Let's talk about…Wie sagt man gleich?

March 16, 2018

Auf Büsche klopfen und nach Informationen fischen

In Weiterführung meiner losen Reihe “deutsche und englische Redewendungen und ihre Übersetzungen“ geht es diesmal um eine Redewendung, die in sehr ähnlicher Form in beiden Sprachen existiert:

to beat around/about the bushes (wörtlich: um die Büsche herum schlagen)

Es ist sicherlich eine Versuchung, diesen Ausdruck mit der deutschen Redewendung „auf den Busch klopfen“ zu übersetzen. Tatsächlich aber hat die englische Version die Bedeutung einer ganz anderen Redewendung, nämlich: um den heißen Brei herumreden

“Beat about the bushes“ und „auf den Busch klopfen“ haben den gleichen Ursprung in der Jägersprache. Vor einer Jagd wurde auf die Büsche geklopft, um die darin versteckten Tiere und Vögel aufzuscheuchen. Die metaphorischen Bedeutungen nahmen aber unterschiedliche Wege: Die deutsche Redewendung bezieht sich darauf, dass man erst durch das Schlagen herausfand, ob in den Büschen überhaupt Wild versteckt war. Der englische Ausdruck verweist dagegen auf das Schlagen als eine vorbereitende Aktion, die der Hauptsache, der eigentlichen Jagd, voranging. Davon leitet sich dann die Bedeutung ab, dass jemand einfach nicht zum Punkt kommt oder erst einmal viel drumherum redet.

Die passende englische Redewendung für „auf den Busch klopfen“ wäre: fishing for information

(You’ll find an English discussion of this topic here)

March 13, 2018

Von sterbenden Enten und hilflosen Ochsen

Der Umgang mit Redewendungen ist eine besondere Herausforderung für jeden Übersetzer. Wortwörtlich übersetzt ergeben sie in der Zielsprache möglicherweise keinen Sinn mehr, und wählt man eine neutrale Übersetzung ändert sich möglicherweise der Stil oder auch die Atmosphäre, die der Originaltext übermitteln will. Ungeachtet dieser Schwierigkeiten sind aber gerade Redewendungen die Schatzkiste einer jeden Sprache, weil sie so viel über die Leute, deren Denkweisen und Lebensarten aussagen.

Nehmen wir z.B. die folgende Redewendung:

To be like a (dying) duck in a thunderstorm (wörtlich übersetzt: Wie eine (sterbende) Ente im Gewitter)

Bedeutung: niedergeschlagen, hoffnungslos oder entmutigt sein

Es gibt in der Tat eine alte deutsche Variante: „wie eine Ente/Gans wenn’s donnert“, die aber einen verblüfften oder überraschten Gesichtsausdruck beschreibt und sich deshalb nicht als Übersetzung eignet. Beide Redewendungen haben aber denselben Ursprung, und zwar in einem Aberglauben, wonach Enten vom Donnerknall als besonders betroffen galten.

Eier müssten vor dem Lärm geschützt werden oder es würden keine Küken schlüpfen. Ebenso sollten Gewitter das Sterberisiko bereits geschlüpfter Küken erhöhen. Angeblich rollten diese Küken vor ihrem Tod die Augen, was einen verblüfften Ausdruck hervorrief. Die englische Redewendung bezog sich zunächst auf dieses Augenrollen und vermittelte eine ähnliche Bedeutung wie die deutsche. Das änderte sich aber mit der Zeit hin zu einem Ausdruck der Niedergeschlagenheit, Mut- oder Hoffnungslosigkeit. wie eine Ente wenns donnert - Herkunft (Quelle: Minard, Antone. Western Folklore, Vol. 69, No. 1, Winter 2010, zu finden hier)

Manchmal sehe ich auch die Übersetzung „wie ein Ochse vorm Berg“ oder „wie eine Kuh vorm (neuen) Scheunentor, die aber meiner Meinung nach noch weniger passt. Hier wird ausgedrückt, dass man nicht weiter weiß bzw. sich die Lösung eines Problems einem nicht erschließt. Der Ochse oder die Kuh bleibt stehen, bis man sie weiterführt, also Hilfestellung leistet. Der Aspekt der Hoffnungslosigkeit oder Niedergeschlagenheit fehlt dabei.(You’ll find an English discussion of this topic here)

March 13, 2018

Talking about oxen and dying ducks in a thunderstorm

A tricky challenge for every translator is how to deal with idioms. If you translate them verbatim, they will probably make no sense in the target language and if you choose a neutral expression, it may change the style or the atmosphere the original text seeks to convey. Regardless of the difficulties idioms present, however, they are also any language’s treasure trove because they tell you so much about the people, their ways of thinking and their ways of life.

Let’s take the following German expression:

Dastehen wie der Ochse vor dem Berg / wie die Kuh vor dem (neuen) Scheunentor (literally: to stand there like an ox before a mountain / like a cow before the (new) barn door)

Meaning: you are at a complete loss

When oxen and cows are faced with an obstacle in their way (or even the new appearance of an old obstacle, such as a new door), they apparently don’t know what to do and simply stop before it.

I have seen it translated as “like a (dying) duck in a thunderstorm,” but that does not quite express the same thing. The “duck in a thunderstorm” conveys a sense of being hopeless, crestfallen, or dejected. While it implies helplessness like the German expression, the mood is entirely different: The ox or cow is unperturbed, not miserable. It simply waits for guidance.

