Frans Timmermans

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2833410.html

Frans Timmermans, a former Dutch foreign minister, is the First Vice-President of the European Commission, and one of his staff kindly gave me a signed copy of the French translation of this pamphlet for my birthday. In fact my Dutch is still better than my French, so I bought the original text off Amazon and read it instead, cross-checking with the French where I wasn't completely sure of it. (For example, in the paragraph quoted above I think the Dutch original of the last sentence is less well expressed than the French translation.)

Timmermans is one of the unsung heroes of the current EU setup - he is capable of emotional yet coherent speeches, and also works as a political fixer behind the scenes - notably, he negotiated the migration deal between the EU and Turkey, which most commentators said could never be agreed, and then that it would never last once it had been agreed (it has). Of course, because he is not as flamboyant as his boss and generally handles complex issues competently, he is barely noticed in the British media, which is solely interested in negative coverage of the EU. Yet he is the second most important person in the European Commission, and the highest ranking EU official from the political Left now that Martin Schulz has returned to Germany.

The pamphlet has one of those titles which cannot easily be translated into English. "Broederschap" fairly obviously equates to "fraternité"; but the English words "brotherhood" and "fraternity" are not synonyms, and are both freighted with very different connotations. The "fraternité" of the title is a direct reference to "Liberté, égalité, fraternité", France's national motto, whose Dutch stock translation is "Vrijheid, gelijkheid en broederschap"; it's telling that when we refer to it in English, we tend to stick to the French original.

The sub-title is different in Dutch and French. The Dutch original is perhaps best translated as "A call for connection", but "verbondenheid" also has connotations of commitment, of the state of being connected as well as the act of connecting, which can't easily be summed up in English. The French subtitle could be translated "Renewing our links" but that misses both the imperative mood of the verb, and the fact that "retisser" literally means "to reweave". If I were to advise on the eventual English translation, I think I'd recommend "Fraternal values: (re)connecting", which is far from the literal meaning of the Dutch or French titles but I think closer to the intended message.

And what is that message? Writing at the end of 2015, in the immediate aftermath of the Paris attacks, Timmemans argues forcefully for a revival of fraternité/broederschap or perhaps "solidarity", as a guiding pricple of politics; he points to the risks of growing anti-Semitism, and of divisions in society exploited by the far right; of the difference between migrants and refigees, but the obligation to show humamity to both; of the difference between borders and walls, between identity and barriers; and he calls for an active engaged citizenship on the basis of shared values. "Jammeren helpt niet." "Rien ne sert de se plaindre". "Whining achieves nothing." It's a pretty clear manifesto, delivered directly from both heart and brain, and I found a lot to agree with.

I wonder if anyone will bother translating it into English?… (mere)

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2833410.html

Frans Timmermans, a former Dutch foreign minister, is the First Vice-President of the European Commission, and one of his staff kindly gave me a signed copy of the French translation of this pamphlet for my birthday. In fact my Dutch is still better than my French, so I bought the original text off Amazon and read it instead, cross-checking with the French where I wasn't completely sure of it. (For example, in the paragraph quoted above I think the Dutch original of the last sentence is less well expressed than the French translation.)

Timmermans is one of the unsung heroes of the current EU setup - he is capable of emotional yet coherent speeches, and also works as a political fixer behind the scenes - notably, he negotiated the migration deal between the EU and Turkey, which most commentators said could never be agreed, and then that it would never last once it had been agreed (it has). Of course, because he is not as flamboyant as his boss and generally handles complex issues competently, he is barely noticed in the British media, which is solely interested in negative coverage of the EU. Yet he is the second most important person in the European Commission, and the highest ranking EU official from the political Left now that Martin Schulz has returned to Germany.

The pamphlet has one of those titles which cannot easily be translated into English. "Broederschap" fairly obviously equates to "fraternité"; but the English words "brotherhood" and "fraternity" are not synonyms, and are both freighted with very different connotations. The "fraternité" of the title is a direct reference to "Liberté, égalité, fraternité", France's national motto, whose Dutch stock translation is "Vrijheid, gelijkheid en broederschap"; it's telling that when we refer to it in English, we tend to stick to the French original.

The sub-title is different in Dutch and French. The Dutch original is perhaps best translated as "A call for connection", but "verbondenheid" also has connotations of commitment, of the state of being connected as well as the act of connecting, which can't easily be summed up in English. The French subtitle could be translated "Renewing our links" but that misses both the imperative mood of the verb, and the fact that "retisser" literally means "to reweave". If I were to advise on the eventual English translation, I think I'd recommend "Fraternal values: (re)connecting", which is far from the literal meaning of the Dutch or French titles but I think closer to the intended message.

And what is that message? Writing at the end of 2015, in the immediate aftermath of the Paris attacks, Timmemans argues forcefully for a revival of fraternité/broederschap or perhaps "solidarity", as a guiding pricple of politics; he points to the risks of growing anti-Semitism, and of divisions in society exploited by the far right; of the difference between migrants and refigees, but the obligation to show humamity to both; of the difference between borders and walls, between identity and barriers; and he calls for an active engaged citizenship on the basis of shared values. "Jammeren helpt niet." "Rien ne sert de se plaindre". "Whining achieves nothing." It's a pretty clear manifesto, delivered directly from both heart and brain, and I found a lot to agree with.

I wonder if anyone will bother translating it into English?… (mere)