German language - you just can't beat it!

[wiseheart]

Sorry, I have to make this entry in half-German... the key phrase simply can't be translated. At least not for me.

In any case, I was watching "Niedrig and Kuhnt", one of the daily German cop shows. The victim of the day was killed by a heavy blow to his head. Documents from the pathologist come in, and the lady detective reads out loud:

"Das Opfer war durch einen mit dem Leben nicht zu vereinbarenden Schlag auf den Kopf getötet."

I was screaming for minutes after that. *g*

Comments

[rcfinch.livejournal.com]

OMG, that was hilarious (even though the subject matter isn't funny at all)!

Now I'm trying to figure out how to translate this into English. "The victim was killed by a blow on the head incompatible with life"?

No, that just doesn't quite cut it...

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

The funny thing is that the translation is actually correct - it just doesn't bring the same effect, somehow...

[songfire3.livejournal.com]

ROFL! Brilliant - jetzt brauche ich ein neues Keyboard...! Vielleicht sollte ich ja doch mal wieder den Fernseher anstellen...

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Großartig, nicht wahr? Und die Leute wundern sich warum ich deutsches Fernsehen so mag.

Übrigens: ich wußte ja gar nicht das du aus Deutschland bist!

[songfire3.livejournal.com]

*g* Yep! Liebe Grüße aus Hamburg ;)

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Oh! Wieder eine Stadt in der ich noch nie war und wohin ich gerne gehen würde. Na ja, vielleicht in einem anderen Leben.

[disthrainsdotte.livejournal.com]

I read it and laughs. :D I do think it is to the point though.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

So, you speak German, too?

[disthrainsdotte.livejournal.com]

Yes, I do. I also read german but I suspect my spelling is dreadfull by now.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Since they embraced the godawful new spelling rules, it doesn't matter anyway. ;))

[disthrainsdotte.livejournal.com]

That is a relief, I haven´t studied german in a while and what I remember of spelling and grammar is frightening to put it mildly.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Well, it's certainly anything but relief for *me*! I'm very good at spelling and grammar (the original one), and now that they have this new version, I'm confused all the time because I can't keep in my mind what have they actually changed and what not.

[disthrainsdotte.livejournal.com]

I guess we look at it from different perspectives. :)

[lhun-dweller.livejournal.com]

I had to read Finch's translation to get it, but yeah, that is funny. It seems rather like classic British English understatements, as in, "It's a tad wet today" when the rain is flooding the streets. I've always appreciated that aspect of British humor/humour. Nice to know the Germans can do it, too.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Actually, I don't think that was *meant* to be humorous. It was rather what the Germans call "Fachchinesisch", meaning *very* official phrasing that often goes beyond the ridiculous. That was an official pathology document... just involuntarily hilarious. I posted the phrase because I thought it would be a crying shame to allow it to get lost.

[lhun-dweller.livejournal.com]

The Germans have a word for silly official phrasing? Now THAT is just too funny! (I'm struggling to pronounce it, however. Can you give me a clue?)

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Well, they call "Fachchinesich" everything from stupid user instructions to too complicated explanations and so on. I think the expression is related to "technobabble". The literal translation would be "field Chinese", meaning someone's scientific field of expertise, but as for pronounciation aids... I'm not the right person for that, I fear. But it's a compound word of Fach and Chinesisch, so if you look the two elements up in the directory, perhaps they are more helpful with it.

[lhun-dweller.livejournal.com]

It just keeps getting funnier... in English (American English, anyway - can't remember any more whether the Brits say it, too), we say, "It's all Greek to me!"

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

That's still a little different, I think. What you mean is the equivalent of the German saying "It sounds Spanish to me". *g*

[artemis10002000]

*rotfl* *rotfl* Das ist echt ein toller Spruch!

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Heh! In keinem anderen Cop show ist das Fachchinesisch halb so haarsträubend als in "Niedrig und Kuhnt". Es ist mir echt ein Rätsel wie Conny Niedrig es hinkriegt, solche Sätze ohne mit den Wimpern zu zucken runterzulabern.