Category: Sonderling Sunday

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. This week, I’m back with my stand-by, the book with the most bizarre phrases of all, The Order of Odd-fish, by James Kennedy, Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge.

Last time, we left off at the start of page 202 in the English edition, Seite 254 auf Deutsch.

Have you ever wondered how they decide which phrases to put in a phrasebook? Well, think of this as a set of phrases that have actually been used! So surely English-speaking travelers to Germany could find a use for them, nicht?

“former life” = ehemaligem Leben

“petty” = armselig (“pathetic”)

“to leave anything undone” = etwas unerledigt zu lassen

“loathed” = verachtete

“repulsed him” = widerte ihn an

“unbearable disgust” = unerträglichem Ekel

“smug” = Selbstgefälliges (“self-pleasing”)

“self-satisfied” = Selbstzufriedenes

“vowed” = schwur

This isn’t as melodious:
“happy-go-lucky handyman” = unbekümmerte Faktotum (“unencumbered factotum”)

Here the alliteration was preserved:
“humdrum happiness” = fade Fröhlichkeit

“guessed” = vermutete

Here’s a good one:
“wild pleasures” = ausschweifendsten Vergnügungen (“extravagant pleasures”)

This whole sentence needs to be translated:
“That is, what if Ken Kiang gave Hoagland Shanks unlimited access to any kind of pie he wanted?”
= Was wäre, wenn Ken Kiang Hoagland Shanks unbegrenzten Zugang zu jeder Art von Kuchen gewährte, nach der ihn gelüstete?
(“What would be, if Ken Kiang Hoagland Shanks unbounded access to each kind of Cake granted, after which he lusted?”)

“addicted” = süchtig

“generosity” = Großzügigkeit

“a changed man” = ein verwandelter Mensch

“desperate things” = verzweifelte Dinge

“but at best would serve to numb him against his sordid existence”
= sondern höchstens noch dazu dienten, ihn gegen die Erbärmlichkeit seiner Existenz abzustumpfen
(“but at highest still served to, him against the wretchedness of his existence to blunt”)

“suicidal quest” = selbstmörderische Aufgabe

“encroached upon every idle moment” = sich in jedem winzigen Moment an ihn heranschlich
(“in each tiny moment on him sneaked up”)

“unquenchable emptiness” = unfüllbare Leere

“a ravenous nothing” = ein alles verschlingendes Nichts (“an all devouring nothing”)

“jerk back” = zuckte er zurück

“mounting terror” = steigendem Entsetzen

“fantasized” = ausgemalt (“painted”)

“pity” = Mitgefühl (“with-feeling”)

And that’s it for Chapter 16! We are now more than halfway through the book!

There are some good phrases to try to work into your conversation this week! If you find you have steigendem Entsetzen when confronted with ein alles verschlingendes Nichts, you have all my Mitgefühl!

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At last! It’s again time for Sonderling Sunday, that time of the week when I play with language by looking at the German translation of children’s books. What with Christmas and a vacation in California, it’s been more than a month since my last installment, so I’m happy to get back to it tonight.

And after such a long time off, of course I’m coming back to my stand-by, Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge, The Order of Odd-Fish, by James Kennedy.

Last time, we finished up chapter 12, so now we begin Chapter 16, which is page 199 in the English original, and Seite 251 auf Deutsch. We are almost to the halfway point! (There are 403 pages in the English version, and 511 pages in the German version.)

The chapter starts with a question we may well ask:

“But what about Ken Kiang?”
= Wie aber war ist Ken Kiang ergangen?
(“But how has Ken Kiang fared?”)

“Ken Kiang was overwhelmed. He was overpowered.”
= Ken Kiang war überwältigt, er war übermannt.

“before he would feel his soul dwindle and teeter on the precipice of being blasted to nothing by the sheer demonic grandeur that was the Belgian Prankster”
= sonst lief er Gefahr, dass seine Seele schrumpfte und er kurz davor war, ins Nichts zu verschwinden, und das allein durch die reine dämonische Größe, die den Belgischen Scherzkeks ausmachte
(“otherwise he was in danger, that his soul shrank and he was shortly into nothing to disappear, and that alone through the pure demonic size, that the Belgian Joke-Cookie achieved.”)

“He had come away baffled and reeling.”
= Vollkommen verdattert und mit schwindelndem Kopf hatte er ihn verlassen.
(“Completely flabbergasted and with dizzy head had he left him.”)

