I am fixing the English on Wikipedia.
The IDF has an airborne unit that is called (in English) the “98th Paratroopers Division.” Well that can’t be right. Ought it to be “Paratrooper’s” (being as it belongs to a single airborne soldier) or “Paratroopers’” as it belongs to all the airborne soldiers.
Frankly, I am prone to think it would translate best as “Paratroop Division,” using the singular form of the noun as the adjective.
Your thoughts?
That would be correct. Definitely no apostrophe.
“Paratroopers” is an adjective, not a possessive. A tank division is a division full of tanks. An infantry division is a division full of infantrymen. A paratroopers division is a division full of paratroopers. It doesn’t belong to anybody.
ETA: “Paratrooper Division”, if anything else. Certainly not “Paratroop Division”!
Regarding your first paragraph; it is not a “Tanks Division” nor an “Infantries Division,” so why “Paratroopers Division?”
In reply to your second paragraph, it is not a “Tanker Division” nor “Infantryman Division.”
In English the singular form of the noun is most often used as the adjective ("horse stable, eye hospital, book room). This leads me to Paratroop Division.
I think.
Paratrooper Division. Or Parachute Division.
No knowledge of the IDF but I would have thought the English equivalent would be Parachute Division. I don’t remember an Allied Parachute Division WW2 - they were all “Airborne Divisions” but the Brits at least had “Parachute” Brigades as parts of their Airborne Divisions.
Paratrooper (or Paratroopers) Division just sounds odd!
The correct term would be “airborne division”.
Hebrew - or at least, the Israeli military - uses the term “parachuted” to mean “airborne”. The 98th, AKA the “Fire Division”, is a “parachuted” division, just as the 162nd, or “Iron Division”, is an “armored” division. Since translating the meaning of a word is more important that being perfectly literal, “airborne” is acceptable.
(Incidentally, the IDF doesn’t have 162 divisions; the numbers were originally asigned randomly for security purposes).
OTOH, the 35th Brigade should be called “The Paratroopers Brigade”, as “the Paratroopers” is its proper name - no other brigade is called that.
Why not call them what the IDF itself does? That would seem to be most correct. I don’t know about the 98th specifically, but they definitely say “Paratroopers Brigade”
Because the IDF speaks Hebrew and I am editing the English Wikipedia.
Let me give this a few hours of reflection.
What about guards? Like the British Coldstream Guards Regiment, the Canadian Grenadier Guards Regiment, or the Soviet 1st Guards Division?
Hey, don’t take my word for it. I’m just a professional Hebrew-to-English translator who’s also an IDF veteran with a fondness for militaria. I’m sure you could find someone more qualified to translate the term for you.
So I imagined the English on their website?
I am perfectly willing to accept your kind advice, when you offer it.
I am not sure as to the correct translation of the Hebrew to English and would appreciate your thoughts when you care to share them.
Posts 7 and 8 above pretty much answered your question.
Note that the IDF has two types of divisions: regular divisions, like the 98th, that are only activated in times of war (although their headquarters train regularly); and regional divisions, which are responsible for defined areas of Israel and the territories, with various units rotating in and out of them. For instance, the Paratroopers Brigade is part of the 98th in times of war, but in peacetime, it’s under the command of the Golan Division when stationed in the Golan Heights, and under the command of the West Bank Division was stationed in the West Bank.
(Regular) divisions have little impact on a unit’s day-to-day activities; most troops have no idea what division they belong to.
Are you saying the IDF has an official English term for its units?
Probably not.
Forgive me, Alessan, I was snappy at you when you are completely right. I thought you were another poster, although that does not make me being short with anyone right.
Mea culpa, mea, culpa, mea maxima culpa
Is cool.
Is Wikipedia mirrored internationally?