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Entstapelmagazin

Glossary entry

German term or phrase:

Eigentheorien

English translation:

their personal theories / their own theories

Added to glossary by William Howden
May 19, 2011 13:28
13 yrs ago
German term

Eigentheorien

German to English Social Sciences Social Science, Sociology, Ethics, etc.
I have been given just the synopsis of a scholarly article to translate, with the title Sinnkonstruktionen und Eigentheorien von Brautpaaren. Ein praktisch-theologischer Beitrag zur empirischen Rekonstruktion. My working translation is Meaning-making and the intrinsic theories of marital couples. A practical-theological contribution to the empirical research. Any suggestions?
Proposed translations (English)
3 their personal theories / their own theories
3 +3 self-defining theories
4 personal philosophy

Discussion

William Howden (asker) May 19, 2011:
Thanks to all for your suggestions Thank you all. Yes the language is theoretical / abstract. The article has to to do with how couples perceive the meaning of the liturgical rites of their wedding ceremonies. Thank you, Zareh, for "construction of meaning." That better captures the tone of the author's use of language. My hunch is that Eigentheorien may be a technical term used in a theory employed by the author in the article. Since I have only the synopsis, not the full article, it is hard to tell.
Bernhard Sulzer May 19, 2011:
@William Hi. How "theoretical" is the synopsis and/or the concept of "Eigentheorien"? Does the latter go beyond "personal philosophy" as in "how to (practically) approach/handle marital life"? It seems that "meaning constructions" (my suggestion)/"Sinnkonstruktionen" would appear to be very theoretical in nature and thus something similar theoretical should be used for "Eigentheorien".
Ramey Rieger (X) May 19, 2011:
If the couples are giving their personal experiences, then it's "personal" whatever. Sinnkonstruktion? Does the author intend to say what significance they find in marriage? I know it's not the question, but "meaning-making"? I'm afraid not.
Zareh Darakjian Ph.D. May 19, 2011:
I would think "Construction of meaning ... " would be better, may be.
philgoddard May 19, 2011:
If this is the title, doesn't the synopsis answer your question? It's a bit difficult for us to suggest translations without having this in front of us.
Zareh Darakjian Ph.D. May 19, 2011:
For "eigen" quantum theory, (physics and chemistry) the prefix "eigen" is used, as in eigenvalues and eigenvectors. Within the scientific context, it means "characteristic", an adjective.
opolt May 19, 2011:
In a scientific context, ... ... there are several English terms retaining the German "eigen-" prefix. So "eigentheories" might be worth considering ...

Proposed translations

43 mins
Selected

their personal theories / their own theories

Without too much research, I have a feeling something less technical would make more sense here.
In the German text they also refer to 'Eigentheorien' as 'eigene Theorien' I think (googled it).
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Only after reading your comment the second time did I realize you had found another article discussing the same research. Thanks for that tip!"
1 hr

personal philosophy

Married couples: Creating significance and their personal philosophies.

The creation of significance and personal philosophies of married couples.
Something went wrong...
+3
2 hrs

self-defining theories

Construction of meaning and self-defining theories for married couples

would be my attempt.

Self-defining is the essential meaning of "eigen".. here

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Note added at 2 hrs (2011-05-19 16:23:38 GMT)
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"of married couples"

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Note added at 1 day2 hrs (2011-05-20 15:31:10 GMT) Post-grading
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Of course, William... you are in a better position to decide what fits the context. I am glad you are able to use "construction of meaning"...

I am glad I was of help.
Note from asker:
Thank you again. I ultimately chose "personal theories" as suggested by another answer, that seemed to better fit the larger context of the synopsis. I did adopt "Construction of Meaning" as you suggested, which was far better than my first attempt. Thanks again!
Peer comment(s):
agree Horst Huber (X) : I would go further and say "self-definition", if necessary "theoretical" or "philosophical", depending on the rendering of "Sinnkonstruktion".
1 hr
Thank you, Horst.. also for your suggestions!
agree Ramey Rieger (X) : yes, this is the better abstract suggestion!
13 hrs
Thank you, Ramey!
agree Thayenga
21 hrs
Thank you, Thayenga.
Something went wrong...
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