Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with german

Dominosteine in Vancouver?

findango — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 10:52:05 -0800

WeihnachtsFilter: anyone have a confirmed source for Dominosteine in Vancouver? I will try European Specialty Food Imports, but they are closed (or not answering the phone) today.

Thanks!

What is this lead ring?

tellurian — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 20:17:20 -0800

In this excerpt from Beloved Son Felix, there is a description of a body that they have disinterred for an autopsy. They find a lead ring which causes disgust. What would the lead ring be? The relevant part:

On opening the winding sheet in which the body was sewn, we found a woman with a congenital deformity of the legs, the two feet turned inward. We did an autopsy and found, among other curiosities, various veins vasorum spermaticorum, which were not deformed, but followed the curve of the legs toward the buttocks. She had a lead ring, and as I detest these, it added to my disgust.

Surely not a lead ring on her finger, that wouldn't cause such detestation, would it? Could it be that it was some sort of device she wore because she had deformed legs?

Bitte helf mir!

miss lynnster — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 06:41:27 -0800

I'm on my way to Austria for a few weeks. Looking for a handy German language app for my Blackberry Tour to help me as I struggle to remember the language. Is there one? While we're here, any other good world travel apps you recommend? I'll be in Paris for two days, then Vienna and points beyond.

I'm new to this Blackberry thang really, so I'm not familiar with many of the apps yet... please hook me up, you young hipster people.

Thanks! :D

Who designed this dress?

Joe Beese — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 18:11:57 -0800

Who designed the gorgeous dress Anne-Sophie Mutter wears on the cover of her box of Mozart sonatas and related DVD?

Useful translation practice?

carrot — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 03:47:41 -0800

I want to hone my translation skills (English to German), but I'd like my translations to be useful/needed. I work as a freelance copyeditor for German publishers and would like to start doing translations. More specifically, I'd like to do non-fiction translations from English to German. I've line-edited many English-to-German translations and I think I'd be well suited for doing translation work myself. I'm a native German speaker fluent in English. (FWIW, I also have a PhD in Philosophy).

The problem: apart from translating shorter passages for fun or for friends, I haven't done any professional translation work, yet. Although my translations are certainly OK (i.e. semantically correct and stylistically adequate), I think I need some more practice - but I find the prospect of putting in a lot of work, for example by translating random books/articles and then just filing away the result, a bit demotivating.

So here's my actual question(s):
- I imagine there must be many organisations or individuals who need English-to-German translations, but cannot pay for a professional translator (e.g. charities). I'd love to help, and I'm OK with not receiving any compensation. But how do I find these people/organizations?
- I'd also be ok with translating fiction for practice - but, again, only if I could then put the results on the web without violating copyright regulations, and if there's (at least minimal) demand for a translation. How do I find such texts?
- any other ideas for improving my translation skills and making myself useful at the same time?

How to find authentic goods?

Anonymous — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:16:42 -0800

Looking to buy a WW2 ring. Help me not get scammed on eBay. (Anonymous because this is going to be a surprise, and the gift-receiver is a sneak)

I'm planning on proposing to my long-time boyfriend some time in the next year, and I'd like to get him a ring. Since he's a history buff, I figured a German WW2 ring would be an awesome choice. Ebay has piles and piles of Todkopf rings, but I'm looking for something a little more subtle; something from a Panzer team would be great, but I'll consider anything that's not just a giant cross/swastika/skull. I've come across these two which are particularly nice. Too nice, I guess. Although they're being sold from different accounts, both accounts are in Latvia, and the listings are suspiciously similar. "100% original old! Solid and presentable appearance is suitable for a man’s collection." But both accounts have good feedback. For what it's worth, I know absolutely nothing about period jewelry, so I likely wouldn't recognize a fake if I held it in my hand. So here are my questions:

1. Am I right in thinking that these listings are a little shady?
2. Are there any policies in place to handle falsely advertised items; if the item arrives and it's not authentic, do I have any recourse aside from leaving a negative review?
3. Where else can one look for authentic military artifacts?

Throwaway email: germanring@gmail.com Thanks in advance for any help!

Amo Amas Awhat?

The Whelk — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:23:36 -0800

Is there a Medieval Linguist in the house? I need a very short conversation between Cistercian nuns in Saxony translated into Medieval Latin. Any help so I don't sound like a complete idiot warmly welcomed. Background, it's 1301 in Lower Saxony at Wienhausen Abbey

"He wishes in all humbleness to adore the relic."

"Impossible."

