{"id":16744,"date":"2013-01-06T22:42:32","date_gmt":"2013-01-07T02:42:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=16744"},"modified":"2013-01-07T00:16:59","modified_gmt":"2013-01-07T04:16:59","slug":"sonderling-sunday-quests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=16744","title":{"rendered":"Sonderling Sunday – Hektischer Betriebsamkeit"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s time for Sonderling Sunday<\/a>! When I play with language by looking at the German translation of children’s books. I’m not quite sure why I get so viel Genugtuung<\/a><\/em> from this weekly game, but I do.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Tonight we’re back to Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge<\/em>, the German translation of The Order of Odd-Fish<\/a><\/em>. Last time<\/a>, we left off in the middle of Chapter 12, when Jo had met with Olvershaw, in preparation for officially becoming a squire. There’s a fun phrase right away:<\/p>\n

“gave a sigh of relief” = erleichtert aufseufzen<\/em><\/p>\n

Here’s a good one:
\n“a panic of efficiency” = hektischer Betriebsamkeit<\/em><\/p>\n

“rushed hither and thither” = hin und her huschten<\/em><\/p>\n

This one’s oddly alliterative:
\n“ragged tents” = zerfetzten Zelten<\/em> (That’s what English needs. More words starting with Z.)<\/p>\n

I still like the way Germans combine three words into one:
\n“patched cloth roof” = Segeltuchdecke<\/em><\/p>\n

And here’s one from four English words:
\n“stacks of loose papers” = Papierstapeln<\/em> (Really, that’s just “Paper-piles,” but it works.)<\/p>\n

Interesting. “forms” = Formulare<\/em> (I never connected “forms” and “formulas” before.)<\/p>\n

“stamping machine” = Pr\u00e4gemaschine<\/em><\/p>\n

“office-stalls” = B\u00fcroverschl\u00e4ge<\/em><\/p>\n

“had chewed her out” = sie so heruntergeputzt hatte<\/em><\/p>\n

I don’t think this is as elaborate:
\n“as if calling upon a rapidly dwindling patience”
\n= als wollte er verhindern, dass ihm der Geduldsfaden riss<\/em>
\n(“as if he wanted to hinder, that from him the patience ripped”)<\/p>\n

I still say the insults are fun.
\n“Pushy little creature” = aufdringliche kleine Kreatur<\/em><\/p>\n

“rookies, greenhorns” = Neulinge, Frischlinge<\/em><\/p>\n

“got it?” = kapiert?<\/em><\/p>\n

“watching old movies” = alte Filme anzugucken<\/em><\/p>\n

“shaggy black hair” = zotteligem schwarzem Haar<\/em><\/p>\n

I was prepared not to like this without the alliteration, but it won me over anyway:
\n“A squat-snouted nangnang” = Ein flachschn\u00e4uziges Nangnang<\/em><\/p>\n

“mussed dark hair” = zerzausten schwarzen Haar<\/em><\/p>\n

“barfed out of a fish” = barfu? aus einem Fisch gestiegen<\/em> (“barefoot out of a fish rose”)<\/p>\n

“bait” = K\u00f6der<\/em><\/p>\n

“grapefruits” = Pampelmusen<\/em><\/p>\n

“gutless mollycoddles” = saftlose Weichlinge<\/em> (“juiceless soft-lings”)<\/p>\n

Now here’s a nice long word:
\n“confused babble” = durcheinanderplapperten<\/em> (“through one another prattled”)<\/p>\n

“riding on top of that building” = oben auf diesem Geb\u00e4ude gesurft ist<\/em> (After all, isn’t riding on top of the building surfing<\/em> on top of it?)<\/p>\n

“wreckage” = Tr\u00fcmmern<\/em><\/p>\n

“dust and cobwebs” = Staub und Spinnweben<\/em><\/p>\n

“rattling around in me” = in mir herumklappert<\/em><\/p>\n

“scattered” = verdattert<\/em><\/p>\n

And that’s it for Chapter 12. Jo and Ian got a quest! (Aufgabe<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Summing up, we had a new 23-letter word that’s quite useful for a crowd of people all talking at once and durcheinanderplapperten<\/em>.<\/p>\n

There were some useful phrases this week. I can’t think of a reason to talk about zerfetzten Zelten<\/em>, but now I can tell my son that he has zerzausten Haar<\/em>.<\/p>\n

I may start referring to my cubicle as a B\u00fcroverschlag<\/em>, and I know all about hektischer Betriebsamkeit<\/em>. And tackling Staub und Spinnweben<\/em> is far more interesting than merely vacuuming.<\/p>\n

All in all, I enjoy having these random phrases in mir herumklappert<\/em>. How about you?<\/p>\n

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