“so hugely, senselessly lawless”
= so Gewaltigem, gefühllos Gesetzlosem

“piddling mischief” = kläglichen Übermut

“unimaginably gargantuan evil” = unvorstellbaren, riesigen Bösen

“a slap in the face” = ein Schlag ins Gesicht

“only play into the schemes of his incalculable foe”
= nur seinem unberechenbaren Feind in die Hände spielte

“bit players” = Statisten

“crackling fire” = knisterndes Feuer

“invincible” = Unbesiegbaren

“inscrutable mechanisms” = unergründlichen Mechanismen

“awesome calculations” = Ehrfurcht einflößenden Berechnungen
“Glory-fear inspiring calculations”)

“minor functionary” = unbedeutendes Rädchen
(“insignificant cog”)

“vainglory” = eitlen Ruhm (“vain fame”)

“vanity” = Eitelkeit

“burned away” = vernichtet

“painstakingly” = pingelig

“Fleet of Fury” = Furiosen Flotte

“moody teenager” = launischer Teenager

“stashed” = verstaut

“crawling chaos” = wimmelndes Chaos

“coaxed” = hervorlockten

“silly props” = albernen Kostüme

“showy fanfare” = schmetternde Fanfare

That’s it for tonight, finishing at the end of page 201, thus being so close to the halfway point of the book.

And tomorrow morning, the Youth Media Awards are announced, including the Newbery and Caldecott Medals! There will be some wonderful schmetternde Fanfare for a situation that is Ehrfurcht einflößenden!

Have a wonderful week! May you avoid both kläglichen Übermut and unvorstellbaren, riesigen Bösen!

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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. Tonight I’m going to again look at Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge, The Order of Odd-Fish by James Kennedy.

Last time, we left off on page 195 in the English version, and Seite 247 auf Deutsch. Jo is in a tight spot, surrounded by Wormbeards (Wurmbärte).

Oh, it starts right off with a nice one:
“deafening roar” = ohrenbetäubendes Brüllen
(“ears-numbing bellow”)

“and a powerful force knocked everyone on their backs”
= und eine ungeheuerliche Kraft schleuderte alle zu Boden, wo sie rücklings landeten
(“and a monstrous force hurled all to the ground, where they backwards landed”)

“heightening howls” = gellenden Heulen

“tossed around” = herumgeschleudert

Fun to say:
“paper dolls” = Papierpuppen

“barking and shrieking” = kläfften und heulen

“fences and walls” = Zäune und Wände

“to throw off the lizard-dogs” = um die Echsenhunde abzuschütteln

“A lizard-dog’s jaw nipped at her thigh” = Ein Echsenhund schnappte nach ihrer Wade

“East Squeamings” = Ost-Heikel (“East Squeamish”)

Interesting. In the fish market, the translator translated “squishy blobs” with one word: Quallen, which means “jellyfish.” That’s probably what they were?

“slimy stones” = glitschigen Steinen

“crashing through the stalls” = durch die Buden krachten

“reckless glee” = rücksichtslosem Eifer

“hissing smoke” = zischte und qualmte (“hisses and smokes”)

“swinging clubs” = Knüppel swingend

“surrounded” = umzingelt

“whirled and yanked” = herumgewirbelt und herumgezerrt

“roiling crowd” = keuchende Menge (“coughing mass”)

I like that there’s a word for this:
“mask of scabs” = Schuppenmaske

“riot” = Aufruhr

“cobbled” = gepflasterte

“half-assembled” = zerlegte (Google translates this word as “decomposed.”)

This is fun:
“Woo!” = Juhu!

“a gargantuan, flapping, snorting, screeching bird” = ein riesiger flatternder, schnaubender, kreischender Vogel

“got up” = aufgerappelt

“unreliable weapons” = unzuverlässigen Waffen

“cheeky” = hinterhältig (“underhanded”)

“lost causes” = aussichtlose Aufgaben

And, with lost causes, we wrap up Chapter Fifteen! Juhu!

Now you know that many more useful phrases in German! You know just what to say if you see someone with a Schuppenmaske or you’re in a situation where you need um die Echsenhunde abzuschütteln.

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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. Okay, really it’s way past time. I got called in to work this afternoon, so I didn’t have a chance to start this until late. So how about a really short one, just looking at a little bit of my stand-by, The Order of Odd-Fish, Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge, by James Kennedy.

