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. Tonight I’m back with my stand-by, the book that started it all, Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge, The Order of Odd-Fish, by James Kennedy.

We left off on page 176 in the English edition, Seite 223 in the German edition. Sefino is just going to take Jo to the newspaper office of the Eldritch Snitch, which is Schauerlichen Petze in German. Roughly translated, that’s “Horrible Sneak.”

I’m sure I’ve done this one before, but it bears repeating:
“Chatterbox” = Plaudertasche

“severely” = nachdrücklich

“retraction” = Gegendarstellung (“opposite-representation”)

“first draft” = erster Entwurf

I like this:
“snippy” = schnippisch

“a touch of bravado” = einen Tick tollkühn

This goes more quickly in English:
“odds be damned” = auf die Wahrscheinlichkeit gepfiffen

“the thick of the fight” = hei?e Kampfgetümmel (“hot war-turmoil”)

“swashbuckler” = Draufgänger

“strolled” = schlenderte

“hive” = Bienenstock

“coves” = Schlupfwinkeln (“slip-nooks”)

“cubbyholes” = Kämmerchen (“little chambers”)

“chattering away relentlessly” = unaufhörlich klapperten

“hassle” = schikanieren

“nest of vipers” = Schlangengrube

“necktie” = Halstuch

“ascot” = Plastron

“Intimidator” = Einschüchterer

“bold” = gewagt

“frosted glass” = Milchglas (“milk-glass” I like that.)

“appetizers” = Appetithäppchen

“toothpick” = Zahnstocher

“battle of wits” = Schlacht der Geister

Oh, not as good:
“vigorous verbal vituperation” = heftigen, verbalen Schmähungen

“intricate insult” = bemerkenswerten Beleidigungen

“calamitous calumny” = verheerenden Verleumdungen

The insults are always good!
“ink-stained wretch” = tintenklecksender Unhold

“scandal-sniffing hack” = Skandale erschnüffelnder Schreiberling

“salacious slander” = vulgären Verleumdungen

“spluttered” = stammelte

“impertinence” = Unverschämtheit

“insufferable taste” = unerträglichen Geschmack

“every ounce of courage” = jedes Fünkchen Mut

“buffoon” = Hanswurst

That’s the end of Chapter 14!

Some good stuff in there! Don’t be a tintenklecksender Unhold or a Skandale erschnüffelnder Schreiberling! Drum up jedes Fünkchen Mut to join hei?e Kampfgetümmel like a Draufgänger. But whatever you do, don’t be schnippisch!

See you next week! And if you need to use these phrases in German next week, you can be so happy that you are prepared!

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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 translations of children’s books. Sort of a handy phrase book of things you never knew you wanted to know how to say!

This week, it’s back to the book that started it all, James Kennedy‘s The Order of Odd-Fish, otherwise known as Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge. I left off right at the start of a short section about an extremely unusual musical instrument, which is on page 175 in English, Seite 221 auf Deutsch.

Jumping in to some fun phrases and interesting words:

“specialties” = Fachgebiete (“practice areas”)

“expertise” = Fachwissen (“specialist knowledge”)

“odd musical instruments” = seltsamer Musikinstrumente

“strange animals” = sonderbare Tiere

“milling around” = strömten (“flowed”)

“at the top of the stairs” = auf dem oberen Treppenabsatz (“at the top stairs-section”)

“blubbery thing” = blubberndes Ding
(Hmm. A little disappointing, that. Who knew it was almost the same in German?)

“dark yellow” = ockerfarben

“wriggling tubes” = windenden Röhrchen

“a single bored-looking red eye” = einem einzelnen, gelangweilt blickenden roten Auge

“as it cascaded down the stairs” = als es die Treppen hinabglitt

“shocking enough” = schockierend genug

“most shocking thing” = das Erschreckendste

“huge jaws” = gewaltiges Maul

“orifices” = Körperöffnungen (“body-openings”)

“can emit sounds” = Klänge erzeugen können

“a full-grown man may fit comfortably in its esophagus!”
= In seiner Speiseröhre findet ein ausgewachsener Mann bequem Platz!
(“in its meal-eyelets finds a grown man easily place!”)

