hinterschreiten

English translation: sidestep

10:54 Apr 20, 2021
German to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Art, Arts & Crafts, Painting
German term or phrase: hinterschreiten
"Denn die Geschichte der Kunst läßt sich nur um den Preis der Provinzialisierung hinterschreiten."

This is from a specialist text on art history.

I can't find any reference work with a definition of "hinterschreiten", and it only returns about 500 hits on Google. Taking some of those phrases and putting them in DeepL - literally the only resource that's been able to give me anything at all! - returns translations like "overcome/go beyond", "trace". Both could make sense within the general argument of the text. Anyone have any ideas?
m_j_s
Germany
Local time: 12:12
English translation:sidestep
Explanation:
Compare with this:
"Art's colours cannot sidestep history or form. And though the curators of this show, which originated at Moma in New York, have produced a superbly intelligent catalogue setting out their reflections and arguments on colour as a radical free zone, it is hard to decouple colour entirely from its associations with life and universal reality."
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2009/jun/14/tate-li...

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Note added at 1 hr (2021-04-20 12:27:30 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

..And with this:
"Das System der Bilder, zugänglich und international verständlich, schien das babylonische Nebeneinander der Sprachen zu hinterschreiten und einen völlig neuen Typus von Totalität herstellen zu können. Noch einmal war es der privilegierte Weltbezug, auf den die Phantasie sich stützte; eine Vorstellung von 'Transparenz‘, die nun durch die Besonderheiten der photographischen Apparatur und die Ikonizität der photographischen Bilder sichergestellt schien."
http://www.nexttext.de/soemz03/abc.html

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Note added at 11 hrs (2021-04-20 22:05:48 GMT)
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Denn die Geschichte der Kunst läßt sich nur um den Preis der Provinzialisierung hinterschreiten. =

Ultimately, we can sidestep art history only at the price of balkanization (of art)

Or:

After all, If we sidestep art history, the price to be paid is balkanization

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Note added at 1 day 6 hrs (2021-04-21 17:24:18 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I have to disagree with a lot of things that have been said in the discussion box. At least the passage surrounding our sentence seems quite clear to me. See my working translation below:


"There are no general yardsticks on how to impart the familiar and the unfamiliar. By necessity, this must be determined by the conditions governing the creation of art. As a rule of thumb, however, it can be said that an artist must take both a short and a long view. On the one hand, they must develop a feeling for what is required in a given situation instead of being content with adopting solutions found elsewhere. On the other hand, they must develop an awareness of their medium’s possibilities on an international scale. Ultimately, art history can only be sidestepped at the price of balkanization. As a consequence, even creative activity that is the product of specific local conditions must tie itself to the practices and theories of the international artistic community."

Selected response from:

Michael Martin, MA
United States
Local time: 06:12
Grading comment
I ended up going with "step beyond", giving the client the additional option of "circumvent". So "sidestep" is definitely the closest of all the suggestions and would work too. Balkanisation is a good suggestion for the extract I posted, but elsewhere the text talks about "die Provinzen" and definitely don't mean the Balkans, so balkanisation wouldn't be possible.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +1sidestep
Michael Martin, MA
4impede / ascribed to
Cillie Swart
3gloss over / by skirting around /
Adrian MM.
Summary of reference entries provided
Hinterschreiten
Johanna Timm, PhD

Discussion entries: 13





  

Answers


1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
impede / ascribed to


Explanation:
Found some interesting facts - see merriam webster reference below for definition of provincial and therefore provincialisation - seems to refer here also to the idea of compromising intellectual integrity and curiosity, perhaps in terms of seeing things holistically or objectively, for practical reasons. Not what I thought it was at first. It sheds light on the meaning of hinterschreiten here - see also other source which emphasises walk or lag behind.

Putting it all together I think this is talking about how art history steps aside or recedes or slows down in terms of its progress, only because of provincialisation. So the wording here would then have been better if they left out Preis der since it is not the price of provincialisation but the provincialisation itself that is the problem. Although it is not a major issue of course if you add Preis der but it seems to be implied if you go with this proposed translation of the sentence.

