Reinhard J. Neumann — A Man with a Mission
Article for the KUSS Magazine by Keith J. Midgen
My wife Barbara, who is Reinhard’s sister, was born in Germany: I hail from London, England. Since I am an established writer in the English language with some understanding of German, and my wife is both fluent in English and German, Reinhard turned to us to provide an objective English translation of a brochure commemorating the 200th Anniversary of the Oktoberfest.
We live in America, so all appraisals of our translations were sent back and forth by email. Reinhard gave us a lot of latitude in our interpretation of the German text. His guidance was invaluable because he was the intermediary between us and the Brewers who were sponsoring the brochure. It was important that not only should the text be rendered into English with which non-Germans would readily identify, but also that changes could be made quickly to accommodate the printing schedule.
Needless to say, Reinhard was continuously under pressure to satisfy both the expectations of the Brewers and our precise expression of the text that an Anglophone would enjoy reading. Reinhard managed to ride the fine line between upsetting either party so that his vision of the final piece would be completed on time. He is soft-spoken and has a calm nature, qualities that endear him to those who work alongside him. And though his facility with both languages is advanced, most of the time he is happy to yield to the persuasion of natural speakers when his instincts and experience inform him to.
Above all, he knows how to delegate specific projects to those who will best meet his unequivocal appreciation of design. Finally, I have to comment on his artistic prowess. Over the years I have known him, I continue to be impressed with his devotion to perfection and originality despite the long hours required to effect it. It was a pleasure to work with him on our mutually arduous but enjoyable project.
Keith and Barbara Midgen
Plano, TX – U.S.A.