“climbing” = geklettert

“most unusual music” = ungewöhnlichste Musik

“Out of the question” = Das kommt überhaupt nicht infrage
(“That comes at all not in-question”)

“squeeze or pinch” = drücken oder kneifen

“couldn’t hurt” = Das kann ja nicht schaden.

“most horrible noises” = der schrecklichsten Geräusche

And as a climax to this section:

“a howling, farting crescendo of gurgling belches and groans”
= ein heulendes, furzendes Crescendo von gurgelnden Rülpsern und Gestöhne

“Of course, it needs a little work.”
= Selbstverständlich bedarf es noch einiger Übung.

Lovely! Won’t it be handy, the next time you visit Germany, to be able to describe ein heulendes, furzendes Crescendo von gurgelnden Rülpsern und Gestöhne? Or at least to say it’s ungewöhnlichste Musik.

Sometimes I feel like I’m developing Fachgebiete nearly as useful as that of der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge.

Be sure to mention in the comments your abundant opportunities to use these phrases 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, in this case the one I keep coming back to, the one that started it all, Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge, James Kennedy‘s The Order of Odd-Fish.

Last time, we left off in the middle of Chapter 14, on page 172 in the English version, Seite 218 in the German edition.

Think of this as one of those German-learning tapes, with useful phrases for you to learn before you go to Germany, and I hope it will make you laugh. (I’d totally do it as a podcast, but I seriously doubt my ability to pronounce the German even close to correctly.)

“It was sad but true” = Es war traurig, aber wahr

“utterly tedious” = au?erordentlich langweilig

“threat” = Drohung

“to teach… about discredited metaphysics” = verrufene Metaphysiken aufzuklären

I like saying this:
“drag herself out of bed” = aus dem Bett schleppen

“stumble down the hall” = in die Halle herunterstolpern

“excruciatingly dull lessons” = entsetzlich langweiligen Vorlesungen

“babble away happily” = plapperte glücklich

“an intriguing question” = eine höchst faszinierende Frage

“with silent apprehension” = mit stummer Sorge

Going for a record-length word:
“wondering what she’d gotten herself into”
= während sie sich fragte, in was sie sich jetzt wieder hineinmanövriert hatte
(“during which she asked herself, in what had she herself now into-maneuvered”)

“tilted her head” = legte den Kopf schief (“laid the head crooked”)

“small, disconnected bits” = kleine, zusammenhanglose Bruchstücke
(“small, together-hang-less broken-pieces”)

“furry hands” = runzligen Händen

“crumpled it into a wad” = zerknüllte sie zu einem Ball

“Sir Oort waved her silent.”
= Sir Oort brachte sie mit einer Handbewegung zum Schweigen.
(“Sir Oort brought her with a hand-waving to silence.”)

“crumpled-up map” = zusammengeknüllten Landkarte

“crawling around” = herumgekrabbelt

“realized” = begriffen

Here English is much more efficient:
“Sir Oort uncrumpled the map.”
= Sir Oort faltete die Karte auseinander und glättete sie.
(“Sir Oort folded the map apart [out-one-another] and smoothed it.”)

“Jo’s mind wrestled with the concept”
= Jo versuchte, diese Vorstellung zu verarbeiten
(“Jo sought, this notion to work through”)

“mildly” = nachsichtig

“rebuke” = Tadel

“inspiring” = angeregt

“rang out like a bell” = klang glasklar (“rang glass-clear”)

And the final paragraph of this section is worth quoting:
“‘As an Odd-Fish, it is not my job to be right,’ said Sir Oort. ‘It is my job to be wrong in new and exciting ways.'”
= »Als ein Seltsamer Sonderling ist es nicht meine Aufgabe, etwas Richtiges zu finden«, erklärte Sir Oort, »sondern meine Aufgabe besteht darin, auf möglichst neue und aufregende Weisen falschzuliegen.«

There you have it. If my translations and explanations tonight aren’t perfect, I hope I’m at least being wrong in new and exciting ways. We’ll take up the story in a couple weeks in the middle, still, of Chapter 14.

