{"id":25256,"date":"2014-09-07T21:24:07","date_gmt":"2014-09-08T01:24:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=25256"},"modified":"2014-09-07T21:43:00","modified_gmt":"2014-09-08T01:43:00","slug":"sonderling-sunday-past-the-uberfullten-bahnsteig","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=25256","title":{"rendered":"Sonderling Sunday – Hinunter, Hinunter, Hinunter"},"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 it’s back to the delightful book that started it all — Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge<\/a><\/em>, by James Kennedy<\/a>, otherwise known as The Order of Odd-fish<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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

Last time<\/a>, we left off on page 210 in English, Seite 265 auf Deutsch.<\/em> Jo and Ian have followed Nick past the Drehkreuz<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Here’s one of those rare phrases that’s shorter in German:
\n“crowded subway platform” = \u00fcberf\u00fcllten Bahnsteig<\/em> (Well, okay, just barely shorter. That means, essentially, “over-filled train-climb”)<\/p>\n

“straggler” = Nachz\u00fcgler<\/em> (“after traveler”)<\/p>\n

“tracks” = Gleise<\/em><\/p>\n

Not as much of a ring to it:
\n“Down, down, down” = Hinunter, hinunter, hinunter<\/em><\/p>\n

“cramped and filthy passageways” = enge, schmutzige G\u00e4nge<\/em><\/p>\n

“darker, slimier, and rougher” = dunkler, schleimiger und primitive<\/em><\/p>\n

“lantern” = Taschenlampe<\/em> (“pocket-lamp” I wonder if the translator thought it meant a flashlight?)<\/p>\n

This sounds even more repulsive in German:
\n“a wet hole” = ein feuchtes Loch<\/em><\/p>\n

“slick, spongy moss” = glattem schwammigem Moos<\/em><\/p>\n

I like this one:
\n“crawled headfirst” = kroch kopf\u00fcber<\/em><\/p>\n

“which suddenly contracted and slurped”
\n= das sich pl\u00f6tzlich zusammenzog und ein schl\u00fcrfendes Ger\u00e4usch von sich gab<\/em>
\n(“that itself suddenly together-moved and a slurping noise from itself gave”)<\/p>\n

“warily” = mistrauich<\/em><\/p>\n

“a sloppy, drooling mouth” = ein schlaffes, sabberndes Maul<\/em><\/p>\n

One word for this!
\n“just to make sure” = sicherheitshalber<\/em> (“for safety’s sake”)<\/p>\n

“jealous” = eifers\u00fcchtig<\/em> (“zeal-seeking”)<\/p>\n

“tumbling and sliding” = rutschte taumelnd<\/em><\/p>\n

“splashed” = platschend<\/em><\/p>\n

“torches” = Fackeln<\/em><\/p>\n

“their faces looked strange and red in the flickering fire”
\n= ihre Gesichter wirken im Licht der flackernden Flammen merkw\u00fcrdig r\u00f6tlich<\/em>
\n(“their faces looked in the light of the flickering flames strangely red”)<\/p>\n

“twinkling jewels” = funkelnden Juwelen<\/em><\/p>\n

“elaborate arched passages” = kunstvoll gemei\u00dfelte Durchg\u00e4nge<\/em><\/p>\n

“dome” = Kuppel<\/em><\/p>\n

“humbled by age” = vom Alter gedm\u00fctigt<\/em><\/p>\n

“arranged in glimmering mosaics” = zu schimmernden Mosaiken angeordnet<\/em><\/p>\n

“whistled” = pfiff<\/em><\/p>\n

“snorts” = schnaubte<\/em><\/p>\n

“tame” = zahm<\/em><\/p>\n

“squids” = Kalmare<\/em><\/p>\n

“scratched” = kraulte<\/em><\/p>\n

“We’ll go for a ride.” = Wir machen einen kleinen Ausritt.<\/em><\/p>\n

“falling off” = herunterfielen<\/em><\/p>\n

“squeeze them with your legs” = klemmt sie euch zwischen die Beine<\/em><\/p>\n

“grunting beasts” = grunzenden Tieren<\/em><\/p>\n

“oozed” = sickerte<\/em><\/p>\n

“the back of her head” = ihren Hinterkopf<\/p>\n

This time English has the compound word:
\n“slingshot” = Schleuder<\/em><\/p>\n

“hushed gibbering” = leises Schnattern<\/em><\/p>\n

“monkey-like beast” = affen\u00e4hnliches Tier<\/em><\/p>\n

“bolder” = k\u00fchner<\/em><\/p>\n

“the roar of a hundred tiny throats” = einem tosenden Br\u00fcllen aus Hunderten winziger Kehlen<\/em><\/p>\n

“leaped” = griffen<\/em><\/p>\n

“snarling shapes” = knurrenden Gestalten<\/em><\/p>\n

“bursting out of the water” = aus dem Wasser auftauchten<\/em>
\n(I like that. auftauchten<\/em> is, basically, “out-dived.”)<\/p>\n

“bucked and dived” = bockte und tauchte<\/em><\/p>\n

“surface” = Wasseroberfl\u00e4che<\/em><\/p>\n

“That was close.” = Das war knapp.<\/em><\/p>\n

“peevish” = ein bisschen gereizt<\/em><\/p>\n

“with heavy irony” = troff von Sarkasmus<\/em><\/p>\n

“a spot of tea” = ein Schl\u00fcckchen Tee<\/em><\/p>\n

And let’s finish up with a tremendously useful phrase:
\n“I understand that knitting is very soothing.”
\n= Ich habe geh\u00f6rt, Stricken soll sehr entspannend sein.<\/em><\/p>\n

I find myself hoping my readers don’t have any occasion to say these things this week. May you not hear the leises Schnattern<\/em> of any affen\u00e4hnliches Tier<\/em>, nor einem tosenden Br\u00fcllen aus Hunderten winziger Kehlen<\/em>.<\/p>\n

But if you do, you’ll know what to call them!<\/p>\n

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