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, we’re back to the book where we’re guaranteed to find some delightfully bizarre word choices, no matter where we look, James Kennedy‘s The Order of Odd-fish, otherwise known as Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge. (Happy Belated Birthday, James!)
Last time, we left off on page 156, Seite 196 auf Deutsch. Jo is about to see a picture of her birth in the Tapestry. Without giving away spoilers, I’m sure we can find some fun phrases to translate.
I mean, how does he make these up? Of course I discover that I’ve always wanted to know how to translate “a blizzard of demolishing gray fire.” Turns out, that’s ein Sturm aus verheerendem grauem Feuer.
And there’s more!
“swirling ashes” = wirbelnden Aschesäulen (According to Google, that’s “swirling ash-columns.”)
Here’s a phrase a little easier to use:
“she couldn’t help it” = sie konnte nichts dagegen tun (“She could do nothing against it.”)
“gaunt” = hagerer
“a mass of tangled hair” = einer wilden, zerzausten Haarmähne (“a wild, disheveled hair-mane”) (Haven’t we had other characters described similarly in this book? I seem to remember zerzausten.)
“her face twisted in agony” = mit qualvoll verzerrtem Gesicht (“with excruciating distorted face”)
“scab-covered slug” = Schorf bedeckte Schnecke
“murderous fire” = mörderischen Feuers
Ooh! Here’s a good one:
“cold jelly” = kalter Glibber
“brick wall” = Ziegelwand
“groaned” = ächzte
“veils” = Schleiern
“guilty silence” = schuldbewusstem Schweigen
“doorknob” = Türknauf
“weird angles of the beams” = die merkwürdigen Winkel der Dachbalken
“to get through” = hindurchzuzwängen
“shakily” = zittrig
“a last spasm of curiosity” = ein letztes Aufflackern der Neugier
“a great hairy pudding” = ein gro?er, bebender Pudding (“a big trembling pudding”)
“limbs” = Gliedma?en
Here’s a good long word:
“cleaning” = Säuberungsaktionen
“evil yellow grin” = boshafte, zähnefletschende Grinsen (“evil, teeth-baring grin”)
And finally:
“The Belgian Prankster may have something terrible planned.”
= Der Belgische Scherzkeks hat möglicherweise etwas Schreckliches geplant.
So, as I said, there are interesting bits to translate in every possible section of Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge. Now I can go through my week knowing how to describe ein gro?er, bebender Pudding and kalter Glibber.
In only two weeks, I’ll be moving into the first home I’ve ever purchased. This will require lots of Säuberungsaktionen, so I’m not sure if I’ll get to take a Pause and indulge ein letztes Aufflackern der Neugier for more Sonderling Sundays for awhile. Until then, stay away from Schorf bedeckten Schnecken!