Sonderling Sunday – Lost in the Sackgassen

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, creating the phrase book you never knew you needed!

This week, we’re back with the lovely bizarre phrases of James Kennedy‘s The Order of Odd-Fish, Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge.

(Though does James Kennedy still exist?!? His latest blog post leaves some doubt.)

Last time, we left off on page 189, Seite 238 auf Deutsch.

I like this better in German, somehow:
“actors in costumes” = Schauspieler in Kostümen

“her eyes blazing” = ihre Augen glühten

“stalked off” = marschierte dann steifbeinig (“marched then stiff-boned”)

“glumly” = mürrisch

“babbling” = herausgesprudelt (“here-out-bubbled”)

“sneaky” = hinterhältig

“crowds” = Menschenmenge

“caught in snarls of traffic” = blieben häufiger im Verkehrsgewühl stecken

“baffled” = verblüfft

“suspected” = argwöhnen

This must have been fun to translate!
“Snoodsbottom” = Bilgental (“Bilge Valley”)

“hewn” = hineingehauen

“luminous fungus” = schimmernde Pilze und Flechten (“shimmering mushrooms and lichen”)

“gloomy” = dämmrig

“long lean man” = gro?er, schlanker Mann

“dead end” = Sackgasse (“sack-alley”)

“frustrating circles” = frustrierenden Kreisen

“She silently fumed” = Sie kochte vor Wut, blieb aber stumm
(“She cooked for anger, but stayed silent.”)

“Jo’s mood had soured” = Jos Laune gelitten hatte

“crammed” = überfüllte (“overfilled”)

“convoluted” = unübersichtliche (“un-oversightly”)

“creepers” = Kriechpflanzen (“creep-plants”)

“sweaty, dismal heat” = schwei?treibenden, widerlichen Hitze

“spiced with heavy incense” = von Weihrauch geschwängert (“from incense pregnant”)

I love the way in German this looks like a normal word:
“lizard-dogs” = Echsenhunden

“cobbled street” = Pflastersteine (“plaster-stones”)

“runners” = Kufen

“bounding past” = vorbeihetzten

“almost running them over” = sie fast umrempelten

“barking and howling” = bellend und heulend

“crouched” = kauerte

“shuddered” = fröstelte

I’m going to finish with this dramatic sentence:
“just as a horrible moistening sound came from behind her and a boneless arm wrapped itself up her leg.”
= Im selben Moment hörte sie hinter sich ein schreckliches schmatzendes Geräusch und ein knochenloser Arm schlang sich um ihr Bein.

May you have no occasions to cook for anger this week!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *