{"id":23864,"date":"2014-02-16T20:03:01","date_gmt":"2014-02-17T00:03:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=23864"},"modified":"2014-02-16T21:00:14","modified_gmt":"2014-02-17T01:00:14","slug":"sonderling-sunday-ken-kiang-and-hoagland-shanks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=23864","title":{"rendered":"Sonderling Sunday – Ken Kiang and Hoagland Shanks"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s time for Sonderling Sunday<\/a>, 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<\/a><\/em>, by James Kennedy<\/a>, Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

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

Last time<\/a>, we left off at the start of page 202 in the English edition, Seite 254 auf Deutsch<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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!<\/em> So surely English-speaking travelers to Germany could find a use for them, nicht<\/em>?<\/p>\n

“former life” = ehemaligem Leben<\/em><\/p>\n

“petty” = armselig<\/em> (“pathetic”)<\/p>\n

“to leave anything undone” = etwas unerledigt zu lassen<\/em><\/p>\n

“loathed” = verachtete<\/em><\/p>\n

“repulsed him” = widerte ihn an<\/em><\/p>\n

“unbearable disgust” = unertr\u00e4glichem Ekel<\/em><\/p>\n

“smug” = Selbstgef\u00e4lliges<\/em> (“self-pleasing”)<\/p>\n

“self-satisfied” = Selbstzufriedenes<\/em><\/p>\n

“vowed” = schwur<\/em><\/p>\n

This isn’t as melodious:
\n“happy-go-lucky handyman” = unbek\u00fcmmerte Faktotum<\/em> (“unencumbered factotum”)<\/p>\n

Here the alliteration was preserved:
\n“humdrum happiness” = fade Fr\u00f6hlichkeit<\/em><\/p>\n

“guessed” = vermutete<\/em><\/p>\n

Here’s a good one:
\n“wild pleasures” = ausschweifendsten Vergn\u00fcgungen<\/em> (“extravagant pleasures”)<\/p>\n

This whole sentence needs to be translated:
\n“That is, what if Ken Kiang gave Hoagland Shanks unlimited access to any kind of pie he wanted?”
\n= Was w\u00e4re, wenn Ken Kiang Hoagland Shanks unbegrenzten Zugang zu jeder Art von Kuchen gew\u00e4hrte, nach der ihn gel\u00fcstete?<\/em>
\n(“What would be, if Ken Kiang Hoagland Shanks unbounded access to each kind of Cake granted, after which he lusted?”)<\/p>\n

“addicted” = s\u00fcchtig<\/em><\/p>\n

“generosity” = Gro\u00dfz\u00fcgigkeit<\/em><\/p>\n

“a changed man” = ein verwandelter Mensch<\/em><\/p>\n

“desperate things” = verzweifelte Dinge<\/em><\/p>\n

“but at best would serve to numb him against his sordid existence”
\n= sondern h\u00f6chstens noch dazu dienten, ihn gegen die Erb\u00e4rmlichkeit seiner Existenz abzustumpfen<\/em>
\n(“but at highest still served to, him against the wretchedness of his existence to blunt”)<\/p>\n

“suicidal quest” = selbstm\u00f6rderische Aufgabe<\/em><\/p>\n

“encroached upon every idle moment” = sich in jedem winzigen Moment an ihn heranschlich<\/em>
\n(“in each tiny moment on him sneaked up”)<\/p>\n

“unquenchable emptiness” = unf\u00fcllbare Leere<\/em><\/p>\n

“a ravenous nothing” = ein alles verschlingendes Nichts<\/em> (“an all devouring nothing”)<\/p>\n

“jerk back” = zuckte er zur\u00fcck<\/em><\/p>\n

“mounting terror” = steigendem Entsetzen<\/em><\/p>\n

“fantasized” = ausgemalt<\/em> (“painted”)<\/p>\n

“pity” = Mitgef\u00fchl<\/em> (“with-feeling”)<\/p>\n

And that’s it for Chapter 16! We are now more than halfway through the book!<\/p>\n

There are some good phrases to try to work into your conversation this week! If you find you have steigendem Entsetzen<\/em> when confronted with ein alles verschlingendes Nichts<\/em>, you have all my Mitgef\u00fchl<\/em>!<\/p>\n

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