DAC Sample 2

Institution: DAC (Dansk Arkitektur Center)

Exhibition: So Danish!

Description card for a model of one of the towers on Roskilde Cathedral.

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As written:

Margarethespiret, reconstruction after fire in 1968

Better:

The Margarethe spire on Roskilde Cathedral, reconstructed after a fire in 1968

Why is this better?

Because Margarethespiret, while only a single word in Danish, is a whole phrase in English. Without a full translation, the literal meaning of the word is lost to an English reader.

Also, the indication at the lower left corner of the card that this spire is part of Roskilde Cathedral doesn’t translate domkirke at all—so someone who doesn’t speak Danish wouldn’t necessarily understand that we’re even talking about a cathedral (or even a church), even if they’ve been to this one.

Meanwhile, my changes to the ending of “reconstruction” and the addition of “a” before “fire” are simple corrections.