Category: Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge

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 it’s back to the delightful book that started it all — Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge, by James Kennedy, otherwise known as The Order of Odd-fish.

Last time, we left off on page 210 in English, Seite 265 auf Deutsch. Jo and Ian have followed Nick past the Drehkreuz.

Here’s one of those rare phrases that’s shorter in German:
“crowded subway platform” = überfüllten Bahnsteig (Well, okay, just barely shorter. That means, essentially, “over-filled train-climb”)

“straggler” = Nachzügler (“after traveler”)

“tracks” = Gleise

Not as much of a ring to it:
“Down, down, down” = Hinunter, hinunter, hinunter

“cramped and filthy passageways” = enge, schmutzige Gänge

“darker, slimier, and rougher” = dunkler, schleimiger und primitive

“lantern” = Taschenlampe (“pocket-lamp” I wonder if the translator thought it meant a flashlight?)

This sounds even more repulsive in German:
“a wet hole” = ein feuchtes Loch

“slick, spongy moss” = glattem schwammigem Moos

I like this one:
“crawled headfirst” = kroch kopfüber

“which suddenly contracted and slurped”
= das sich plötzlich zusammenzog und ein schlürfendes Geräusch von sich gab
(“that itself suddenly together-moved and a slurping noise from itself gave”)

“warily” = mistrauich

“a sloppy, drooling mouth” = ein schlaffes, sabberndes Maul

One word for this!
“just to make sure” = sicherheitshalber (“for safety’s sake”)

“jealous” = eifersüchtig (“zeal-seeking”)

“tumbling and sliding” = rutschte taumelnd

“splashed” = platschend

“torches” = Fackeln

“their faces looked strange and red in the flickering fire”
= ihre Gesichter wirken im Licht der flackernden Flammen merkwürdig rötlich
(“their faces looked in the light of the flickering flames strangely red”)

“twinkling jewels” = funkelnden Juwelen

“elaborate arched passages” = kunstvoll gemeißelte Durchgänge

“dome” = Kuppel

“humbled by age” = vom Alter gedmütigt

“arranged in glimmering mosaics” = zu schimmernden Mosaiken angeordnet

“whistled” = pfiff

“snorts” = schnaubte

“tame” = zahm

“squids” = Kalmare

“scratched” = kraulte

“We’ll go for a ride.” = Wir machen einen kleinen Ausritt.

“falling off” = herunterfielen

“squeeze them with your legs” = klemmt sie euch zwischen die Beine

“grunting beasts” = grunzenden Tieren

“oozed” = sickerte

“the back of her head” = ihren Hinterkopf

This time English has the compound word:
“slingshot” = Schleuder

“hushed gibbering” = leises Schnattern

“monkey-like beast” = affenähnliches Tier

“bolder” = kühner

“the roar of a hundred tiny throats” = einem tosenden Brüllen aus Hunderten winziger Kehlen

“leaped” = griffen

“snarling shapes” = knurrenden Gestalten

“bursting out of the water” = aus dem Wasser auftauchten
(I like that. auftauchten is, basically, “out-dived.”)

“bucked and dived” = bockte und tauchte

“surface” = Wasseroberfläche

“That was close.” = Das war knapp.

“peevish” = ein bisschen gereizt

“with heavy irony” = troff von Sarkasmus

“a spot of tea” = ein Schlückchen Tee

And let’s finish up with a tremendously useful phrase:
“I understand that knitting is very soothing.”
= Ich habe gehört, Stricken soll sehr entspannend sein.

I find myself hoping my readers don’t have any occasion to say these things this week. May you not hear the leises Schnattern of any affenähnliches Tier, nor einem tosenden Brüllen aus Hunderten winziger Kehlen.

But if you do, you’ll know what to call them!

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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. And my comments work again this time!

This week, it’s back to my stand-by, the book that inspired me to start Sonderling Sunday, Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge, by James Kennedy, otherwise known as The Order of Odd-fish.

Last time, we left off right around the halfway point, on page 208 in the English version, and Seite 262 auf Deutsch.

