Talk:Egon Kisch

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“raging”[edit]

The raging reporter from Prague?

Although the german verb rasen can be translated to to rage I think it is the wrong choice in this case. In this case it means moving at very high speed.

http://www.dict.cc/?s=rasen

So, speeding, rushing or racing would be a much better fit.

--Udoschmitz (talk) 10:04, 20 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Udoschmitz, I agree with your doubt when referring to current German usage. In addition to the dictionary you cite, I think your view is supported by the Collins German Dictionary (4th edn 1999). However, closer to the age, Wildhagen and Héraucourt English-German German-English Dictionary (1953) translates rasen as: (1) to storm, to rage (e.g. the storm/fire raged madly over/through the town); (2) as in "to be madly in love", or to rave (gegen - about, against, at); (3) to race madly along, to rush (through), to tear (after someone), to dash (past a door), to take a wild dive (into), to scorch, tear, dash (along); and more in those veins. In these terms, "raging" seems ok.
Your proposals have difficulties: "the speeding reporter" would sound like he habitually drove too fast, or he was a junior reporter cutting his teeth on reporting speeding offences; "the rushing reporter" would suggests unprofessional haste, as in "rush into print"; and "the racing reporter" would look like the staff reporter on horse and dog racing. Other possibilities have similar difficulties: "the dashing reporter" would suggest a good-looking, sporty fellow. I am momentarily attracted to a perhaps bold equivalent, "the Nifty Newshound"; but (at least where I am) "nifty" smells of sleaze, as in "tabloid journalism". Wikiain (talk) 02:00, 21 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
The most weighty obstacle to a different translation is the title of Segel's book, Egon Erwin Kisch, The Raging Reporter – A Bio-Anthology, OCLC 036528394 (preview). -- Michael Bednarek (talk) 02:35, 21 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]
It has been translated as the reporter in a hurry. I think raging is just wrong.--Jack Upland (talk) 04:37, 6 September 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Yep - "raging" is plain wrong, nevermind that there's a book using that title. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 167.98.135.21 (talk) 20:22, 18 September 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Just to back this up, in the early 20th century the term "Reporter" was still a faily recent loanword in German (for a graph showing the usage see here) and it very much indicated modernity, while, on the other hand, "rasend" in the sense of "raging" was already obsolete in early 20th cent. German. The whole idea beind the nickname "rasender Reporter" is to express that Kisch was the epitome of modern man, an American style character that was going about his business using the most up-to-date means of transport and communication - thus "rushing", "dashing", "scorching", or "tearing" would all work fine as a translation while "raging reporter" is about as apt as calling James Brown "Mr. Blackpowder" - instead of Mr.Dynamite. 167.98.135.21 (talk) 21:18, 22 September 2023 (UTC)[reply]
It may be a mistranslation, but alliteration trumps a multitude of things when it comes to catchy book titles, article headings etc. "Raging Reporter" sounds like a book worth reading, even before you know the first thing about the subject. That's why we constantly hear of "right royal" doings even though there is no such thing except in the minds of news scriptwriters. -- Jack of Oz [pleasantries] 22:12, 22 September 2023 (UTC)[reply]