{"id":8580,"date":"2017-07-28T20:17:59","date_gmt":"2017-07-28T20:17:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/?p=8580"},"modified":"2017-07-28T20:17:59","modified_gmt":"2017-07-28T20:17:59","slug":"untranslatable-german-words-klangwunder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/untranslatable-german-words-klangwunder\/","title":{"rendered":"Untranslatable German Words: Klangwunder"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the series of untranslatable German words, we tackle those words that just don’t have a direct English translation that makes sense. This week, we have a wonderful word, that encapsulates a lot:\u00a0Klangwunder.<\/em><\/p>\n

What is a Klangwunder<\/i>?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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The new concert hall Elbphilharmonie<\/em><\/a>\u00a0in Hamburg, hailed as a Klangwunder<\/em>. (Image by AxelHH at Commons.wikimedia.org under license CC BY 2.0)<\/p><\/div>\n

A\u00a0Klangwunder\u00a0<\/em>is a place or device that has miraculous acoustics. It puts you in awe and wonder how such good\u00a0Klang\u00a0<\/em>(sound) can be achieved. Not only places, such as the recently opened\u00a0<\/a>Elbphilharmonie\u00a0<\/em>in Hamburg, but also devices with really good sound are called\u00a0Klangwunder<\/em>. As you can imagine, a lot of advertisements for audio devices use the term!<\/p>\n

What does\u00a0Klangwunder\u00a0<\/em>mean?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Download\"<\/a>

Is this Lautsprecher<\/em> a Klangwunder<\/em>?<\/p><\/div>\n

Klang\u00a0<\/em>means “sound”, and\u00a0Wunder<\/em> means “miracle”, so literally, it is a “sound miracle”. But that sounds quite off in English, I think. You could perhaps be more descriptive to achieve the same kind of meaning.<\/p>\n

An English Alternative<\/strong><\/h2>\n

An often seen English translation is “sound sensation”, or it is used as adjective: “with sensational sound”. I would still prefer using “miracle” or “wondrous sound”, because that is part of the meaning. It is the wonder, the miracle of the device or the space that makes it a\u00a0Klangwunder<\/em>.<\/p>\n

I think it is important for the word to fully make sense to use descriptive words. So let’s see some!<\/p>\n

wundervoll\u00a0<\/em>– wonderful<\/p>\n

unbeschreiblich\u00a0<\/em>– indescribable<\/p>\n

ansprechend\u00a0<\/em>– appealing<\/p>\n

die Akustik\u00a0<\/em>– acoustics<\/p>\n

die D\u00e4mpfung\u00a0<\/em>– damping<\/p>\n

der Klang\u00a0<\/em>– sound<\/p>\n

die Tonh\u00f6hen\u00a0<\/em>– tone pitches<\/p>\n

die H\u00f6hen\u00a0<\/em>– treble<\/p>\n

die Tiefen\u00a0<\/em>– bass<\/p>\n

ausgepr\u00e4gt\u00a0<\/em>– distinct, pronounced<\/p>\n

ged\u00e4mpft\u00a0<\/em>– dampened, muffled<\/p>\n

klar\u00a0<\/em>– clear, crisp<\/p>\n

satt<\/em> – rich<\/p>\n

So something you could say is:<\/p>\n

Der Raum ist ein Klangwunder! Die Tiefen sind satt und die H\u00f6hen sehr klar. Pers\u00f6nlich finde ich die ausgepr\u00e4gten H\u00f6hen besonders ansprechend<\/em>. (The room is a sound sensation! The bass is rich and the treble is very clear. Personally, I find the pronounced treble very appealing.)<\/p>\n

How would you describe a\u00a0Klangwunder\u00a0<\/em>in English or in your own language? Do you have a word in your language that describes the same thing? Let me know in the comments below!<\/strong><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

In the series of untranslatable German words, we tackle those words that just don’t have a direct English translation that makes sense. This week, we have a wonderful word, that encapsulates a lot:\u00a0Klangwunder. What is a Klangwunder? A\u00a0Klangwunder\u00a0is a place or device that has miraculous acoustics. It puts you in awe and wonder how such…<\/p>\n

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