Source
r/Denmark•
Eszed

Help with translation, please?

Question

Hej! (Sadly, that and "skål" are all the Dansk I speak). My father just found some old family letters, written by our Danish relatives, nearly 100 years ago. We'd love to know what they say, and if there's anything else that a Danish-speaker could glean from them

They're here. The first is a postcard written by my great-great grandfather, to my great-great grandmother. The second by my gg-gmother to her son, my g-grandfather, in San Francisco. Then the last, we think, is something written by my g-grandfather.

Any help will be greatly appreciated!

Posted Jan 24, 2016, 4:57 AM UTC

3421
ProblematiskTone•

Hej! Top one:

Dear wife!

I have had a very pleasant journey (to "here", unspecified location), have slept through most of the night (I guess sleep cabin on a train).

I have speaking engagements the folllowing places:

Then a list of cities and dates.

If a letter is supposed to reach me on fx the 10., it must be sent from home on the 8. at the latest. Please let me know how (the family) is doing at home.

Loving greetings for the kids and especially you, from your husband, their father

Found a painting (top right) of Skodsborg Sundhedshjem where the letter was sent, short history in Danish. Built in 1907, in 1910 it becomes "Sundhedshjem", in 1936 it becomes 4 regular apartments.

23
JottorÅååååårhus•

"Cities and dates" is pushing it a bit. Those places are tiny villages in the countryside between Aarhus and Silkeborg.

10
EszedOP•

Ah! That's fantastic. That painting in the newspaper is exactly what's on the postcard. Geat to know more about the location. Thank you so much!

Any chance you could decipher the list of cities?

4
ProblematiskTone•

Ah, you are right about the date and very welcome, thanks for the medal.

Updated names: Framlev (Hørslev), Taastrup (/Tåstrup), Stjær, Skovby, Høver, Skørring, Farre, Voldby, Herskind, Sjelle, Skivholme, Borum.

...maybe u/jottor will comment on them, they seem to know the geography better.

6
JottorÅååååårhus•

Those names are pretty much right - only it's "Farre" instead of "Favre"

5
mander162Århus•

"Skjør" should be "Stjær".

General map of the area in question: https://www.google.dk/maps/@56.1642315,9.907559,11.28z

5
marigorn•

Tl;DR: ProblematiskTone MVP.

10
EszedOP•

Indeed. :-)

5
ProblematiskTone•

Second one, sent to Mr BLANK, San Fransisco, America. Stamped 1910.

Dear BLANK w. family

You have asked me to inform when "Svoger" M. Munk...

(Munk looks like a name but means "monk", "Svoger" means husband of brother or sister, or wife's brother)

'...celebrates their 50 wedding anniversary (gold-wedding directly translated), it is slated for the 12. of November.

Mother is doing very well at Gentofte Hospital, she likes staying there, everyone is so nice and friendly towards her.

Ester and I visited her last Sunday, Dan on Friday, Ester again Tuesday.

I feel better. Dan also feels better.

Loving greetings

The family

8
EszedOP•

Thank you so much!

I think that date (on the post-mark) is 19.10.36, so 19th October, 1936 -- which fits the family history: my great-grandfather moved to San Francisco in 1911, and certainly didn't have a family in 1910.

6
EszedOP•

English for "svoger" would be brother-in-law.

"Mother" must be my three-greats grandmother. I don't think we even know her name.... :-(

4
ProblematiskTone•

Last one, this was a challenge, time to get biblical:

Now (since?) I am older, I know bitterness towards the Adventist church congregation, due to how some of their unworthy members have caused us a great loss, is not a good excuse on judgment day, for not having sought personal forgiveness nor salvation.

8
EszedOP•

That's super. It's very close to something that we have in his handwriting in English, so I wonder if he drafted it in his mother-tongue, then translated it. Fascinating.

4
ProblematiskTone•

Since you say it's close, the "having sought personal forgiveness nor salvation"-part flows better in Danish, is something a religious person would say, but hard to translate. I'm limited to getting the right idea across. If you or a family member knows their bible and sayings, they can probably guess the English translation from my version.

Edit:...or the English version you got is maybe correct. what does it say?

2
EszedOP•

I don't have the English version in front of me, though I can ask for a copy of it from my dad tomorrow.

Your version, "for not having sought personal forgiveness nor salvation", flows beautifully in English. The syntax of the whole thing, actually, is very sophisticated; it sounds like it is in Danish, too. My great-grandfather was a very intelligent man, by all accounts. It's pretty cool to see evidence of that in his writing; he died in 1945, and everyone in my family who knew him is gone.

3
ProblematiskTone•

Glad to hear, your assurance it sounds right will do fine, were just curious.

1
bstix•

Last one:

"now that I am older, I know that bitterness against the community of the Adventist church, because some of their unworthy members caused us great a loss, is not a good excuse on judgement day, because I did not seek personal savior and forgiveness for my sins."

6
EszedOP•

That's awesome. I just told u/ProblematiskTone that text is very similar to a bit that we have written by him in English. I think he may have composed it in Danish, his native language, then translated it.

My family were Seventh-day Adventist, and we know a bit about the story to which he refers. It's fascinating to learn something of my great-grandfather's attitude.

Thank you!

4
KrissamAarhus•

If you decipher the letters I'd be happy to translate, but I honestly can't read the letters :P

5
[deleted]•

[deleted]

0†
footballfan123Europe•

Tror snarere, der står "Kære Hustru"

1
[deleted]•

[deleted]

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