Another caveat: I'm assuming here that you can translate um as "because of" or "due to".

An alternative solution here would be to keep the "at" definition of "um" and then the sentence would mean something like:
"Since the history of the art can really only be ascribed to the price of provincialisation."
OR
"Since the (developments in the) history of the art can really only be laid AT the door of the price of provincialisation." which would be a more theoretically correct in the use of "at" for "um" but sounds a bit less conversational.

This source seems to confirm the definition of "ascribed to" for "hinterschreiten" https://www.hikr.org/tour/post13363.html


    https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/provincial
    Reference: http://www.kultur-in-asien.de/Usbekistan/architektur/ulughbe...
Cillie Swart
South Africa
Local time: 12:12
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
gloss over / by skirting around /


Explanation:
A poetic variation on 'hintergehen' or 'hinterkriechen' > for the history of art can be glossed over /query: non-PC skirted around/ only at the cost of provincialism.

Example sentence(s):
  • We realize that art teachers in highschools and even professors in universities tend to gloss over these movements and forget about them.
  • Artwashing uses art to smooth and gloss over capitalism

    Reference: http://www.proz.com/personal-glossaries/entry/3690010-hinter...
    Reference: http://www.dwds.de/wb/dwb/hinterkriechen
Adrian MM.
Austria
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
sidestep


Explanation:
Compare with this:
"Art's colours cannot sidestep history or form. And though the curators of this show, which originated at Moma in New York, have produced a superbly intelligent catalogue setting out their reflections and arguments on colour as a radical free zone, it is hard to decouple colour entirely from its associations with life and universal reality."
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2009/jun/14/tate-li...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2021-04-20 12:27:30 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

..And with this:
"Das System der Bilder, zugänglich und international verständlich, schien das babylonische Nebeneinander der Sprachen zu hinterschreiten und einen völlig neuen Typus von Totalität herstellen zu können. Noch einmal war es der privilegierte Weltbezug, auf den die Phantasie sich stützte; eine Vorstellung von 'Transparenz‘, die nun durch die Besonderheiten der photographischen Apparatur und die Ikonizität der photographischen Bilder sichergestellt schien."
http://www.nexttext.de/soemz03/abc.html

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 11 hrs (2021-04-20 22:05:48 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Denn die Geschichte der Kunst läßt sich nur um den Preis der Provinzialisierung hinterschreiten. =

Ultimately, we can sidestep art history only at the price of balkanization (of art)

Or:

After all, If we sidestep art history, the price to be paid is balkanization

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day 6 hrs (2021-04-21 17:24:18 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I have to disagree with a lot of things that have been said in the discussion box. At least the passage surrounding our sentence seems quite clear to me. See my working translation below:


"There are no general yardsticks on how to impart the familiar and the unfamiliar. By necessity, this must be determined by the conditions governing the creation of art. As a rule of thumb, however, it can be said that an artist must take both a short and a long view. On the one hand, they must develop a feeling for what is required in a given situation instead of being content with adopting solutions found elsewhere. On the other hand, they must develop an awareness of their medium’s possibilities on an international scale. Ultimately, art history can only be sidestepped at the price of balkanization. As a consequence, even creative activity that is the product of specific local conditions must tie itself to the practices and theories of the international artistic community."



Michael Martin, MA
United States
Local time: 06:12
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 16
Grading comment
I ended up going with "step beyond", giving the client the additional option of "circumvent". So "sidestep" is definitely the closest of all the suggestions and would work too. Balkanisation is a good suggestion for the extract I posted, but elsewhere the text talks about "die Provinzen" and definitely don't mean the Balkans, so balkanisation wouldn't be possible.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Cillie Swart: Yeah, makes sense
11 mins
  -> Thanks, Cillie!
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Reference comments


15 hrs
Reference: Hinterschreiten

Reference information:
„… es geht… um ein analytisches Hinterschreiten: es geht in diesem Schritt also um die schrittweise Rekonstruktion und Explikation des Rahmens, innerhalb dessen ein Thema abgehandelt wird

https://tinyurl.com/yjm3ebv2

Johanna Timm, PhD
Canada
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 71
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