The English expression is derived from a folk belief, which held that the noise of thunder particularly affected ducks, so that one had to protect the eggs from the sound or no ducklings would hatch. By the same token, it was thought that hatched ducklings could easily die during a thunderstorm. Because their deaths was preceded by much eye-rolling, which gave them a somewhat surprised look, the expression initially described a stunned or startled expression. Yet, over time, the meaning changed. Today, looking “like a duck in a thunderstorm” stands for being forlorn or sorry for oneself.

(Cf.: Minard, Antone. Western Folklore, Vol. 69, No. 1, Winter 2010, found here)

(Eine deutsche Erörterung des Themas befindet sich hier)

March 9, 2018

Nickel in food: The flavor has it!

Flavoring is a really tricky issue if you are hypersensitive to nickel, especially since they are so hard to avoid. If a product contains “flavor”, it’s best to assume it’s artificial, i.e., synthetically produced. Although I am not sure why these artificial flavors cause an allergic reaction, I never fail to get one. Maybe food that contains artificial flavoring generally has a lot of other dubious ingredients…

In any case, I recommend avoiding anything that lists “aroma” or “flavoring” without telling you of what kind it is. Which brings me to my next point: “Natural flavor” is derived from natural sources, but “natural” covers a wide spectrum. For example, vanillin can be derived from lignin, which you find in tree bark. Only if a flavor names its source, it also has to contain that source. For example, “natural apple flavor” has to contain some apple, even if it has been chemically enhanced. Unfortunately, many labels list “natural so-and-so flavor and other natural flavors.” For me, this is a no-no, mainly because “other natural flavors” often means vanillin. Real vanilla from the vanilla orchid is quite expensive, so most products contain human-made vanillin from other “natural” sources. All these other sources seem to be really problematic if you are hypersensitive to nickel. I know that if I eat anything containing vanillin, I will see the first red patches on my palms in a matter of days. What I find really frustrating is that you find vanillin in all sorts of other products, such as lip balm, lemongrass tea, multivitamins, even peppermint candy. Makes you wonder… Luckily, by now there are more and more food products containing real vanilla or bourbon vanilla – and nothing else.

Having said that, I never order any kind of dessert or cake in a restaurant unless I have a list of all ingredients. Not only because few people will know there difference between real vanilla and natural flavor, but also because there is another trap: soy-lecithin.

Soy-lecithin is just as ubiquitous as vanillin, and almost as bad. The good news is that it is usually listed on the label in bold print. A popular ingredient in chocolate and all sorts of candy and ice cream, it is also found in countless other products, such a baked goods. I have no problems with sunflower-lecithin.

What about chocoholics?

With cocoa and vanillin out of the picture, there is not a lot of chocolate left. If you like white chocolate, there is hope: There are certain brands that have no soy-lecithin and contain only real vanilla – and they are really tasty too.

March 7, 2018

Hypersensitive to nickel in food? What to avoid

A nickel-free diet is virtually impossible because far too many food items contain nickel. If you are hypersensitive, you will probably have to deal with outbreaks of eczema for the rest of your life. Unfortunately, this kind of hypersensitivity is particularly bad for vegetarians and vegans as food plants are often heavier on nickel than animal products.

I found that cutting out the following common food items made a real difference:

Cocoa

Soy

Wholegrain

Nuts, especially pecan and cashew

Gouda cheese

Anything with undefined flavors (aroma)

This includes all processed foods containing any of the above, almost all cereal bars and almost all pesto.

Ramona’s tip: Get used to reading labels. Always. Even for things you wouldn’t suspect.

March 7, 2018

What happens when you are hypersensitive to Nickel?

While nickel allergy often produces wet pustules, nickel intolerance causes a delayed form of eczema with dry blistering, which is, curiously enough, usually limited to the hands. For me, the first signs are deep-red patches in the palms of the hand and along the sides of the fingers. The inflammation develops right underneath the skin, causing it to harden and thereby to tighten. Eventually, the skin will blister and break. Underneath, there is new healthy skin, but during the transition from old to new skin, the skin tends to be rough and scaly. Unfortunately, sometimes a new outbreak starts while the skin still healing from the last one.

Ramona’s tip: Use petroleum jelly and use it frequently! I have tried many skin creams, but none has been as effective in smoothing the skin during an outbreak.

March 7, 2018

Nickel Allergy: Beware of your Food!

Having a nickel allergy is not uncommon nowadays, which is why we see so many items labelled “nickel free.” Not so well-known is the fact that you can also have an adverse reaction to nickel in food in form of a non-allergic food hypersensitivity, also known less precisely as food intolerance. If you have a nickel allergy, it means that direct contact with nickel causes a skin reaction, which either manifests itself immediately or quickly after contact. This is called an allergic contact dermatitis. Hypersensitivity to nickel in food is not a food allergy like, for example, a nut allergy. A food allergy is caused when the body misidentifies a certain food item as harmful and launches a fast-acting immune mechanism in the body, usually by releasing high amounts of antibodies. The reaction is more or less immediate and can, in extreme cases, lead to an anaphylactic shock. Nickel in food is not life-threatening, but it poses some severe restrictions on your diet. The symptoms often take a while until they manifest themselves, so that identifying a particular food item as the cause for the reaction can be quite difficult. Although the body requires nickel, just as it needs iron and zinc, it only requires minute amounts. If you are intolerant to nickel in food, it means that the body is unable to deal with any excess in your body. You are passing a threshold of tolerance and suddenly what is considered healthy becomes the cause of eczema.

For general information on food allergies and intolerances, check this site: http://www.foodallergens.info/Facts/Symptoms.html