Sonderling Sunday – die Grollhütte

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 to the especially Sonder-book, Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge, which is the translation of The Order of Odd-fish, by James Kennedy.

Last time, we left off on page 327, in Chapter 24, which is Seite 415, 24. Kapitel, auf Deutsch. The first sentence is a choice morsel to translate. (You’ll certainly want to know how to say this if you ever go to Germany!)

“It was time for the final ritual before the duel: a tea ceremony at the Grudge Hut in Snerdsmallow, in which Jo and Fiona were required to read hundred-line poems insulting each other.”

= Es wurde Zeit für das letzte Ritual vor dem Duell, die Teezeremonie in der Grollhütte in Gimpelgarten, wo Jo und Fiona sich gegenseitig ein jeweils hundert Zeilen langes Gedicht aus Beleidigungen vorlesen mussten.

“distant” = weitab

This is pretty close to a direct translation:
“You can’t just blow it off.”
= Du kannst die ganze Sache jetzt nicht einfach abblasen.
(“You can the whole thing now not simply blow off.”)

This one they had to explain:
“Jo’s head was pounding.”
= Jos Kopf pochte vor Schmerz.
(“Jo’s head throbbed with pain.”)

“Don’t mention it.” = Nicht der Rede wert. (“Not a speech worth”)

I like the way these are one word in German:
“disturbing the peace” = Ruhestörung

“bomb threats” = Bombendrohungen

“foul mood” = übellaunig

“fumed” = schäumte

“our most splendid finery” = unserem schönsten Putz

“showering” = überschwemmen

And surely you’d like to be able to say this in German!
“Behold the glamorous Odd-Fish butlers streaking across the firmament, thoughtfully distributing signed portraits to fans and collectors!”
= Seht dort die glorreichen Butler der Seltsamen Sonderlinge, die über das Firmament gleiten und umsichtigerweise signierte Porträts an Fans und Sammler verteilen!

A nice long word:
“sympathy” = Mitleidsbekundungen

“but he didn’t touch a hair on your head”
= doch er hat Ihnen nicht das kleinste Härchen gekrümmt

“asylum” = Irrenanstalt (“Error-institution”)

“vanity” = Eitelkeit

“society pages” = Klatschspalten

“moping” = schmollen

“spilled” = verschüttet

“sour and scraped-out” = wund und wie ausgekratzt an

“earshot” = Hörweite

And that’s all for tonight! I haven’t been writing Sonderling Sunday for awhile, but next week I’ll know what to tell myself: Du kannst die ganze Sache jetzt nicht einfach abblasen.

Bis bald!

Sonderling Sunday – Seltsamen Sonderlinge – The Return of the Belgian Prankster!

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 to the especially Sonder-book, Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge, which is the translation of The Order of Odd-fish, by James Kennedy.

Last time, we finished Chapter 23! So now it’s on to Chapter Twenty-Four! [This is out of 28 chapters. My Sonderling Sunday posts are becoming less and less frequent. This is mostly because I’ve become part of a group that plays games on Sunday afternoon. And I just like the sound of “Sonderling Sunday” too much to switch to another day. Theoretically, as the year 2018 progresses, I should spend less time posting and more time reading. So we shall see what happens. But anyway, tonight the gaming hosts are getting home from a holiday weekend with family, so here I am ready to translate!]

The first sentence of Chapter 24 is a perfect sentence for translating. I’m sure you want to know how to say this, should you ever be in Germany!
“The return of the Belgian Prankster sparked a citywide panic.”
= Die Rückkehr des Belgischen Scherzkekses löste in der ganzen Stadt einen wahren Tumult aus.

“breathless and exhausted” = atemlos und erschöpft

“flurry of chaos” = Chaos der Verwirrung

“still others sat numbly on the sidewalk”
= wieder andere saßen wie betäubt auf dem Bürgersteig

It amuses me how much longer this is in German:
“Everybody had the same panicked expression.”
= Die Menschen dort trugen alle denselben panikerfüllten Gesichtsausdruck zur Schau.

