Categories: culture, germany, translation, trials
Date: 17 August 2007 17:18:23
Another day, another anniversary.
And one which somehow makes me feel much older than yesterday's. The reason for this is, I think, that I associate Elvis with the past...he was “old” by the time I was very aware of him. By contrast, the CD (aha! you didn't see that one coming, did you?) is associated in my mind as new technology. But how time flies - for this humble disc is celebrating its 25th birthday today. The first CDs rolled off the presses at the Philips factory near Hannover (or Hanover if you prefer the German spelling) on 17 August 1982 - and revolutionised the world of entertainment. Apparently, the first CDs to be pressed were "The Visitors" by Abba, and Herbert von Karajan conducting "An Alpine Symphony" by Richard Strauss. It was discovered that the Chilean pianist Claudio Arrau was a sort of Maria Sharapova of the classical world as he grunted and panted while playing - crystal clear on CD whereas it was lost on vinyl.
I can scarcely believe that CDs are this old. 1982 was about the time I was saving up my pennies to buy a cassette player...which shows how I keep up with the latest developments. (Any useful suggestions as to what I should do with my few remaining vinyl records and little heap of tapes?) This week, I learned a new word in the area of entertainment/technology in connection with a translation on cars. Am I lagging behind in not having heard of “infotainment” before? In an attempt to make up for lost time, I have now used it several times in my translation along with other words which are not in my daily vocab such as “anti-locking braking system”, “standard 16-inch alloy wheels” and “low-lying chassis”.
As for Vorsprung durch Technik (I wasn't translating for THAT company, by the way) it was more a case of Rücksprung durch Technik. The software I was obliged to use kept throwing a wobbler and it took ages to sort it out. I don't know what I did but in the end I managed to triumph. (More cars...)
I would give you the German for the terms above but I've got to go and check just how much paint the decorator has managed to slosh over my Rambling Rector.