Just to set the stage, I’m going to write out the whole first paragraph of this section.

Jo and Ian searched the neighborhood, but they didn’t really know what they were looking for. It wasn’t clear what “Duddler Yarue” would look like, and anyway, the streets were almost deserted. After a half hour of wandering, Jo despaired of ever making any headway, and was ready to give up when they saw an effeminate boy smoking a cigarette on the corner. He watched Jo and Ian idly.

Auf Deutsch:

Jo und Ian suchten das ganze Viertel ab, aber sie wussten nicht einmal genau, wonach sie eigentlich suchen sollten. Es war nicht klar, wie dieser »Duddler Yarue« eigentlich ausschaute, und außerdem waren die Straßen beinahe vollkommen menschenleer. Nachdem sie eine halbe Stunde herumgeirrt waren, glaubte Jo nicht mehr daran, dass sie noch irgendetwas erreichen würden. Sie wollte schon aufgeben, als sie einen etwas affektierten Jungen an der Ecke stehen sah, der eine Zigarette rauchte. Er beobachtete Jo und Ian gelangweilt.

“suspicious” = Verdächtiges

“clue” = Spur (“trail”)

“to boil over” = die Beherrschung zu verlieren (“the mastery to lose”)

“rude” = unhöflich

“street wisdom” = Straßenweisheit

“some guy” = irgendein Bursche

“snapped his fingers” = schnippte mit den Fingern (I just like that one.)

“startled and a little pleased” = erschrocken und zugegebenermaßen auch ein bisschen erfreut
(“frightened and admittedly also a little bit pleased”)

“the sights” = Sehenswürdigkeiten

“secret places” = geheime Orte

“I wouldn’t want you to miss it.” = Ich möchte nicht, dass du das versäumst.

“rather enjoying Ian’s jealousy” = genoss Ians Eifersucht

“teetered back and forth” = zögerte unschlüssig (“hesitated indecisively”)

“turnstile” = Drehkreuz

“Ian bought three tokens and went through properly.”
= Der kaufte drei Münzen und warf sie ordnungsgemäß in den Schlitz.
(“He bought three coins and threw them properly in the slot.”)

And that’s it for tonight! A short one, but it’s nice to get back in the swing of it. After all, Ich möchte nicht, dass du das versäumst.

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It’s time — at last! — for Sonderling Sunday! That time of the week when I play with language by looking at the German translation of children’s books!

It’s been a *very* long time since I last posted. My blog had issues, and my life was busy, the most fun part of that being that I started dating someone! Juhu!

This week, it’s back to my standby, Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge, The Order of Odd-fish, by James Kennedy. We left off right at the halfway point, at the beginning of Chapter Seventeen.

I do enjoy starting with the opening sentence:

“Jo and Ian sat in a gloomy parlor, waiting for an old woman to speak.”
= Jo und Ian saßen in einem dämmrigen Salon und warteten darauf, dass die alte Frau sprach.

“dim and dreary” = dämmrig und trübselig

“ancient lace drapes strangled the sunlight” = alte Spitzenvorhänge hielten das Sonnenlicht fern
(“old lace curtains held the sunlight far”)

Here’s a useful sentence:
“Jo couldn’t stop her leg from jiggling.”
= Jo konnte nicht verhindern, dass ihr Bein wippte.

“the whole enterprise” = diese ganze Angelegenheit

“insulting” = beleidigend

“the last of his enthusiasm vanished” = der letzte Rest seiner ursprünglichen Begeisterung verpuffte
(“the last remnant of his original [ancient-sprung] enthusiasm evaporated [puffed out]”)

“She was a withered noodle of a woman.” = Sie war eine vertrocknete, dürre Frau
(“She was a dried-up, withered woman.” Pooh! Lost the metaphor there.)

“thick dark veils” = dichten, dunklen Schleier (That’s kind of fun to say.)

“incredulous disdain” = ungläubiger Verachtung

“icy silence” = eisiges Schweigen

“tightly controlled rage” = mühsam beherrschter Wut
(Google translates that as “tedious dominated rage.”)

