academic

[Masis]

Whether Army Group North could have conquered Leningrad is one of history’s unknowns. The question is also academic – the fact is that Hitler ordered von Leeb’s men to halt short of the city.

Hello. Please help me with the word academic. I translate it like theoritical. But maybe I am wrong. Thanks.

 

[ace02nc]

That's a pretty good translation for this example. Since no one knows what would have actually happened, all we can do is debate it in an academic setting (hypothetical essays, strategies, etc) as opposed to the battlefield.

 

[charisma_classic]

According to the freedictionary.com site, "academic" can mean "theoretical" or "having no practical purpose or use". Both make sense in this case. It's a theoretical questions... and the answer really doesn't matter anyway.

 

[bibliolept]

That is one way to think about it. Did you try searching WR for threads on "academic"?

academic
hypothetical or theoretical and not expected to produce an immediate or practical result; "an academic discussion"; "an academic question"

It's academic now

 

[Masis]

Thank you. So I am right with mine translation and I am very happy of this fact.

 

[mommyteacher]

The question is academic because von Leeb's men never tried to conquer Leningrad; they stopped short of the city. There are absolutely no facts to weigh as evidence either in their favor, or against them, such as, how many men were lost, or how close they came to success. Therefore, the issue is one of opinion only - there is no way to determine a "right" answer. This is what makes it academic.