Tag Archives: untranslatable german
The Curiosity of the Word “Handy” Posted by Sten on Apr 19, 2018
Last weekend, we looked at the word USB-Stick, a so-called Scheinanglizismus (pseudo-anglicism), an English-looking word, that actually has no, or not the same, meaning in the English language. I thought it would be fun to dive a little deeper into these Scheinanglizismen. Today, we look at the German word Handy. Handy? Yes. Handy. Previous installments of Curious Words The Curiosity…
German Car-Related Words Posted by Constanze on Apr 18, 2018
Guten Tag! Germany is world-famous for its cars, so it’s no wonder that there are several, quirky German words and phrases related to vehicles and driving in general. Today I’d like to introduce you to a few of these words and phrases! The first word is das Elefantenrennen. This literally translates to ‘elephant running’ and…
The German Heimat Posted by Constanze on Apr 4, 2018
The concept of Heimat is often referred to as a uniquely German concept that cannot be adequately translated – even though it seems like a fairly straight-forward word. On first glance, you see the word das Heim (home) in there, and although Heimat does mean home, this word talks about quite a different concept of…
German Loanwords in English Pt. 2 Posted by Sten on Mar 24, 2018
Yesterday, we looked at some German loanwords in English. These are words that keep their spelling, pronunciation, and even meaning! Is that always the case? we look int that right now. Let’s begin! Part 1 1. Poltergeist No, this is not just a famous movie from the 1980s, it is an actual word in…
German Loanwords in English Pt. 1 Posted by Sten on Mar 23, 2018
We have some untranslatable words in German, which we have covered extensively. But there are also words in English that were not translated at all – kept their meaning, spelling but not their pronunciation! Let’s look at and listen to a few of these Lehnwörter (loanwords). I first give a recording of the word in both…
German In Horse Riding: Losgelassenheit Posted by Constanze on Mar 21, 2018
Hello and welcome to another post on untranslatable German words, in which I bring you the quirkiest, most unusual words the German language has to offer – ones which there are often not a direct translation for! Today we are discussing a German word used in English: die Losgelassenheit. What is die Losgelassenheit? Die Losgelassenheit…
Untranslatable German Words: Verschlimmbesserung Posted by Constanze on Oct 18, 2017
Guten Tag, and welcome to another ‘untranslatable words’ post! This is a series where we look at words unique to the German language, and try to find an equivalent English translation for them. So without further ado, today’s word is: die Verschlimmbesserung. What does die Verschlimmbesserung mean? Die Verschlimmbesserung describes an action that is supposed…