Sonderling Sunday – Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge, das fünfzehnte Kapitel

It’s time for Sonderling Sunday! That time of the week when I play with language by looking at the German translation of children’s books. Today I’m back to the most Sonder book of all, Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge, The Order of Odd-fish, by James Kennedy. We left off at the end of Chapter 14, so tonight we begin Chapter 15.

Here’s a sentence we should all try to use this week:
“Today we go Schwenk-hunting.”
= Heute machen wir uns auf die Jagd nach dem Schwenk

Have I translated this one lately?
“My digestion” = Mein Verdauungstrakt

“adventurous” = ausgesprochen abenteuerlich (“decidedly adventurous”)

Ah, no one gives more interesting phrases to translate than James Kennedy!
“a sprightly zing in my gastric acids”
= “ein munteres Zischen meiner Magensäuren
(“a lively sizzle in my stomach acids”)

“a broad wave” = einem ausholenden Schwung

“oak chest” = Eichentruhe

“curious devices” = merkwürdiger Gerätschaften

“elusive” = scheues

“murmured” = tuschelten

“modesty” = Bescheidenheit

“a damp mass of prickly fur” = eine feuchte Masse von klebrigem Pelz

“a hissing, gurgling clump” = ein zischender, gurgelnder Klumpen

I like this alliteration:
“said Sir Festus breezily” = fuhr Sir Festus fröhlich fort

“spiky gun” = Stachelpistole

“a long-range, triple-accuracy Apology Gun”
= eine weittragende, dreifach genaue Entschuldigungspistole

“the Very Polite War” = der Au?erordentlich Höfliche Krieg

“proposing marriage” = Brautwerbung

“the murderous curtsy” = der mörderischen Hofknickses

“literally” = sprichwörtlich

A nice long word:
“disagreement” = Meinungsverschiedenheit (“opinion-difference”)

“more extravagantly effusive” = extravaganter und überschwenglicher
(“more extravagant and exuberant”)

“outdo” = übertrumpfen

“chaotic mass apologies” = chaotischen Massenentschuldigungen

“an ugly free-for-all of manners”
= ein hässlicher allgemeiner Sittenverfall
(“an ugly general moral decline”)

“rudeness” = Grobheit

“dial” = Wählscheibe

That’s it then, the first section of Chapter 15, telling about the Very Polite War. May you not encounter any mörderischen Hofknickses this week!

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