Author Peter Littger columns, books (“The Devil lies in the Detail writes as “denglischer Patient”,”) and lectures on the English of the Germans. His latest book is “Lost in Trainstation – we can understand that n is the only train station” at Kiepenheuer & Witsch published.
Twitter: @fluent English
Instagram: @denglish patient
“speak What is actually a language?” The should ask some of the visitors, in Germany, when you walk in our pedestrian zone of shops, such as the “Back Factory” over to the garbage cans in Berlin “Star Dreck”, to read, or buy toilet paper, the “Happy End”.
What, you wonder, is our idiosyncratic German-English gibberish, which you can admire in the Public. On streets and squares. Shops and products. And, not least, at airports and railway stations, the largest practice areas for our bilingual ambition.
sometimes there are breakdowns and bloopers, as the ends of a Baker was to “Squirrel” or the Uni-Klinik Göttingen “a good improvement” wishes. Sometimes there are deliberate Denglisch-jokes that could have come from Otto Waalkes. As the “envy Rider” with the Peugeot, and Sixt advertising.
It is striking that we communicate less and less, school book English, while we foreigners flawless knowledge of the language challenge. In the past few decades, a Sprachmix is created, you must already be understood as a very special form of expression of our culture. If you understand him at all.
As the name of a pub in Freiburg, “Come inn”, and several Barber shops are called in Germany “comb”. Since housing companies entice you with “fair rental”, and at the airport of Salzburg (Yes, the Austrians do) you will encounter “Einweisair” and “Sanitätair”.
DISPLAY Peter Littger:
Lost in Trainstation – we understand only railway station
English made in Germany – the picture book.
kiWi-paperback; 256 pages; 12,00 Euro
link to Amazon. In the case of Thalia order.
creativity and creative coma, genius, and mental confusion are close to each other. Thus, our publicly provided Denglisch is a confusing game of extra class. When ignorance is in the game and when negligence often remains uncertain. Fixed: Even our international businesses perpetuate themselves visible to everyone with weird English phrases like “Please go through” (Eurowings). “We separate for you” (Deutsche Bahn). “Call & Surf via Funk” (Deutsche Telekom).
After I’ve written columns and books about our idiosyncratic English, it is high time for a picture book.
Here are a few Highlights – click yourself through!
denglische confusion
Soak up some Engish
it Can happen. Then we learn ENGISH in Munich Cambridge Institute; not missing a e in the name of the Institution? (By Martin Karaffa @honourable_husband)
Fucking Hell
What is this light beer can be seen to it that it is named after the Austrian village of Fucking? The entrance signs will disappear by the way, on a regular basis. The fuck Inger always say: “Oh, the Americans!” I would rather guess the English.
Happy End
this idea must come first: The people a happy end for the bowel movements promote! This four-layer jargon there is in the case of the German supermarket chain of the same name: “Penny”.
Pizza Hut
now What: hat or hut? The Bahsine classic German-English confusion of tongues – and long since old hat. Or what is the red thing on each “Pizza Hut” branch? I kept it long for a slouch hat, until I explained that it is meant to represent a hut. English: “a hat”. With a roof that happens to be shaped like a hat! So a double meaning, which only we can understand – although I should have asked also, as an American a long time ago, whether the Pizza shops, and should not be in a better “hot Pizza”.
Personnel Input
The Translator must remain on the outside – at least if he was an employee of the University of Greifswald. The linguistic ignorance has attracted a host of critics. The sign has now been replaced.
Did you push the “load Passenger” button?
you have to understand every sign that you pass in life? No! Nevertheless, I will try to be at the airport in Munich, the last on the plane.
Come inn
A Bar in Freiburg, Germany…
…and a hairdresser somewhere. Meaning: We are incredibly creative, incredibly versatile, and incredibly unpredictable, with a German-English word game.
world Cup Life
Like the Vehler!
Take bio go lucky
A sustainable example for German-English and English-go-lucky Marketing.
Bio Company
a small example of English changed as all the time. Because “organic” would have to be exactly translated with “organic”. But the British or Americans living in Germany say at some point, even “organic”.
Emergency Stop
My home is not a favorite among the sorts of misunderstandings – unless and until the circular saw. At the end of several of my colleagues were parts, was due to the fact that none of them spoke English…
it can be Seen from Olaf Selke
Closing down
Actually, the mountain railway to the castle Hohenwerfen in Salzburg in the evening to seven in just the working day finish. But for English-speaking guests, she regularly goes into bankruptcy.
nametag return
A word that makes the eyes flicker. And a typical example for the unsuspecting screw Together the German and English words. With the good old name-day, it has to do anything to. After a conference of the German-American chamber of Commerce in Munich, you should be “name badge” – the name of the day! The Reason For This? Probably Nametag Recycling.
We wish you a good improvement
Who is hoping for from the hospital stay a little bit more than just healthy, should visit the University clinic in Göttingen. There, the official English-language Recovery of the desired meaning reads as: “We wish you a greater performance!”
Seen by Vassilios Theodossiou.
squirrel – Squirrel
The bakers to bake their own English (Bakery Factory etc.). This is, however, exceptionally – if the bakery didn’t cover in Saxony actually squirrel references.
Startup for the day
Berlin, a city of Startups! Some turn out to be a bad investment. As is the case here. Purely linguistically speaking. “Start” would be enough
Wirbliche bath
translation span, conversely, to find the border to the Czech Republic. As the operator of this establishment, I would not have hanged me as a puzzle on the wall, but rather just for the hot tub advertised.