Last time, we left off on page 193, which is Seite 244 auf Deutsch. We ended with a fairly dramatic sentence, so this week let’s begin with the next one, also dramatic:

“Jo didn’t even have time to scream before another tentacle pushed into her mouth.”
= Jo kam nicht einmal dazu, zu schreien, weil ein weiterer Tentakel sich über ihren Mund legte.

This one’s not as catchy:
“She turned, kicked, and struggled”
= Sie drehte sich um, trat zu und wehrte sich

“something soft and gooey” = etwas Weichem, Klebrigem

“bag of jelly” = Beutel mit Wackelpudding

“burst with a liquid noise” = mit einem flüssigen Knall platzte

“went limp” = wurden schlaff

“Her skin was pocked with little welts from the suckers.”
= Auf ihrer Haut hatten sich kleine Blasen von den Saugnäpfen gebildet.

“injuries” = Verletzungen

“reins” = Zügeln

This is so good it has to be repeated from last time.
“Apology Gun” = Entschuldigungspistole
(I’m happy. I was able to spell that out without referring back to the book.)

“cruel” = Grausamkeit (“cruelty”; “grayness”)

“flipped” = kippte

“squealing lizard-dogs” = jaulenden Echsenhunde

“limping” = humpelnden

“bristly” = struppig

“to throw away” = vergeuden

“Her lips wavered on the edge of a sneer”
= Sie verzog höhnisch die Lippen
(“She made scornful the lips”)

Also not as catchy:
“You don’t have the guts.”
= Für so etwas hast du nicht genug Mumm.

“anticipation” = erwartungsvoll (“waiting-full”)

“Fiona sensed the weakness” = Fiona spürte ihre Schwäche

“an almost inaudible bip.” = einem fast unhörbaren Ploppen

“angry bellow” = wütenden Brüllen

“surrounded by the purple-cloaked, yellow-scarf-wearing, steel-goggled squires”
= von violet gekleideten, mit gelben Schals geschmückten und stählernen Brillen geschützten Knappen umgeben

That’s all I have time for tonight! If I stay up any later, I’ll feel like a Beutel mit Wackelpudding!

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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!

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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. Tonight it’s back with my stand-by, The Order of Odd-Fish, by James Kennedy, Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge.

Last time, we left off on page 185 in English, Seite 234 auf Deutsch. The squires are about to go in search of the Schwenk.

As usual, I’ll just look for fun phrases that I never before realized I really wanted to know how to say in multiple languages. As usual, I’ll find an abundance of these in The Order of Odd-Fish. (I won’t give any spoilers. If you haven’t read the book, I’m hoping these phrases will intrigue you.)

“East Squeamings” = Ost-Heikel (“East-Delicate”) (Like “squeamish,” I think.)

“shacks” = Scheunen

“a sprawling fish market” = einem ausgedehnten Fischmarkt (“an outstretched fish market”)

“stalls” = Buden

“dripping bunches” = tropfenden Bündeln

“wriggling white blobs” = zuckenden wei?en Klecksen

“shimmering fins” = schimmernden Flossen

“panting mouths” = Luft schnappenden Mäulern (“air snapping mouths”)

“bulging tubes” = aufgedunsene Röhren

“trussed up” = fest verschnürt

“bustling cacophony” = umtriebige Kakofonie

“booth” = Nische (“niche”)

“why settle for second best?” = warum sich mit dem Zweitbesten zufriedengeben?
(“why yourself with the second-best to-peace-give?”)

No surprise here:
“lugged” = schleppte

“smoke” = qualmte

“promising noises” = vielversprechende Geräusche

“passed around” = herumreichten

“floating in black-licorice broth” = in einer schwarzen Lakritzbrühe schwammen

“awed whisper” = ehrfürchtig flüsternd

“slouching” = herumlümmelte

“snorted” = schnaubte verächtlich (“snorted contemptuously”)

“casually” = unaufällig

“eavesdrop” = belauschen

“hang around” = herumgelungert

“devastating” = verheerend

And I’ll end with the final sentence in the section:
“Come on, let’s go find the Schwenk.” = Kommt, gehen wir los und suchen das Schwenk.

That’s it for tonight! As always, some fun words to say and fun things to imagine a situation where you could say them.

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