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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. I’ve always found phrase books funny. Imagine situations where you really need to say those things. So, why not start with a situation, a story, in fact, and look at how they would translate?

Today, for the first time, I’ve brought my laptop out on my balcony, and I’m enjoying all the bird song. Life is good!

Today it’s back to the book that inspired Sonderling Sunday, Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge, that is, The Order of Odd-fish, by James Kennedy. You do not have to have read the book to enjoy this unusual “phrase book.” In fact, it might be extra fun to try to imagine a story that uses these phrases. I bet you can’t come close!

It strikes me that it would be really fun to make a language learning recording (or podcast) with these phrases. But I think it would be much better with a native German speaker reading the German. Any volunteers?

This week, we’re beginning Chapter 14, Kapitel 14, which begins on page 169 in English, Seite 214 in the German edition. Jo is exploring Eldritch City, so we’ll need to learn some handy phrases for a tourist.

“soaked” = durchtränkt (“through-drank”)

“the wet breath of plants” = dem feuchten Atem von Pflanzen

“the sweat of strangers” = dem Schwei? von Fremden

“brackish seawater” = fauligem Meerwasser

“rotten cheese” = verschimmeltem Käse

“melted manure” = geschmolzenem Dung (Aren’t you glad you know how to say that now?)

“the sweet fruity thrill of ten thousand flowers” = dem sü?en, fruchtigen Duft von Zehntausenden von Blumen

“thronged” = wimmelte

“centipedes” = Tausendfü?lern (“thousand-footers”)

“shimmering pantaloons” = schimmernden Hosen

“chromium walking sticks” = Gehstöcke aus Chrom

I like saying this:
“precariously tall hats” = gefährlich hohe Hüte

“tipping” = lüpften

“swampy bottom of the mountain” = sumpfigen Fu?es des Berges

“gray eel-like creatures” = aalartige graue Kreaturen

“twitching worms” = windenden Würmern

“propped up by scaffolding” = gestützt von Gerüsten

“variety” = Vielfalt (“much-diversity”)

“boisterous” = lärmende

“peephole” = Guckloch

“kicking around hairy, jeweled animal skulls”
= haaarige, juwelengeschmückte Tierschädel herumkickten

“hide-and-seek” = Versteckspiels (“hiding games”)

“whale-god” = Walgottes

“floating mountain” = schwebender Berg

“incense” = Weihrauch (“Christmas-smoke”)

“notoriously clumsy flame-spurting double-sided lance”
= berüchtigten, etwas sperrigen, zweiseitigen, Flammen spuckenden Lanze

“weapon of choice” = Lieblingswaffe

“ostrich” = Strau?

“old haunts” = alten Spielgründe (“old play-grounds”)

“swamp neighborhood” = Sumpfgebiet

“flower-dripping” = von Blumen übersäte (“with flowers over-sowed”)

“stilt legs” = Pfahlbeinen

“most distinguished eelmen” = respektabelsten Aalmenschen

“bubbling iron pot” = blubbernde Eisenkessel

“sweaty, fish-smelling smoke” = muffigen, fischigen Rauch

“throbbing” = hervorstehenden

“delighted gargles” = entzückte gurgelnd

“brittle” = spröder

“blobs” = Knubbel

“declared” = deklamierte

“boiled cabbage” = gekochter Kohl
.
“flared her nostrils” = weitete ihre Nasenflügel (“widened her nose-wings”)

“weight-lifter” = Gewichtheber

That’s the end of a section. Now I challenge you to use some of these phrases in a sentence! May you be blessed this week with dem sü?en, fruchtigen Duft von Zehntausenden von Blumen and not with dem Schwei? von Fremden or even gefährlich hohe Hüte. But if you’re ever in Germany and you want to describe sweaty, fish-smelling smoke, you’ll know how to do it!

