sind als Sätze oder Wörter lesbar, fungieren wie z.B. "Schrauben" bzw. "Mutter" als Beschriftung der Regale oder Schubladen, stehen als Spruch auf kleinen Tafeln oder sind in die Möbel graviert.


Some of these are marked with a cross - the cross as a reminder to the artists that there's something here that still needs to be finished, or is it like makeshift plaster to cover a wound? They hold the paper together as if they were hiding a rip between represented reality and the disdainful reality of mere paper. Their series also illustrates the limits of reproducibility. Thus some puzzles *forgo* the innumerable characters: Some of these are legible as sentences or words, function for example as "screws" or "nuts" as inscription on shelves or drawers, are slogans on small boards or are engraved in the furniture.

Proposed translations

+2
8 mins
Selected

to pose a question/problem

The literal translation of "jemandem ein Rätsel aufgeben" is "to give/ask sb a riddle". In this context, I would rather use "pose a question" ("Also the innumerable characters pose several/some questions...")
Peer comment(s):

agree Susan Geiblinger
8 mins
agree BrigitteHilgner : makes a lot of sense (unlike a lot of the text to the uninitiated).
21 mins
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks guys/gals, never heard this expression before."
23 mins

offer up

"Similarly, there are also word puzzles that offer up innumerable characters: some of these are legible as sentences or words..."

Just a guess: Note my confidence level here! I'm thinking of those puzzles that are squares or rectangles filled with alpha characters, and you try to find the words hidden in them.
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1 hr

present with

Also the innumerable characters present us with quite a few riddles.

(..God did not present us with riddles when he gave us..)

(..being good science fiction. It presents us with riddles and rules..)
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