The nearest equivalent to Duden for the German language or the Chicago Style Guide for the USA used to be Hart’s Rules (first published in 1893). It was replaced by the more longwinded Oxford Style Guide. But in September 2005 the publisher decided to go back to Hart’s Rules. At amazon.de (and UK and USA) you can look inside the book.

The set of books you might use consists of New Hart’s Rules, New Oxford Spelling Dictionary (useful for word divisions) and New Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors. They are also sold as a set, Writer’s Reference Pack.

The recommendations in these books are those followed by Oxford University Press, rather than those followed by the majority of publications. But apart from the use of -ize instead of -ise in many words and the serial comma (both of which I like), the recommendations are fairly standard.

Another superb book is Copy-Editing, by Judith Butcher.

[Part entry about Wikipedia user page removed as it may have been a troll and I haven’t got time to research it]

On a related tack, you can now get a WordPress plug-in to translate your blog into numerous languages.
(Thanks to Trevor ap S.)

(Via Handakte WebLAWg)

The Neue Zürcher Zeitung has an article today (Borer gegen Burda und Bertelsmann) on the failure of the former Swiss ambassador to Germany and his American wife to obtain damages against German magazines in a US court. Borer’s behaviour as ambassador was not regarded as appropriate in some Swiss quarters, and when he was the victim of a fabricated claim that he had had an affair with a topless model, his career came to an end. The suit was rejected because it had insufficient connections to Texas and Texas law, and the appeal was unsuccessful. This was reported in July 2005 in the US, but it’s interesting to see it from the Swiss angle.

On Borer and Shawne Fielding-Borer, a Time article, Boring, He’s Not (‘Flamboyant and Swiss are adjectives not often found in close proximity to each other…’)

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit judgment (where we learn, inter alia, that only 70 copies of Bunte and sixty of Stern make it to Texas).

German report of July 2005, including translation of headnotes of case (‘Wie ein Vertreter der „Kanzlei Professor Schweizer“ sagte, sind die beiden Urteile weit über den Einzellfall hinaus für alle Medien von großer Bedeutung’).

The result might have been different if the parties had genuinely lived in Texas. The NZZ writes:

bq. US-Gerichte fühlen sich offensichtlich nicht schon dann berufen, über ausländische Presseberichte zu Affären und angeblichen Affären zu richten, wenn eine Betroffene im Gerichtsstaat aufwuchs und dort Misswahlen gewann.

bq. Es ist davon auszugehen, dass künftige Opfer missliebiger Presseberichte, die sich von den Vorzügen des US-Gerichtssystems angezogen fühlen, diese Entscheide sorgfältig studieren und Sachverhalt und Argumentation darauf einstellen werden. Medienunternehmen sollten sich darum auch künftig sorgfältig mit der «Anziehungskraft» von US-Gerichten auseinandersetzen.

Authors:

bq. Dr. Stefan Liniger ist Rechtsanwalt bei Bär & Karrer, Zürich, Dr. Stephan Wilske ist Rechtsanwalt bei Gleiss Lutz, Stuttgart.

Deutsche Welle has an article in English on German literary translators, with a picture of Harry Rowohlt in his Lindenstraße role.

The DenverChannel, via lawblog:

bq. TACOMA, Wash. — A judge overseeing a manslaughter case embarrassed prosecutors and upset the victim’s family when she called for a Super Bowl cheer for the Seattle Seahawks before the start of the sentencing hearing.
As Judge Beverly G. Grant took the bench Friday, she asked everyone in court to say “Go Seahawks.” Dissatisfied with the low volume of the response, she told them to try again.

After this, she heard statements and sentenced the defendant to thirteen-and-a-half years’ imprisonment.

For those who don’t read Language Log: the Supreme Court has a relief of Mohammed (picture here).

Im Jahr 1997 baten Muslime das Supreme Court der Vereinigten Staaten, ihr Reliefbild von Mohammed durch Sandstrahlen zu entfernen, aber Rehnquist lehnte ab: das Bild ehre Mohammed (unter anderen) als Gesetzgeber.