“jittery conversations” = nervösen Gesprächen

“headlines” = Schlagzeile (“strike-row”)

“baffling” = verblüffende

“No one dared venture near.”
= Niemand wagte es auch nur, in seine Nähe zu kommen.
(“No one dared it even, in his neighborhood to come.”)

“stern chiding” = scharfe Rüffel

“public ridicule” = öffentlichen Gespött

“poked him” = piksten ihn

This is a great sentence:
“People will put up with being terrified, but no one will tolerate being bored.”
= Die Menschen ertragen es, in Angst und Schrecken zu leben, aber keiner nimmt es hin, gelangweilt zu werden.

“Asylum for the Feeble of Brain” = Asyl für die Geistesschwachen

“Jo drank coffee after coffee”
= Jo trank unablässig Kaffee
(“Jo drank ceaselessly coffee”)

“suicide” = selbstmörderisch

“sticky and sluggish” = stickig und zäh

“Nothing seemed worth doing.”
= Nichts schien der Anstrengung wert zu sein.

“eyes ache” = Augen wehtaten

“writhed” = wälzte

“feeling like she was wrapped in hot wet cotton”
= hatte das Gefühl, sie wäre in heiße, nasse Baumwolllaken eingewickelt

The last sentence of the section about the Belgian Prankster:
“Furious but repulsed, fascinated but terrified, she felt herself pulled toward him.”
Sie war wütend und angewidert, fasziniert und verängstigt und fühlte sich trotz allem zu ihm hingezogen.

Here’s hoping you never have occasion to use that sentence!

That’s all for tonight! Until next time, may you not be terrified or bored!

Sonderling Sunday – The Festival Interrupted

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.

Last time, I left off in the middle of Chapter 23, page 314, in English, Seite 399 auf Deutsch.

Here’s the sentence that begins the section:
“The sun sank behind the trees, and the sky darkened, but the festival went on.”
= Die Sonne versank hinter den Bäumen und es wurde dunkel, aber das Fest ging weiter.

“A sweaty man by nature”
= Der Ritter neigte ohnehin zu Schweißausbrüchen
(“The knight tended anyway to sweat-outbreaks”)

“particularly damp” = besonders verschwitzt

“golden swimsuit” = goldfarbenen Badeanzug

“Stroke him, reassure him.” = Streichelt ihn, beruhigt ihn.

“pinching” = zwackt

A good sentence to know:
“Now you’re just being silly.”
= Jetzt sind Sie aber wirklich albern.

And you thought we’d never learn how to say this!
“ridiculous farts and burps” = alberne Fürze und Rülpser

Ha! I caught a mistake in the translation! The English says:
“It was difficult to believe the music was grunts and snorts forced out of a giant worm.”

But the translation says:
dass es schwer zu glauben war, diese Musik würde aus Grunzen, Schnauben, Fürzen und Rülpsern eines gigantischen Wurms bestehen.

See what they’ve done? Although when Sir Alasdair began playing the Urk-Ack by climbing inside it and pinching its organs at first all that came out was farts and burps. Now he has progressed and is giving a lovely concert – but the translator put the farts and burps back in! Oops!

“like a blob of pink putty” = wie ein rosafarbener Gummiball

You should be able to say this:
“This is my moment of triumph!”
= Das ist mein Augenblick des Triumphes!

“explosive” = Sprengstoff

“roguishly” = schelmisch

“candy wrappers” = Bonbonpapier

“reckless zeal” = rücksichtslosem Eifer

“The audience was booing.” = Die Zuschauer buhten.

“caterwauling” = jaulenden

“adoring fans” = hingebungsvollen Anhänger

“jeers” = die höhnischen Zwischenrufe (“the sneery calls”)

“the stage” = der Bühne

“savior” = Retter

“pusillanimous” = kleinkarierten

“Consarn it” = Sapperlot

“handyman” = Faktotum

“tousling” = verwuselte

“whirlwind” = Wirbelwind

“parachutes” = Fallschirmen

“conductor” = Dirigenten

“shoved aside” = beseitegeschoben worden

Here’s a good sentence to know:
“I expect you to solve all my problems!”
= Ich erwarte, dass Sie alle meine Probleme lösen!