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It’s back! Time again for Sonderling Sunday, that time of the week when I play with language by looking at the German translation of children’s books.

Yes, after my move over a month ago, I have discovered the box that contained my German books. So here again for your amusement, we’ll be looking at Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge, the German translation of James Kennedy‘s The Order of Odd-Fish (translated by Wolfgang Thon — I need to remember to give the translator credit!).

We left off on page 166 of the English edition, Seite 210 in the German. Jo was learning about the show Teenage Ichthala.

I must again insert my reassurance that you do not have to have read the books in question to enjoy Sonderling Sunday. In fact, it might be fun to imagine exactly how the author can work these phrases into his book. I won’t give anything away, but I hope these tantalizing glimpses will intrigue my readers.

I’ll start with a handy phrase to know:
“queasy terror” = angewiderten Entsetzens (Google translates this “disgusted horror.” That works.)

“ludicrous weaponry” = lächerliche Waffen

“words tumbling out” = Worte überschlugen

“bad jokes” = schlechte Witze

“dumb wisecracks” = dummen Sprüchen

“unfunny scripts” = unkomischen Drehbüchern

“incontrovertibly unhilarious” = unbestreitbar unkomisch

“grand ambitions” = ungeheurem Ehrgeiz

“ghost story” = Geistergeschichte

“bedsheet” = Laken

“twisted into frantic little knots” = kleinen Knoten zu verkrampfen

I never get tired of this word:
“burbling sound” = das Geplapper

In German, they don’t group these sounds together:
“A fanfare of bells, drums, and organ blared” = Glocken schlugen, eine Trommel knallte und eine Orgel dröhnte los (Google: “Bells struck, a drum banged, and an organ boomed off”)

“angrily shushed” = ärgerlich anzischten, ja ruhig zu sein

This is such fun to say:
“collapsed” = verpuffte

“actress” = Schauspielerin (“show-player”)

“diseased lizard” = kranke Echse

“The day finally caught up with Jo.”
= Schlie?lich forderte der anstrengende Tag seinen Tribut von Jo.
(Translated back: “Finally called the strenuous day its tribute from Jo.”)

“tinny music” = blechernen Musik

“clicking whir” = klickenden Surren

And that’s the end of Chapter 13. Nothing too exciting in this section, but some handy phrases to know. At least it is not unbestreitbar unkomisch.

This week, may you avoid any kranke Echse and all dummen Sprüchen and unkomischen Drehbüchern, proceeding on your way with any ungeheurem Ehrgeiz intact.

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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. Strictly speaking, I probably shouldn’t do Sonderling Sunday this week. I’m moving in less than a week, and I need to get packed. But who’s being strict? Sonderling Sunday is fun, doggone it, and I don’t know when I’ll get a chance to do it again after I move, since I haven’t worked out my internet service provider yet. What’s more, instead of alternating with other books, tonight I’m going back to good ol’ Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge, because I know I’ll find some delightful phrases I always wanted to hear translated into German, but just didn’t know it.

Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge is the German version of James Kennedy‘s The Order of Odd-fish, which is full of Odd-fish indeed, making it so much fun to explore in German.

Last time, we left off on page 161, Seite 204. You do not have to have read The Order of Odd-Fish to enjoy this series, though I keep hoping that the interesting phrases we find will intrigue people into picking up this book. I’m not even halfway, so I guess it’s too early to start being sad about the day when I finish the book. Tonight, I’m trying to limit my fun, so let’s dip right in and see what we can find:

“immediately knew” = wusste augenblicklich (“knew eyeblinkly”)

“below the floor” = unter den Bodenbrettern (“under the floorboards”)

