Spotlight - 14.2019

LOST IN TRANSLATION 14/2019 Spotlight 53

LOST IN TRANSLATION

VANESSA CLARK turns her attention to

a particularly interesting word or expression

that could be a challenge to translate.

ADVANCED

Usage
“Aftermath” is a singular noun that means “after-effects”,
“consequences” or “results”. An aftermath is always negative.
You can talk about the aftermath of a disaster, a war, a crime, an
accident, a fire or bad weather. The phrase “in the aftermath of”
means “after” — after a certain event, the consequences of which
are still felt. For example, a community must come together
in the aftermath of a tragedy, and a nation must rebuild in the
aftermath of a war. Although the word is usually used in a seri-
ous sense, you could jokingly refer to “the aftermath of a party”
if your flat is full of empty beer bottles.
In German, “in the aftermath” would be (unmittelbar) nach or in
der Folge. The noun “aftermath” can be translated as Auswirkungen
or Nachwirkungen, or you could talk about die schwere Zeit nach... On
a more light-hearted note, “the aftermath of a party” could be the
infamous Morgen danach.

Background

“Aftermath” was originally a farming word. In the 16th century,

a “math” was a “mowing” or “cutting of grass” in a field. (Note

that German also has the word Mahd.) So, the “aftermath” was

the grass that grew after the first mowing — a second, weaker

crop (Zweitmahd, Spätheu). The American poet Henry Wadsworth

Longfellow (1807–82) wrote a poem called “Aftermath”, in

which he compared the sweet summer grass of the first mowing

with the thin autumn grass of the second mowing: “Once again

the fields we mow / And gather in the aftermath.” The word’s

modern meaning developed during the 20th century.

Example

“The Aftermath of School

Shootings”

Psychiatric Times, 14 June 2019

This is the headline of an article that

looks at the psychological effects of

shootings in US schools.

cope with sth.
[(kEUp wID]
, mit etw. fertig werden

infamous [(InfEmEs]

, berühmt-berüchtigt

Answer: A

Exercise A

In which of the following contexts would “aftermath”

make sense?

A. “The villagers are coping with the of

the storm.”

B. “The villagers are celebrating the of

the new church.”

aftermath

noun (A:ftEmÄT