“waved” = wedelte

“crumpled papers” = zerknüllter Blätter

“cameo” = Nebenrolle

“unbutton” = aufzuknüpfen

“grunting and grinning” = grunzend und grinsend

“footlights” = Rampenlichter

“waggled his hips” = wackelte mit seinen Hüften

“a throbbing, squirming mass of blubber and muscle”
= eine pulsierende, wabernde Masse von Speck und Muskeln

And that brings us to the end of Chapter 23!

I think it’s fun how little these phrases give away the plot – I hope they tantalize the reader to want to know the details!

Bis bald!

Sonderling Sunday – Chapter 23

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!

Sonderling Sunday – Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge – Desolation Day is here!

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 book that started this feature, Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge, which is the translation of The Order of Odd-fish, by James Kennedy.

Last time (far too long ago), I covered Jo’s dinner with Fiona, and ended on page 304 in the original English edition, Seite 387 in the German edition.

The first sentence of the next section is so practical, I’ll start with that:

“Jo couldn’t sleep.” = Jo konnte nicht einschlafen.

“bubbling and boiling” = überschlugen
(Google Translate says “raced.” The context is this is what Fiona’s thoughts are doing. The original English seems a bit more vivid.)

“dream-wracked” = von Träumen gepeinigt (“by dreams tormented”)

I hope you won’t need to say this!
“Everyone up. It’s Desolation Day.”
= Aufstehen. Es ist der Tag der Verwüstung.

“underground courtyard” = unterirdischen Hof

“exhausted and disoriented” = erschöpft und orientierungslos

I think this sentence has come up before, but I like it.
“Jo was astonished.” = Jo war verblüfft

“disobeyed” = missachtet

“veil” = Schleier

Just fun to say:
“who was who” = wer wer war

“a familiar face” = ein vertrautes Gesicht

“shuffling echo of footsteps” = Schlurfen von Schritten

“rustle of skirts” = Rascheln von Kleidern

“turn back” = umgekehrt

“queasily and unsteadily” = Unbehagen und schwankend

“confusion and horror and guilt” = Verwirrung, Entsetzen, Schuldgefühlen

“found out” = enttarnen

“not a human sobbing” = kein menschliches Schluchzen

“long, twisty pipes” = langen, krummen Flöten

“windy sky” = sturmgepeitschten Himmel (“storm-whipped sky”)

“rising and falling” = hoben und senkten

“bright” = grell

“frenzy” = Raserei

“tipping” = torkelte

“climbed up” = hinaufkletterten

“milky liquid” = milchigen Flüssigkeit

“gurgling” = blubbernd

“puddles” = Pfützen

“sidewalk” = Bürgersteig

And the last sentence of Chapter 22:
“She had never felt more alone.”
= Noch nie hatte sie sich einsamer gefühlt.

That’s all for tonight! May you never have to describe kein menschliches Schluchzen.

Bis bald!

Sonderling Sunday – Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge – Dinner with Fiona

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 we’re back to the most Sonder book of them all, Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge, which is the translation of The Order of Odd-fish, by James Kennedy.

Last time, I did a short post, beginning Chapter 22 with Jo getting ready for Desolation Day. I do my best not to post any spoilers, but I do hope readers of my blog will be intrigued to ask What sort of book would use these fascinating phrases? Pick up a copy!

But in the meantime, let’s take a look at the first sentence of the next section, to set the stage:

“The night before Desolation Day, Jo, Ian, and Nora huddled from the rain under an awning in East Squeamings, waiting to be picked up by the Wormbeards.
= Am Vorabend des Tages der Verwüstung drängten sich Jo, Ian und Nora unter eine Markise in Ost-Heikel, wo sie darauf warteten, von den Wurmbärten abgeholt zu werden.

