Sonderling Sunday – Seltsamen Sonderlinge Kapitel 25

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 that started it all, The Order of Odd-Fish, by James Kennedy, otherwise known as Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge.

Last time, we left off ready to begin Chapter Twenty-Five! There are twenty-eight chapters in the book, so we have almost given tidbits from the entire book — without giving away the plot, I might add. I hope I have merely tantalized my readers, while giving them handy phrases to use the next time they travel to Germany. This first sentence, for example, could come in handy:

“Jo didn’t remember how she got back to the lodge.”
= Jo konnte sich nicht daran erinnern, wie sie zum Logenhaus zurückgekommen war.

“crumpled” = zerknittert

“boiled furiously” = kochte brodelnd

“twisting up her guts” = verdrehte ihr die Gedärme

“exhausted” = erschöpft

Sometimes the translator just had to draw out and explain the playful English:
“Her brain itched with needles and worms and fizzing sparks”
= Nadeln schienen sie ins Hirn zu stechen, Würmer wanden sich und Funken stoben
(“Needles seemed her in the brain to pierce, worms writhed and sparks flew”)

“pleaded” = angefleht

“slosh around” = herumschwappte

“rattled and bounced” = ratternd und schaukelnd

“exciting” = aufregend

“enticing” = verlockende

“exuberant crowd” = ausgelassene Menge

“disinfectant” = Desinfektionsmittel

“opposite corner” = gegenüberliegenden Ecke

I hope you’ll never say this, but here it is if you need it:
“If you die, too bad.”
= Wenn ihr sterbt, Pech gehabt.

“Razzle-dazzle” = Tamtam

“Deceit” = Arglist

“left big toe” = linken dicken Zeh

“thigh” = Oberschenkel

“show of respect” = Respektbezeugungen

“fondling” = liebkoste

That’s all for tonight! If you encounter any ausgelassene Menge this week, I hope you will find it aufregend and verlockend, but that you won’t be too erschöpft for some Tamtam! Bis bald!