Tag: languages

allthingsgerman:

bisexualstruggles:

allthingsgerman:

https://twitter.com/Moami_/status/1060635732283457536

but dude is not “Junge”? the accurate translation for dude would be “Mann”, “Kumpel” or “Alter”

That very much depends on your personal vernacular/dialect. Google Translate or other dictionaries adhering to Standard German might say differently, but you, as someone who apparently spent a lot of time studying the intricacies of language and the art of translation, probably also know that a language Standard does not necessarily reflect the complex realities of language use in the population.

Also, it’s a joke.

Also: Junge. Chill.

Source: allthingsgerman

we have this fantastic expression in german and I don’t know where it comes from but basically instead of saying that you want a song that goes hard you can just say “the bass has to FUCK”

When they called Latin a dead language, it was possibly the single most influential mistake ever made in the history of translation. Because – dead? Oh no.

Those that speak it, those few in today’s fast and worried times that still listen to the old words, that can decipher sentences and myths, they know. They felt something dark and old seep into their bones.

Not dead. A beginner’s mistake, really. And isn’t undead, as it should have been called if everyone had done their job properly, just another word for immortal – no matter if it refers to paper or flesh?

Subtle differences are of great importance in every language. German, for example:

zieh dir was Warmes an – “put on something warm”. This person is looking out for you and wants you to be careful when it’s cold outside.
zieh dich warm an – “dress warmly”. This is a declaration of war. The person saying this is looking to make sure that your body will never be warm again. 

Do you have a favourite german idiom? (+ literal english translation maybe )

One? Just one? No, my friend. I cannot do that.

I can, however, do more than twenty, and I can do them in alphabetical order based on the most important keywords involved in them. Not all of them are idioms, some are just things people like to say in certain situations, but all of them are amazing or interesting in their own way. (t. =  literal translation, m. = meaning)

abwarten und Tee trinken – t. to wait and drink tea, m. just wait and see

Wo man singt, da lass dich nieder; böse Menschen haben keine Lieder. – t. Where there’s singing, settle down; bad people don’t have songs. m. this is not exactly a typical saying, but an old piece of wisdom my grandmother always quotes.

Ich bin fuchsteufelswild! – t. I am foxdevilwild!, m. I am so goddamn angry right now

Himmel und Hölle in Bewegung setzen – t. to move heaven and hell, m. German equivalent for “to move heaven and earth”, but more badass

das ist ein Katzensprung – t. that is a cat’s jump, m. something is just a tiny distance away, only as far as a cat can jump!

auf den Keks gehen – t. to walk on someone’s cookie, m. to annoy someone, but much sweeter (get it? Okay, sorry.)

da kannst du Gift drauf nehmen – t. you can take poison on that, m. you can bet your life on that, it will definitely happen (how morbid, I love it)

die Hoffnung stirbt zuletzt – t. (the) hope dies last

das Leben ist kein Ponyhof – t. life is no pony farm, m. life is tough and no fun, suck it up (a very German saying, also good for anyone that’s not into horses)

es ist noch kein Meister vom Himmel gefallen – t. a master has never fallen from the sky, m. to master something you need to practice 

hinterm Mond leben – t. to live behind the moon, m. to be away from reality, lost in dreams, or not up to date with trends

hier spielt die Musik – t. the music plays here, m. usually said to get someone’s attention when they are distracted, often sarcastic or annoyed (or is that just me…)

in einer Nacht-und-Nebel-Aktion – t. in a night-and-fog-action, m. doing something secretly, away from the public, hidden (oooh spooky!)

jetzt haben wir den Salat – t. now we have the salad, m. look at this disaster that we now have 

sich freuen wie ein Schneekönig/Honigkuchenpferd – t. to be happy like a snow king/honey cake horse, m. to be very very happy (isn’t this cute?)

nicht alle Tassen im Schrank haben – t. to not have all cups in the cupboard, m. that someone is crazy (obviously, with that many cups missing…)

das kommt mir spanisch vor – t. that seems Spanish to me, m. that something is suspicious or strange, because apparently emperor Karl V. once imported court etiquette from Spain that nobody understood and got confused by, amazing?

Was für ein Teufelskerl! – t. What a devil’s guy! m. a bit old-fashioned, but still cool; describes a really awesome, brave, or otherwise attention-pulling man

viel hilft viel – t. a lot helps a lot

den Wald vor lauter Bäumen nicht sehen – t. to not see the forest because of all the trees, m. being unable to see the big picture because of distracting details

mit allen Wassern gewaschen sein – t. to be washed with/in all waters, m. someone who knows every trick in the book, is mischievous

Zieh dich warm an! – t. Dress warmly!, m. this is a threat. no, seriously, means that someone should prepare because you’re gonna do something very unpleasant to them soon

es gibt kein schlechtes Wetter, nur falsche Kleidung – t. there is no bad weather, just wrong clothes, m. Germans are used to rain and it’s no reason to not do what you are supposed to be doing

Kommt Zeit, kommt Rat. – t. Comes time, comes advice. m. over time, a solution or advice will be found/appear

Those are all for now. Thank you for the ask, and let me know if you’d like more.

galatea-wannabe:

nolabird:

copperbadge:

dukeofbookingham:

hanadoodles:

a song called ‘disco inferno’ just came up on my dash and i automatically registered it as “i learn by means of hell” before i realised the title was actually english and not latin

“I learn by means of hell,” forthcoming rap album from Doctor Faustus

When we figured out that’s what Disco Inferno meant (we translated it as “I learn through suffering”), it became the motto of our Latin class at college, and the unofficial motto of my undergrad. 

@galatea-wannabe

The only way to learn is by hell

I follow you on twitter and from what I’ve seen you like Latin? And I just wonder why? My four years of Latin class were absolute hell but I love languages so maybe I’m too biased and I’m actually missing out on a cool language

Dear anonymous,

I do not like Latin. I adore Latin with the passion of Catullus’ poems and the same pathetic pining. 

Latin is not easy fall in love with, but when you learn to adore it, it brings you more than just one new world. 

I am not an expert in Latin considering the historical side, since my teacher that taught me from sixth until tenth grade did not touch ancient history much, while my teacher in eleventh and twelfth grade was a radical catholic priest that preferred to criticise Roman authors on our curriculum for their stories about orgies, openness about sexuality and general indulgence in life (honestly, we are talking about Latin. Come on. You really shouldn’t be surprised) and hated me for being the only atheist in class. So for any information on history, I’d recommend you one of the excellent ancient history blogs on this website. Also, look up Greek history as well because as far as I know, linguistic and cultural kleptomania of all things Greek was about as hip in ancient Rome as were ideas of conquering the entire world (and the word is Greek, too). 

That being said, English is also not my only language, so I had an idea about what more extended grammar was expecting me. And that was a blessing. Now, I’m not saying that English doesn’t have difficult grammar at times – I learned it as my second language, and the start is always rough. But let’s face it: English has one article (the), nouns barely change when put through different cases, the list of irregular verbs is short and even with an at times confusing syntax, tenses are built on a few existing verb forms, and your verbs only have two different suffixes to mark person and singular/plural (-s for he, she, it or none at all). English is also the mad scientist trying to attain immortality of languages because it has puzzled itself together from parts of other languages and a huge part of it (at least one leg, the jawline and probably the nose that it keeps putting into other languages’ businesses) is rooted in Latin.

Latin… has a different word ending for nouns in every different case. It has five cases compared to English’s four, and if you add in prepositions, the real fun starts. I can’t go into detail here because I’m here to convince you and not deter you from the language, but Latin means memorizing and sometimes more so than in English. Skipping the grammar or not learning all of it? Not an option. And let me tell you, I was a tutor for Latin for a little while, and nothing – no translation – will yield to you and open up under your fingers if you do not know your grammar. 

But here’s the thing, my friend.

Latin is not only beautiful and brutal with its ancient works going from light-hearted shenanigans to heartbreaking love to gods so grand and wars so terrible that we still shiver before them today.

Latin feels like home.

If you can read this post, then you know English. I don’t know what other languages you speak, dear anonymous. But our world is veined with Latin. It flows in our science, in art and literature and I cannot imagine an earth where Latin has never been because history, culture, nothing would be the same. Learning Latin is coming home because it’s always been around you, waiting for your call, for you to reach out for it, back in centuries and across time. 

They say Latin is dead. I say, you can’t kill something that’s immortal and has more than eighteen different words for “to kill”, but never bothered to create something that means “yes” or “no”. Latin is not one old god but many at once and nothing can kill an army of old gods.

And then, its literature and art, its entire heritage, is so varied.

Latin can be sophisticated. It can be scientific, poetic, funny, witty, short or long, and you can have it because it’s probably already in your life.

Not to mention how many other languages will whisper your name as soon as Latin walks by your side. Spanish, Italian, French, Romanian, Portuguese, and don’t get me started on all the loanwords in English, German, Dutch…

I can write about Latin for eternities, because I burn for this language more than I do for real people, but let me show you how much Latin you already know, and how lovely it is.

You know audax because you know what brave means. You know bellum because you too have waged war and been a rebel. Maybe you’re afraid of beasts, but you know that they are all only beastiae, only animals inside. You care, so the word carus comes to you as naturally as those dear to you do. You’re not always strong, but fortis waits for you in comfort and effort and fortitude, so choose what you need. With ignis, you become fire. With mors, you take death out of immortality. 

In conclusion: Learn Latin and be the the warrior of art, science, literature, culture, history and languages you want to be.

Don’t let them starve your curiosity. Ask your questions, and when they refuse you the answers, do one of two things: Demand or search. There are too many mysteries, too many hidden stories for you to close your mind and pretend you wouldn’t like to know what lies on the bottom of the ocean or why humans cry or how cats always land on their feet. How many languages did ever exist? What if the dinosaurs hadn’t died out? Can we ever protect one without hurting another? Ask.

Humanity never got anywhere without being a nuisance about things we don’t understand.