This sounds better in German:
“Squires’ meeting” = Knappenkonferenz

“sheets” = Laken

“a tiny germ” = eine winzige Bakterie

“rotting wood” = verfaultem Holz

“mothballs” = Mottenkugeln

“bric-a-brac” = Nippes

“mildewed garbage” = schimmeligem Müll

“cobwebs” = Staubflocken (“dust flakes”)

“pile of pillows” = Kissenhaufen (“cushion heaps”)

“gavel” = Richterhammer

“gulp” = Schluck

“cough it up” = auszuspucken

“obvious” = offenkundig (“open knowledge”)

“behind Jo’s eyes” = hinter Jos Augäpfel (“behind Jo’s eye-apples”)

“A horrible tingle crawled up Jo’s body.” = Ein schreckliches Prickeln überlief Jos Körper.

“overgrown” = überdimensionierten (“over-dimensioned”)

“pile of pillows” (version two) = Kissenberge (“cushion mountains”)

“Advance copy” = Vorausexemplar

This makes me laugh because of how it sounds to English ears:
“jolted awake” = plötzlich hellwach (“suddenly bright-awake”)

“conspiracy theories” = Verschwörungstheorien

“the next episode” = der darauffolgenden Episode

That’s it for tonight! I don’t know when my darauffolgenden Episode will happen, but until then, may you avoid schimmeligem Müll and schreckliches Prickeln!

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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, 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!

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Welcome to Sonderling Sunday! That time of the week when I play with language by looking at the German translations of children’s books. The idea is to look at things a little differently, while gaining Useful Translations of things you might need to say in German some day!

This week, I’m back to the book that started it all, James Kennedy‘s Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge, The Order of Odd-Fish. We left off on page 152, which is Seite 192 in the German edition.

I’ll look at some interesting phrases:

“Aunt Lily swung over” = Tante Lily tauchte auf (“dipped up”)

“You did yourself proud this morning, Jo.” = Du hast dir heute Morgen sehr viel Respekt verschafft, Jo.
(“You have for yourself this morning very much respect procured, Jo.”)

“She was stunned” = Verblüfft sah sie

“face fell” = Miene verändert (“mien changed”)

“ferociously” = eindringlich

“warily” = argwöhnisch

“this would all explode in our faces” = würden sie uns übelst beschimpfen

“hanging around the edges of conversations” = lauschte den Gesprächen der anderen Partygäste
(“listened to the conversation of the other party guests”)

“I’m off” = Ich verschwinde (“I’m disappearing”)

This is a bit clunkier:
“Okay, but it had better be good.”
= Also gut, aber ich kann nur hoffen, dass es spannend ist.
(“Okay, but I can only hope that it is exciting.”)

This has a fun sound in German:
“the thump of the dancing” = das dumpfe Stampfen der Tänzer

“trapdoor” = Falltür

“dim” = dämmrigen

“lit” = entzündete (“inflamed”)

“as the room became brighter” = als das Licht aufflammte (“as the light blazed”)

“tapestry” = Wandteppich (“wall carpet”)

“fire-scorched, blood-spurting battles” = von Pulverdampf und Feuer durchsetzte blutrünstige Schlachten
(“of gunpowder and fire throughout bloodthirsty battles”)

I have to list this one because of the lovely English phrase I’ve never seen in a book before:
“an army of glitteringly armored spiders” = eine Armee von glitzernden bewaffneten Spinnen

Not so lovely, but still intriguing:
“queer-shaped people with sickly smiles and dead eyes cutting open their stomachs and pouring forth floods of centipedes and beetles and snakes”
= misgestaltete Leute mit widerlichem Lächeln und toten Augen, die Bäuche aufgeschnitten, aus denen sich Fluten von Tausendfü?lern, Käfern und Schlangen ergossen

“with a capering tiger, convoluted flower, or snickering face”
= mit einem springenden Tiger, einer prachtvollen Blume oder einem höhnischen Gesicht

“creaking, clunking, and squealing” = Quietschen, Klappern und Knarren (funny that “creaking” is Quietschen. But it sounds creaky in German.)

