Word: distortion
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Michael Hamburger and Ruth and Matthew Mead, the translators of this collection, have set their versions on facing pages with the German originals. This is really the only appropriate way to publish a translation, since translations must, by their nature, somewhat distort the meaning of the original. Sachs' German is simple enough that a translator need not do it major damage, but it is still useful to watch exactly how the process of rendering it into English is going...
...associate for the Maine State Museum in Augusta, wanted a satellite photograph of the state for a museum exhibit, he naturally got in touch with NASA. No luck there, nor with the Weather Bureau or the Air Force. The angles of orbiting U.S. satellites are such that their cameras distort details north of Chesapeake...
...truly discriminating disease: 99% of its U.S. victims are black. The result of a genetic mutation that occurred in Africa centuries ago, it reduces susceptibility to malaria in the 8% to 10% of U.S. Negroes who carry it. But in those (about 1%) actually harmed by it, periodic crises distort the normally spherical red blood cells into crescent-like ("sickle") structures, which then block the narrow capillaries. This deprives nearby tissues of needed oxygen and causes severe pain. The disease kills at least half its victims before the age of 20; only a handful live beyond 40, and most...
Masked Skills. The tests mainly predict if a student can achieve "good grades in the standard curriculums as they are usually taught." Test pressures distort education at every level. While some schools overemphasize test taking, colleges occasionally reject low scorers with other talents that would benefit society as well as colleges themselves. Example: 85% of black high school seniors score below the current national average (375) on the verbal-aptitude test. Those scores reflect poor schooling, not the blacks' real potential, says the commission. For all races, the tests tend to mask special skills and interests...
...performed in St. Paul's Church. The building itself is remarkably ugly, a huge, overblown quattricento monstrosity which does everything possible to offend the eye, but this would be excusable if it had good acoustics. However, the towering stone nave serves as a vast echo chamber to bounce and distort every sound the singers and instruments make. This concert was the first step in an attempt to break away from Sanders and experiment with other halls. With any luck, the other halls will be better than this...