“sodden” = überschwemmtes

“put away” = beiseitegeschafft (“aside-made”)

I dare you to find a reason to say this:
“torn apart by lizard-dogs”
= von diesen Echsenhunden zerfetzt zu werden

“a quiet satisfaction” = eine stille Befriedigung

“a calculated insult” = eine wohlüberlegte Beleidigung (“a well-considered insult”)

“glowing fungi” = schimmernden Pilze

“stale, spicy air” = abgestandene, würzige Luft

“covered with minutely detailed carvings”
= mit peinlichst genau gearbeiteten Steinmetzarbeiten verziert

“the tree’s bark” = die Rinde des Baumes

This is fun to say:
“between the branches” = zwischen den Zweigen

“simmering in this cauldron of dishonor”
= siedend in diesem Kessel der Ehrlosigkeit

“trickery” = Hinterlist

“trickled” = tröpfelten

“chunky boulders” = klobigen Felsbrocken

“well-tended little groves” = gut gepflegten kleinen Hainen

“spacious” = geräumig

“slum” = Baracke

“sculptor” = Bildhauerin

“Fiona’s studio was a large concrete bunker smelling of plaster and clay and paint.”
= Fionas Atelier war ein großer Betonbunker, in dem es nach Gips, Lehm und Farbe roch.

“throwing wheels” = Wurfscheiben

“found objects” = offenbar zusammengesammelten Objekten

“furnace” = Hochofen

“goo” = klebriges Zeug

“bubbled” = blubberte

“idol” = Götzenbild

“a lumpy, bulging grotesque tower” = ein plumper, praller, grotesker Turm

“fins and scales” = Flossen und Schuppen

“viciously clashing colors” = beißenden Farben
(“biting colors”)

“shrunken” = geschrumpft

Try to say this!
“grafted on” = aufgepfropft

“tangled hair” = verfilztes Haar

“a shambling, snarling, unclean beast”
= eine watschelnde, zähnefletschende, unreine Bestie

“sketches” = Skizzen

“tempting” = verlockend

“addition” = Ergänzung

Just what you wanted to know how to say in German:
“earlobe” = Ohrläppchen

“scrambling” = taumelte

“stumbling down the hallway” = schwankte durch den Flur

“moan” = Fauchen

That’s all for tonight! I got eine stille Befriedigung from doing Sonderling Sunday again!

Bis Bald!

Sonderling Sunday – Chapter 22 – Desolation Day is Coming

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.

I’m afraid it’s actually been months since the last time I did Sonderling Sunday. When I was reading for the Cybils, it was hard to fit in, and then I got out of the habit… and went to ALA Midwinter Meeting….

So tonight, I’m going to write a short one, even though it’s late — the better to get back in the habit!

I’m going back to my stand-by, Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge, by James Kennedy, known in the original English as The Order of Odd-fish.

Last time, we finished a chapter! So we are now beginning Chapter 22, which is on page 296 in the English edition, and on Seite 376 in the German edition.

It’s always nice to start a chapter with the first sentence, and this time I’ll go with the first two:

“The rain kept coming. Two months into the rainy season, Jo found it hard to remember life without rain.”
= Es regnete unaufhörlich. Nach zwei Monaten Regenzeit konnte Jo sich kaum noch daran erinnern, wie das Leben ohne Regen gewesen war.

“a dull weariness” = eine dumpfe Trägheit

“colorless, drenched, and dead” = farblos, nass und tot vor

This just doesn’t have the same sound in German:
“when the rain pattered gently on her windowpane”
= wenn der Regen sanft an ihr Fenster klopfte

“bang of thunder” = Donnerschlag

“Jo tried to shove it into the back of her mind”
= Jo wollte den Gedanken eigentlich beiseiteschieben
(“Jo wanted the thoughts actually to aside-push”)

Here’s a nice long word:
“background noise” = Hintergrundgeräusch

“constant worry” = ständiger Furcht

“didn’t dull its edge”
= schmälerte das die Intensität des Gefühls nicht
(“reduced it the intensity of the feeling not”)

“She needed distractions.”
= Sie brauchte dringend eine Ablenkung.
(“She needed urgently a distraction.”)