“a raucous parade” = eine üppige Parade

“enormous walrus-like demons” = gewaltige walrossartige Dämonen

“kicking down buildings” = zertrümmerten Gebäude

And I’ll finish up with this distinctive sentence:

“Her bones turned to ice.” = Ihr wurde kalt bis auf die Knochen. (“She was cold to the bone.”)

There you have it! I dare you to use gewaltige walrossartige Dämonen or einem höhnischen Gesicht in a sentence this week! Hmm. The way our heat’s been in the library lately, I may well have an opportunity to say, Ich war kalt bis auf die Knochen.

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Welcome to 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 eagerly looking forward to tomorrow’s announcement of ALA’s Youth Media Awards. (Any of my readers who live in Northern Virginia, come to City of Fairfax Regional Library to watch it with me at 11:00 am! I’m also bringing as many potential winners as I could get my hands on, so those who come can get first dibs. I’m looking forward to seeing how many I guessed right.)

Of course, my interest is most absorbed by the Newbery Medal. I thought it would be fitting to choose a Newbery winner to look at tonight. But what do you know? The only Newbery winning book for which I have the German translation is that same book I come back to every other week. What’s that you say? You didn’t know that James Kennedy’s The Order of Odd-Fish was a Newbery winner? Well, it’s only a winner in the unorthodox sense. Be sure to read how James Kennedy won it fair and square from Neil Gaiman in a battle of physical and mental challenges (such as Rock, Paper, Scissors).

So, that makes it appropriate to look at The Order of Odd-Fish tonight, Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge, which I was going to do anyway. I have to admit, though I find gems in every book I approach, I can be absolutely sure I will find bizarre phrases to translate in every one of James Kennedy’s chapters. You can count on it.

Last time, we left off at the start of Chapter 13.

We’ll start with some interesting phrases:

“with brooms, mops, and buckets of soapy water” = bewaffnet mit Besen, Wischmopps und Eimern mit Seifenwasser

“passionate” = leidenschaftlichen

“cleaner, tidier, tighter-run establishment” = saubereres, aufgeräumteres, und straffer geführtes Haus

Didn’t I tell you? Get a load of these phrases you always wanted to know how to say in German:
“grimy, seething muckpot” = schmierigen, brodelnden Drecksloch (Google translates that back as “greasy, bubbling mudhole”)

“feculent, slime-soaked, filth-dripping crapshack” = stinkenden, schleimigen, schmutzigen Absteige
(Google translates that back as “stinking, slimy, filthy flophouse.” Is it just me, or is that lacking some of the imaginative flourishes of the original?)

“putridity” = Fäulnis (“foulness”)

“pristine splendor” = makelloser Pracht

Ah, here’s a word that doesn’t appear in the original except as a pronoun — because English doesn’t put it so nicely in one (long) word: Reinigungswerkzeuge = “cleaning-work-things” (i.e., mops and brooms and such)

Oh, so many things you must want to say! (These gems just don’t occur in the non-Award-winning books!) Like this:
“full of rotting fish slime” = mit verfaulendem Fischschleim verseucht

“was waist deep in milky, chunky sludge” = jetzt reicht der milchige, zähe Schleim Jo bis zur Hüfte
(“now reached the milky, viscous slime to Jo’s hip”)

“sour air” = stechende Geruch

“wheelbarrows” = Schubkarren (“push-cars”)

“as wrung out as an old rag” = so ausgewrungen wie ein alter Lappen

“a pink furry bear suit” = einen flauschigen rosa Bärenanzug

“mad as a mutton” = vollkommen durchgeknallt (“completely through-cracked”)

“blankly” = verständnislos (“understanding-less”)

I like this one:
“a pinball machine” = einen Flipper

“mashed together” = zusammengebastelt

I’m going to stop there, on page 152 in English, Seite 192 auf Deutsch. I’d better stop before I’m so ausgewrungen wie ein alter Lappen. But next time you want to talk about verfoulendem Fischschleim or schmierigen, brodelnden Drecksloch, you’re going to have options you didn’t have before.

