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 back to the especially Sonder-book, Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge, which is the translation of The Order of Odd-fish, by James Kennedy.
I am getting close to the end! And I got to thinking that it would be really nice to finish looking at this book before I start my real work of reading for the 2019 Newbery committee (reading books published in 2018). Because I fear I won’t have a lot of time for Sonderling Sunday once that happens. So – let’s push on! Last time, I finished Chapter 22. Let’s look at what the next chapter holds, beginning on page 309 in the English edition, Seite 393 in the German edition.
Let’s start with the first sentence:
“The rain stopped as suddenly as if someone had switched it off.”
= Der Regen hörte so plötzlich auf, als hätte jemand ihn abgeschaltet.
“alarmingly lush” = beunruhigenden Üppigkeit (“disturbingly luxuriant”)
“exploding with ferns and lurid tropical flowers”
= schien von Farnen und grellen tropischen Blumen nur so zu explodieren
“smothered in ivy, creepers, and weeds
= wurde von Efeu, Kriechpflanzen und Kräutern förmlich erstickt
(“was by ivy, creeper plants and herbs formally stifled”)
I’m using this word this week, if I can manage to pronounce it:
“humid” = schwül
“freaks” (as in “freakshows”) = Monstrositätenschauen
“roller coaster” = Achterbahn (“8-train” as in “figure-8 train”)
“dragged” = kramten
“float” = Karren
“seethed” = siedete
“wildly boiling soup” = heftig kochende Suppe
“mocking her” = sie verhöhnen
“numb” = betäubt
“marching bands” = Marschkapellen
“dazzling” = blendende
“furry pink boots” = pinkfarbene Fellstiefel
“puffy blouse” = Rüschenbluse
“compliment” = bewundern
“artful restraint” = künstlerische Zurückhaltung
“hallmark” = Markenzeichen
“urgently” = drängend
“brazen” = Tollkühnes
“newsworthy” = berichtenswert
“big scoop” = Knüller
“paralyzing dread” = lähmenden Furcht
“tilt-a-whirls” = Raupe (“caterpillar”)
“pinched” = kniff
“pterodactyls” = Flugsaurier
“skip every line” = an den Wartenden vorbeigewunken
“put two and two together” = eins und eins zusammenzählen (“one and one together-count”)
Ah! A Sonderword:
“special treatment” = Sonderbehandlung
And I’ll stop at the end of that section, as they’re going to the festival.
Now, may you enjoy the Marschkappellen und blendende fireworks on the fourth of July!
Congratulations on getting onto the Newbery committee, that’s fantastic! And thank you so much for doing this German-English comparison of “Odd-Fish” for so long, I’ve learned quite a few choice phrases! (This week’s favorite: the translation of “smothered in ivy, creepers, and weeds” into “wurde von Efeu, Kriechpflanzen und Kräutern förmlich erstickt” which translates back into “was by ivy, creeper plants and herbs formally stifled”!!)
Thanks! I’m soooooo excited about the Newbery committee! It’s going to slow down my other review posts, though! Of course I won’t post any reviews of American books published in 2018 until we’ve made our decision – maybe I’ll catch up on books I’ve already reviewed but haven’t posted. But I have a feeling Sonderling Sunday posts will be sparse.
And thank *you* for writing such a *Sonder*book! And for sending me the German copy and inspiring the idea in the first place! I have had so much fun with it. And maybe I remember a *little bit* of German after 11 years away! (Sigh.)