“specialties” = Fachgebiete

“slept over” = genächtigt hatte

“but no, it was too nerve-wracking to think about”
= Doch nein, schon darüber nachzudenken, war eine zu große Belastung für ihre Nerven.
(“But no, already about that overthinking, was a too big burden for her nerves.”)

“Desolation Day” = der Tag der Verwüstung (“the day of devastation”)

“special festival” = besonderes Fest

“It was bad luck even to mention Desolation Day.”
= Es brachte bereits Unglück, wenn man den Tag der Verwüstung auch nur erwähnte.

And I’m going to stop there, with just the first section of Chapter 22 finished. But I’m going to look for reasons to talk about Hintergrundgeräusch this week.

Bis Bald!

Sonderling Sunday – In the Tapestry Room

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.

sonderlinge-2

Tonight I’m back to my stand-by, with the wonderfully odd things to translate, The Order of Odd-Fish, by James Kennedy, otherwise known as Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge. (The existence of this book is what gave me the idea for Sonderling Sunday.)

We left off on page 288 in the original English version, Seite 366 auf Deutsch.

The first sentence of the new section would be a practical thing to be able to say in German.
“Dinner at the lodge was loud and rowdy, as usual.”
= Das Dinner im Logenhaus fiel wie üblich laut und ungebärdig aus.

“Jo stewed impatiently.”
= Jo saß wie auf heißen Kohlen.
(“Jo sat like on hot coals.”)

“cut off the stinger” = Stachel abtrennen

“follow the gold thread” = dem goldenen Faden folgen

This seems like a good way to describe someone who’s wide awake when you wish they weren’t:
“wide awake” = hellwach

“surprisingly polite and sociable” = überraschend höflich und umgänglich

This one’s a tongue twister:
“woven” = geknüpft

“roll by” = vorbeiglitt

“tapestry” = Gobelin

“tapestry” = Wandteppich (“wall-carpet”)

And lest we forget:
“special” = besonders

Here’s a nice long word:
“responsible stewardship” = verantwortungsbewusste Hände

“All-Devouring Mother” = All-Verschlingenden Mutter

“nobody knows which is true” = niemand weiß, welche zutrifft

“cramped and packed” = eng zusammengepfercht

“the Silver Kitten of Deceit” = das Silberne Kätzchen der Arglist

“vomit out” = auswürgt

“vengeful” = rachedurstiges (“revenge-thirsty”)

“terrifying” = einflößender

“crashing into each other” = ineinanderkrachten

“melting into” = zusammenschmolzen

“lest she miss a single word”
= damit sie auch nicht ein Sterbenswörtchen verpasste

“Jo cringed.”
= Jo zuckte zusammen.

“All these secrets and plots and skullduggery!”
= All diese Geheimnisse, Ränke und Gemeinheiten!

“glory of battle” = ruhmreichen Schlacht

“with her arms crossed” = mit verschränkten Armen

“stalked” = schlich sich

“slammed the door” = schlug die Tür hinter sich zu

“ran downstairs in a panic”
= rannte in panischem Schrecken die Treppe hinab

“trapdoor” = Falltür

And that brings me to the end of Chapter 21. It was überraschend höflich und umgänglich.

Bis bald!

Sonderling Sunday – Message from Jo’s Father

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.

Today, we’re continuing in the most Sonder Book of them all, Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge, otherwise known as The Order of Odd-Fish, by James Kennedy.

sonderlinge3

Last time, we left off on page 284, Seite 360, in the middle of Chapter Twenty-One. Jo had been exploring in the library and found an interesting manuscript.

“Her heart bolted.” = Ihr Herz hämmerte.

Who knows when you might need to know how to say this sentence?
“It was crazy, impossible.”
= Das war verrückt, schier unmöglich.

“quickly scrawled” = hastig hingeworfen

“burning and blooming like a fiery garden”
= glühten und blühten wie ein wilder Garten.
(“glowed and bloomed like a wild garden”)

“Jo got down to it.”
= Jo stürzte sich in die Arbeit.