I’d still love to hear how to say “pink furry bear suit” or “pinball machine” in Japanese or Spanish or Korean or any other language, just for fun. Fill up the comments!

And Happy Newbery Eve! I dare you to use these phrases in everyday conversation this week. People may think you vollkommen durchgeknallt, or look at you verständnislos, but that’s the fun of it, after all.

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It’s time for Sonderling Sunday! When I play with language by looking at the German translations of interesting phrases found in children’s books. This week, it’s back to the book that started it all, Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge, that is, The Order of Odd-Fish, by James Kennedy.

Last time, we finished Chapter 11, so now we’re ready to tackle Chapter 12, on page 136 in the original English, and Seite 173 auf Deutsch. I will endeavor to give no spoilers, but merely tantalizing phrases that will lure my readers into reading the book itself, if you have resisted so far. I don’t think you have to know German to enjoy this series, and I’d love to get some comments about how some of these phrases might be said in other languages. (I enjoyed Reads for Keeps‘ recent post on children’s book titles in Chinese. I’m not the ONLY one who thinks about this!)

I still say German makes bureaucracy sound even worse. In fact, maybe this is where we got the term “bureaucracy”?
“The Municipal Squires Authority’s offices” = Die Büros der Städtischen Knappenbehörde

Here’s a nice long word:
“fallen into disrepair” = vollkommen heruntergekommen

“twisty trees” = krumme Bäume

“roots oozed over tumbled blocks like melted cheese” =
Wurzeln überzogen zertrümmerte Quader wie geschmolzener Käse

“with a crazy quilt” =
mit einem seltsamen Flickenteppich (There’s the word seltsamen again!)

I like the sound of this phrase:
“dimly lit” = schlecht erleuchtet

Now this one we simply must find out how to say in German:
“sweaty civil servants in ill-fitting suits” =
verschwitzten Beamten in schlecht sitzenden Anzügen

“confidence” = Selbstvertrauen (“self-trust”)

“punched Ian’s arm” = knuffte Ians Arm (I’m pretty sure it would have been a different word for punching with intent to hurt. I like knuffte – the ‘K’ is pronounced – for a playful punch on the arm.)

“the nastiest, stalest lumps of crud” = die widerlichsten und muffigsten Teigklumpen
(Google translates muffigsten as “mustiest”)

“crumpled” = zusammengesunkener (“together-sunken”)

“wretch” = Schuft

“eyepatch” = Augenklappe

“Milquetoasts” = Duckmäuser

“This whole week has been a waste.” =
Die ganze Woche war reine Zeitverschwendung
(“The whole week was pure Time-disappearance.”)

And you must want to know how to say this:
“pancreas” = Bauchspeicheldrüse (“belly-saliva-gland”)

“pleasantries” = Schmeicheleien

“Excuses!” = Ausflüchte!

“rasped” = knarzte

Oops! The translator accidentally said that Korsakov knarzte, when it was Olvershaw, and assigned the entire speech that follows to the wrong person. This is the first actual mistake I’ve found.

“Ignominious!” = Absolut erbärmlich!

“You insects!” = Ihr Ungeziefer! (Google translates it “vermin.”)

“satisfaction” = Genugtuung

“her stomach felt full of bees” = sie Bienen im Bauch zu haben schien

“Lint” = Leinsamen (translates as “linseed” — not sure that’s the right idea)

“bashful” = schüchternes

“one obnoxious remark” = einer aufsässigen Bemerkung (She did give him some sass.)

“impertinence” = Unverschämtheit

That finishes up Jo’s initial meeting with Olvershaw. Next time, we’ll find out about quests….

Meanwhile, I always find the insults more interesting than the Schmeicheleien, with the exception of Schmeicheleien itself.

Sometimes, I think that looking at all these translations is reine Zeitverschwendung, but I must admit it gives me great Genugtuung.

Bis nächste Woche!

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