"But abbess, he has brought a wonder! He says it is a gift. He only wants a moment with it."

"Bring him to me."

Total Side Question: I can't figure out if the nuns wouldn't used Old German or Latin when speaking to each other rather than writing religious texts. Some sources say Old French, even.

What did the Nazis call the French Resistance?

bagadonuts — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:47:35 -0800

What did the Nazis call the French Resistance? I know they called the individual resisters "terrorists," but what word did they use to describe the resistance as a whole? (Insurgency, resistance, uprising, rebellion, etc.) This is research for a screenplay - I'm not looking for a discussion about modern parallels, or of what the morally correct word is in various situations. Also, if someone could give me the word in German that would be great! Please no guessing.

The alternate 'Testament of Doctor Mabuse' - Fritz Lang's German and French versions

0bvious — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 01:55:35 -0800

Having recently learned that Fritz Lang filmed an entirely different, French language, version of The Testament of Doctor Mabuse alongside the 'original' German version, I set out to find it. The only way to get hold of it seems to be via the Criterion DVD, but this is a Region 1 (NTSC) release only. Where else can I get a copy of the alternate Mabuse? Preferably as either a download or as a Region 2 (PAL) release I would rather have the Criterion release, of course, because it is the definitive package of the film(s) - but my laptop has a very strict DVD drive that is impossible to hack to multi-region (Matshita UJ-841s). I have tried all sorts of software and firmware solutions. Non work.

I want to use the two films, running alongside each other, at a symposium I am presenting at. And I can't rely on my university having a region 1 setup.

Is it worth buying the Region 1 Criterion and somehow transferring it to Region 2? I heard that this can be done, with patience and the right software.

In a perfect world I want the Criterion release as a region 2 DVD.

Other solutions?

Honey, sometimes I have a hard time...Ooooh shiny!

bilabial — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 05:30:49 -0800

Relationship filter: He's an Austrian in Austria, I'm an American in America, and I have ADHD/Inattentive type. He's not familiar with this concept. What books can I suggest to him? Bonus points if these books are written in German. He reads for pleasure in English, but it's not his first language.

Books could be about Women with ADHD, how ADHD affects relationships, or just a basic, What is ADHD? type book.

If left to my own devices I'd send him Sari Solden's book about women with ADHD, but it's a little...long, and not quite as focused on the positive as I would like. I just started reading The Gift of Adult ADD, I think I like it.

I mentioned my diagnosis to him a few months ago and he was puzzled. We're at the 6 month point in our relationship, and I think it would be good for him to understand a bit more about me, regardless of where this relationship is headed in the super long term.

You see, I'm still coming to terms with this diagnosis myself. I haven't gotten to acceptance yet, but I'm doing a pretty good job working on anger with some occassional bargaining. My medication is mostly worked out. I have a daily schedule that I slowly add things to - make the bed, how to clean the kitchen, when to leave the house to catch the bus on time, what needs to be in my bag for work.

And hey, any helpful strategies for me would be great, too!

How do I learn my 4th language in my 3rd language?

besonders — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:51:43 -0800

LanguageLearning Filter: I'm about to start taking Turkish classes (my fourth language) in German (my third language). Any tips on how to make this a beneficial experience for all my languages? I took an intensive Turkish course in English this past summer, moved to Berlin and wanted to keep on with the language at my German university, where I was placed into third semester (B1 level).

On the one hand, I'm pretty excited! Germany's relationship to Turkey is the entire reason I decided to learn Turkish, so it will be cool to learn it in conjunction with Germans, and see what sort of bizarre jokes Germans make about the Turkish language.

On the other hand, I'm terrified! I've only been studying German for four years. So although my German is pretty good, I still often feel like I'm doing English-German translations in my head when I speak, and am pretty self-conscious about speaking in public.

Reading and understanding my Turkish-German textbook is okay (although sometimes I have to break out my Turkish-English dictionary because the German isn't cutting it), but today at my oral Turkish placement test I had a few moments where I felt like I was doing a three-way translation and floundering.

So, HiveMind, has anyone else had this experience of learning a new language in something that's not your mother tongue? Do you have any tips or tricks?

Should I make Turkish-English flashcards or Turkish-German flashcards, or Turkish-English/German flashcards? When I take notes on grammatical points, should I take them in sloppy German or good English? What haven't I thought about that I should be thinking about?

(Extra bonus question: Do you have any cool bilingual Turkish-German music I should be listening to?)