“Hours passed.”
= Stunden vergingen

“percolating coffeepot” = brodelnde Kaffeemaschine

“dense” = begriffsstutzig

I like this word:
“jewelry box” = Schmuckkassette

“translation”
= entschlüsselten Text
(“decrypted text”)

“translating rapidly and wildly”
= dekodierte den Text schnell und wie im Fieber
(“decoded the text quickly and like in a fever”)

“dishonor” = Schande

“invincible” = unbesiegbar

“positively angry” = eindeutig wütend

“doorstep” = Türschwelle

“traditional insults” = traditionelle Beleidigungen

I dare you to think of a use for this sentence:
“When I leave, may a thousand wild pigs overrun it and defile it with enthusiastic snorts.”
= Wenn ich es verlasse, warden tausend Wildschweine es überrennen und mit ihrem lauten Schnauben schänden

“defilement” = Schändung

“trampled into gruel” = zu Brei zertrampelt warden

A good phrase to know:
“hearty slurps” = lautem Schmatzen

And the translator missed a line here! In English, Fiona says “So be it,” and Jo answers “So be it.” In German, only Fiona says So sei es and the line with Jo’s response is left out completely.

And here’s a sentence with a Sonderword:
“It was clear she wasn’t impressed.”
= Sie war ganz offensichtlich nicht sonderlich beeindruckt.
(“She was completely obviously not especially impressed.”)

So, I fondly hope I leave your thoughts glühten und blühten wie ein wilder Garten. Please, enjoy some lautem Schmatzen tonight in honor of Sonderling Sunday!

Sonderling Sunday – In the Library

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.

Today it’s back to the book that prompted the creation of Sonderling Sunday, Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge, known in English as The Order of Odd-Fish, by James Kennedy.

Sonderlinge 2

Last time, we left off on page 280, Seite 355 auf Deutsch, with Jo working in the library.

I like beginning with the first sentence of a section. Here’s a good one:

“The archives of the Order of Odd-Fish had just recently reopened to the public.”
= Die Archive des Ordens der Seltsamen Sonderlinge waren erst kürzlich der Öffentlichkeit zugänglich gemacht worden.

“the Appendix” = den Anhang

“the very reason for the order’s existence”
= die Grundlage für die Existenz des Ordens

Have to list this phrase:
“disorderly library” = ungeordnete Bibliothek

“on the dubious, the improbable, and the bizarre”
= über das Dubiose, das Unwahrscheinliche, und das Bizarre

“blueprints of ludicrous weaponry”
= Blaupausen von lächerlichen Waffen

“sketchbooks of strange plants”
= Skizzenbücher von merkwürdigen Pflanzen

“periodic table of smells”
= Periodentafel der Gerüche

“infamous dissertation on dithering”
= berüchtigte Dissertation über das Tändeln

Such a lovely long phrase:
“accumulated research”
= angesammelten Forschungsergebnisse

Sounds even more complicated in German:
“complicated filing system”
= höchst komplizierte Ablagesystem

“unwieldy collection”
= unhandliche Sammlung

“questions from the public”
= Fragen der Öffentlichkeit

“reading room” = Lesesaal

“portly” = korpulenten

“for some reason” = aus unerfindlichen Gründen

“life’s goal” = Lebenziel

“sharpening his pencils”
= seine Bleistifte spitzte

“File cabinets” = Aktenschränke

“papers, folders, and note cards”
= Papieren, Ordnern und Karteikarten

“teetering stacks” = wacklige Stapel

“composition books” = Aufsatzheften

“crumpled documents” = zerknitterte Dokumente

“climb over” = darüberklettern

“reference works” = Nachschlagewerke

“rough drafts” = erste Entwürfe

“scribbled” = gekritzelt

“browsed” = schmökerte

“tasting patterns” = Geschmacksmuster

Of course:
“hauled” = schleppte

“circular chain” = kreisförmigen Kette

I’m going to stop with the words “FOR MY DAUGHTER” = FÜR MEINE TOCHTER

I think my favorite phrase today was seine Bleistifte spitzte. I’ll remember it when I answer Fragen der Öffentlichkeit.

Bis Bald!