“She hooted, gurgled, and shrieked” = Sie heulte, gurgelte, und kreischte

“Hoo nelly, that’s rich!” = Nie und nimmer, das ist ja köstlich!
(“No way [Not and never], that is expensive!”)

“Oh, you can’t make this stuff up!” = Oh, so etwas kann man sich nicht mal ausdenken!

“moldy cake” = muffigen Kuchen (Oo, can’t you just see the “muffigen” cake?)

“guided” = manövrierte

“a rattling cackle” = ein schrilles Keckern

“threatening letters” = Drohbriefen

[Incredible! At this point, I finished the post — and then WordPress ate the last part of what I posted! Urgh! I will now try to reproduce it.]

“joke quests” = albernen Aufgaben

“clouds of dust” = Staubwolken

“make my death swift and merciful” = gewähren Sie mir einen schnellen und gnädigen Tod

“villainous” = schurkischen

“Sincerely” = Mit vorzüglicher Hochachtung

“smelling salts” = Riechsalz

That’s it for tonight!

I have to add that I recently saw “Muppets Most Wanted,” and one of the funniest things (to me) was when Kermit was mistaken for a criminal mastermind frog and captured in Germany. The headlines screamed about the “Evilen Froggen”! Readers of Sonderling Sunday will know the correct translation is Böse Frosch, but of course how to translate English to German is just to stick “en” on the ends!

And look at the useful phrases we’ve learned tonight! Now if you travel to Germany and get pulled over by police, you know how to say, “Gewähren Sie mir einen schnellen und gnädigen Tod!”

May your week be the opposite of dämmrig und trübselig!

Mit vorzüglicher Hochachtung,

Sondra Eklund

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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. 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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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 I’m back to the most Sonder book of all, Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge, The Order of Odd-fish, by James Kennedy. We left off at the end of Chapter 14, so tonight we begin Chapter 15.

Here’s a sentence we should all try to use this week:
“Today we go Schwenk-hunting.”
= Heute machen wir uns auf die Jagd nach dem Schwenk

Have I translated this one lately?
“My digestion” = Mein Verdauungstrakt

“adventurous” = ausgesprochen abenteuerlich (“decidedly adventurous”)

Ah, no one gives more interesting phrases to translate than James Kennedy!
“a sprightly zing in my gastric acids”
= “ein munteres Zischen meiner Magensäuren
(“a lively sizzle in my stomach acids”)

“a broad wave” = einem ausholenden Schwung

“oak chest” = Eichentruhe

“curious devices” = merkwürdiger Gerätschaften

“elusive” = scheues

“murmured” = tuschelten

“modesty” = Bescheidenheit

“a damp mass of prickly fur” = eine feuchte Masse von klebrigem Pelz

“a hissing, gurgling clump” = ein zischender, gurgelnder Klumpen

I like this alliteration:
“said Sir Festus breezily” = fuhr Sir Festus fröhlich fort

“spiky gun” = Stachelpistole

“a long-range, triple-accuracy Apology Gun”
= eine weittragende, dreifach genaue Entschuldigungspistole

“the Very Polite War” = der Au?erordentlich Höfliche Krieg

“proposing marriage” = Brautwerbung

“the murderous curtsy” = der mörderischen Hofknickses

“literally” = sprichwörtlich

A nice long word:
“disagreement” = Meinungsverschiedenheit (“opinion-difference”)

“more extravagantly effusive” = extravaganter und überschwenglicher
(“more extravagant and exuberant”)

“outdo” = übertrumpfen

“chaotic mass apologies” = chaotischen Massenentschuldigungen

“an ugly free-for-all of manners”
= ein hässlicher allgemeiner Sittenverfall
(“an ugly general moral decline”)

“rudeness” = Grobheit

“dial” = Wählscheibe

That’s it then, the first section of Chapter 15, telling about the Very Polite War. May you not encounter any mörderischen Hofknickses this week!

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