What does the surname "Naftzger" mean?

reverend cuttle — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 06:57:05 -0800

Help me track down the meaning of a surname. The name is "Naftzger." It seems to be a Germanic (if not German) word for an occupation (e.g. "Metzger" means "butcher"). But what occupation? What does the "Naf" mean? Bonus points for information on region of origin.

Bedeute es mir bitte

creasy boy — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 02:53:34 -0800

Need help translating/interpreting Wittgenstein's "Bei der magischen Heilung einer Krankheit bedeutet man ihr, sie möge den Patienten verlassen", esp. the use of bedeuten with a dative object. It comes from his Remarks on Frazer's Golden Bough, on p. 128 of Philosophical Occasions and p. 35 of the Suhrkamp Votrag über Ethik.

I've been trying to get a handle on this sentence by translating it into English but any paraphrase or explanation in either English or German might help me. My problem is that I don't really know what bedeuten could mean with a dative object. I'd be interested also in knowing whether Wittgenstein made this up or it's an accepted use.

The translation offered in Philosophical Occasions is "With the magical healing of an illness, one directs the illness to leave the patient", and I don't see how this could be right.

My intuitive sense would be something like "one signifies to it that it leave the patient", but I'm not sure if that makes any sense either.

The context:

Die Magie in "Alice in Wonderland" beim Trocknen durch Vorlesen des Trockensten was es gibt.
Bei der magischen Heilung einer Krankheit bedeutet man ihr, sie möge den Patient verlassen.
Man möchte nach der Beschreibung so einer magischen Kur immer sagen: Wenn das die Krankheit nicht versteht, so weiß ich nicht, wie man es ihr sagen soll.

Thank you for any help.

A good German

Jody Tresidder — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 09:52:19 -0800

I've failed to find a long-ago post (or - dread thought - it COULD have been a comment!) featuring an astounding young German guitar player performing an extraordinary solo of a classical nature - with dazzling finger technique. It starts low key - and builds to an amazing crescendo. My memory insists either his first name - or surname - was Thomas - but spelled slightly oddly. The player was, I think, under 20 & had already recorded an album. He was performing on his own - but in a club or concert setting. (My eyes are blurring after searching pages & pages of posts tagged "guitar"). Obviously - for some demented reason - I forgot to favorite it at the time. Thanks so much if this chimes with anyone!

Cheap, efficient way to learn German online.

ekpyrotic — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 10:21:01 -0800

Cheap, efficient way to learn German online. Hey guys, I'm a physics/philosophy double major in the UK. My specialism is philosophical logic, to gain postgrad admission to my top institutions I'll have to be a competent German reader (speaking, listening would be nice, but not essential).

I have a year and a half.

I was looking for some good online resources to learn the language. I'd be especially interested in good, thorough treatments of the grammar.

Können Sie ihre Musik, er, stoppen?

doctorpiorno — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 16:39:48 -0800

I've just moved into a lovely apartment in Frankfurt, Germany, only to discover that my neighbor likes to play loud techno music on his stereo at 1 a.m. I don't speak German. Help? I'd like to leave a note in their mailbox, politely asking them to keep the volume low at night in the hope that he's simply clueless about apartment etiquette and not an antisocial jerk. However, my command of German is nowhere near enough for the task, so I'm turning to the the Hive Mind for help to translate the following (or something to the same effect) for me:

"Hello, this is your neighbor from [Flat number] in [Building number]. May I ask you to please keep the music low after 11 p.m.? My bedroom is just on the other side of the wall and the noise is keeping me awake at night. Thanks!"

If this fails, do you have any suggestions on how to handle this situation? Moving out is not an option, as I'm living in company housing - neighbor is not an employee of the same company, though - and I'm assuming calling the cops on him would be pretty difficult with my current German skills. I have tried earplugs, but they don't help with the bass rumblings. :-/

Is English abnormal?

jak68 — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 19:53:42 -0800

language-philes -- Isnt English weird for not having conjugated verbs? Even its closest relatives - german and the romance languages - have conjugated verbs. Please to explain? Most other indo-european languages (like Indian languages, and of course latin etc as well) have conjugated verbs too.
Conjugated verbs seems the norm in the linguistic, cultural, and ethnic environment in which English developed.

So how did it so uniquely escape conjugated verbs, within this european cultural and indo-european linguistic environment?

(I know there are very minor conjugations in English, like "I run" vs "he runs"; I'm talking obviously about the 6 or more types of conjugations (plus tense-conjugations) that all these other languages have...)

I'm just curious. Thanks!

European split beds?

anjiro — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 19:09:11 -0800

Mattress-filter: I recently took a trip to Germany with my wife and was fascinated by some of the hotel beds there. Unlike some other parts of Europe, there were not two single-person beds, but seemed to be two combined. It was like two mattresses stuck together somehow; they had separate sheets (both bottom and top), but didn't shift away from each other in the slightest. You could lie right on the crack and not notice a thing! I noticed that we slept a lot better, possibly since the two halves didn't influence each other as much.

How does it work, and can I get something similar in the US?

German to English

rahnefan — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:13:43 -0800

Can anyone please translate this short phrase into German? It's from the Rankin-Bass movie, Santa Claus is Comin' to Town. "Toys are hereby declared illegal, immoral, unlawful, and, anyone caught with a toy in his possession will be placed under arrest and thrown in the dungeon. No Kidding."

It's for a personal calligraphy project; positively no money or trade or any kind of profit involved.

If you can go different ways with a word or phrase, please lean toward umlauts. :)

Or if you have a suggestion for a different language I should use instead (I'm thinking Germanic traditions more than Myra/Turkey), then that would be even better (if you can translate it).

Help me get that puppy

pulled_levers — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 21:31:01 -0800

How and where can I buy a male German Shepherd puppy? My dad wants me to help him buy a German Shepherd puppy. Unfortunately, I've never bought a dog before and I don't really know the best and safest way to do it. Also, I currently live in NYC. He lives in New Jersey.

He'll pay up to $900 for a male GSD puppy and he's the kind of guy who's willing to pay for convenience (i.e. a dog with all its shots).

I've looked online a little bit, but many sellers are a far drive out and I think it'd be best to interact with the puppy before buying it (rather than relying on photos). I feel pretty hesitant and uncertain about this whole thing because I've never done anything like this before. Is there anything I should watch out for? What's the best way to get this puppy?

Just to add, my dad has had prior experience with raising and training big dogs.

German for day-in-which-the-danger-of-frost-is-gone.

RussHy — Sat, 23 May 2009 10:40:07 -0800

My wife heard a German word for the last frost date, but she can't remember it. Are there any German-speaking gardeners who can tell us? It was a pretty long word with multiple syllables.

FSI German recordings

Think_Long — Wed, 20 May 2009 13:27:18 -0800

FSI language courses: is this a particular accent, or just the tape? So I'm going through the Foreign Service Institue German program, available online here, and I'm wondering if the speakers on the audio portion have a particular accent or if their pronunciations pretty much the most common. For instance, it sounds like in tape 1.1, when they pronounce Druben, they are actually saying "droon". Is this accurate and just a pronunciation rule that I've forgotten? Is it a poor recording? Do I have poor listening skills?

Please be patient with my ignorance

I forgot...

monospace — Thu, 07 May 2009 12:05:09 -0800

Back in high school, my German language teacher recited this little poem that I never forgot... ... but I can't remember who wrote it. The Google is no help. Anybody know?

Wer liebt kann nicht vergessen
Wer vergißt hat nie geliebt
Wer geliebt un doch vergessen
Hat vergessen wie man liebt

So kannst Du auch mich vergessen
Und vergessen kann auch ich
Kann vergessen dein Vergessen
Doch dich vergessen kann ich nicht

Do you have a favorite German radio station?

bibliophibianj — Tue, 05 May 2009 06:17:00 -0800

I'm going to Germany on 21 May. I've been told (by Germans) that my German is good, but I'd still like to do a bit of immersion before I go to get used to hearing it, etc. I'd particularly like to listen to some German radio. Any favorite stations? I would prefer stations that play music. I think a university radio station would be ideal for me, but I'm open to anything other than talk-only radio--I've tried it before, and I got so bored! Also, do you have any other suggestions for refreshing my German quickly? I don't think language CDs are an option right now.

German filter: Offering condolences in German

doctor.dan — Sat, 02 May 2009 18:57:54 -0800

German filter: Help me write a bereavement/sympathy/condolence card for someone in Germany. I recently found out that an elderly neighbour that I was pretty close to passed away. I wanted to send a card to her family, but my German is pretty bad (well, mostly gone).

I'm hoping to write something expressing my sorrow and thanking the family for letting me know. Perhaps something along these lines:

It is with great sadness that I heard of your recent loss. I wanted to let you know that you have my greatest sympathy, and my heart is truly saddened.

J was more than just a wonderful person; she was always so kind and considerate and willing to help at every possible opportunity without seeking anything in return. J will always remain within our hearts.

My sincere thoughts and deepest sympathies are with you.

Any help is, as always, appreciated from the green.