Ginger Biscuits and The Voice // Ingwer Kekse und The Voice
It’s Friday, which means … it’s Bilingual Post Challenge Day, a day in which I force myself to pen a few thoughts in English/write meaningless rubbish, and then translate it all into German. I wasn’t going to do it today, I was going to try and claim I had nothing to talk about (redundant, this entire exercise isn’t about that, nor, some may argue, is blogging) and slither into the weekend having failed at – for this week – my very own self-set challenge.
Then I got a grip and started thinking about things I could write about (deceptively difficult.)
Heute ist Freitag und, dass heißt … es ist Bilingual Post Challenge Tag. Heute muss ich ein paar Gedanken, kompletter Müll, auf Englisch schreiben und danach nach Deutsch übersetzen. Ich habe heute keine Lust, es zu machen. Ich wollte ‘ich habe garnichts, über das ich schreiben kann’ sagen (egal, darum geht es hier bei nicht … das Gleiche könnte man auch zum “blogging” sagen) und ins Wochenende schlittern, obwohl ich diese Woche bei meiner Aufgabe versagt hätte
Dann habe ich mich zusammengerissen und dachte über Dinge nach, über die ich schreiben könnte (überraschend schwierig).
Things like the stem ginger biscuits currently baking in the oven. SG’S Mum, having noted my fondness for ginger biscuits, sent packets of soft ginger ‘bonbons’ in the post – perfect for dicing and using to make biscuits of the type I can’t seem to find here (unless it’s England week at Lidl.)
Ich könnte über meine Ingwer Kekse, welche jetzt im Backoffen, schreiben. Die Mama von SG hat meine Liebe für Ingwer bemerkt und ein paar Pakete Ingwerbonbons mit der Post geschickt, diese sind perfekt um zerschnitten und als Zutat in Keksen hinzugefügt zu werden, weil ich diese Art Kekse nicht in Deutschland finden kann (es sei denn, es ist englische Woche bei Lidl).
Or, I thought, I could write about The Voice of Germany which is holding the nation (me and SG) in thrall. Samu. I mean, what a guy. What a cool, elfin, German-wrestling, deep-voiced dude. I’ve noticed that there are loads of Americans and a sprinkling of Scandinavians auditioning this year. I love it. I understand their German (the pace, word choice and syntax of second-language-speakers is always easier to understand, because it’s often to n’sync with my own). Also, the German support networks (families/friends) who wait in the corridor, lose their shit. Have a look around the 1.30 mark onwards. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again … Germans are unexpectedly excitable people.
Oder, dachte ich mir, ich könnte über The Voice of Germany – es hält das Land in Atem (ich und SG) – schreiben. Samu. Was für ein Typ. Was für ein cooler, elfischer, mit der deutschen Sprache ringender, tiefstimmiger Kerl. Ich habe etwas bemerkt – es gibt sehr viele amerikanische und ein paar skandinavische Teilnehmer dieses Jahr. Ich liebe es. Ich verstehe ihr Deutsch (das Tempo, Wortwahl und der Syntax sind oft wie mein Deutsch). Außerdem dreht die deutsche Unterstützung, (Familie/Freundin) welche in dem Korridor wartet, völlig durch. Guck ab 1.30. Ich habe es vorher gesagt und ich werde es noch mal sagen … Die Deutschen sind unerwartet erregbar Leute.
Then I got another grip and thought, it doesn’t matter what you write about today. As long as you write something, put it into German and spend the rest of the day feeling learned and smug about it, you’ve done your job.
Dann habe ich mich nochmal zusammengerissen und dachte … es ist egal, worüber ich heute schreibe. Solange ich etwas schreiben, es nach Deutsch übersetzte und den Rest des Tages damit verbringe, mich schlau und selbstgefällig zu fühlen habe ich meinen Job gemacht.
So I did.
Das habe ich gemacht.
Feeling smug.
Ich fühle mich selbsgefällig.
Oh and if you feel like some more German, check out this week’s Englisch Macht Spaß post on idioms. So much fun.
Wenn ihr mehr Deutsch möchtet, dann lest den Post von dieser Woche, English Macht Spaß , über Idioms. Sehr viel Spaß.
And here are the other Bilingual Challenge posts.
- Autumn // Herbst
- A Brother in Town // Ein Bruder in der Stadt
- Hibernation // Winterschlaf
- A Day in Cheb // Ein Tag in Eger
Have a lovely weekend.
Schönes Wochenende!
Emma
27 October, 2013 at 9:42 amI am jealous of both the ginger biscuits and your German ability! 😀
Liv
27 October, 2013 at 10:18 amYou wouldn’t be jealous of my German ability if you saw the post pre correction by SG. I write it, he sits down with me and points out aaallll my mistakes, we correct them and bäm, the beautiful post is published.
Despite the sadness of seeing how many mistakes I make, it’s very helpful. But I think writing a grammatically perfect post without the assistance of a native speaker by my side, is some time off!
charlotteotter
27 October, 2013 at 2:31 pmAnother TVOG fan putting her hand up here. Such a great programme – my Thursdays and Fridays are sorted for the next few weeks. And respect for posting in German – I have never had the guts.
Liv
27 October, 2013 at 4:26 pmI love it! Best way to spend both nights for the next little while. Oh thank you – it’s one way of holding myself accountable, a type of ‘homework’ if you will. But I get loads of help, trust me.
Alexander Foehl
28 October, 2013 at 9:21 amHi Liv,
it’s moday morning – it’s having some time to spare …
So, if you don’t mind reading this …
Just reading your blog, again.
And I’m just feeling to comment … as a “native german speaker”.
Before I start “giving out advice on “Formulierungen”” – deliberately on/in German – I just like to ad – I grew up in that region named “Hohenlohe” you covered in a previous series of posts.
Even played in a league of table tennis with the guys (at an teen age scale) in that little town of Kupferzell …
And still – even though I grew up in that region – even was born there.
I’m quite happy getting an escape “excuse” on the premise of my studies.
Now living in Munich.
But – back to some “Formulierungen” I felt the urge to comment …
“a day in which I force myself to pen a few thoughts in English/write meaningless rubbish”
I would recommend the “picture” (not totaly in context now but) “ich habe mich dazu gezwungen mir ein paar Gedanken/etwas aus den Fingern zu saugen”.
This “aus den Fingern saugen” is a phrase “just to have something/anything” – it is “just getting/having something to write about.”
You “made” it (up). It is there …
It is “something” that you can use, or even you are obliged to use. As you message.
Don’t tell it may be rubbish … 🙂
You MADE it – and therefore it HAS to be good.
“Cause I KNOW how to do that” …
Germans don’t start with the whit of “I don’t know if this is the right point to start” – even in a text, a statment – like the british/american/australians language do.
In German you HAVE to know the Point where to start. (Please think/read about this in/with a very strong german accent) 😉
“Ich habe heute keine Lust, es zu machen. Ich wollte ‘ich habe garnichts, über das ich schreiben kann’ sagen”
At that point – don’t share your “weakness” and skip that part of self-reflection until:
“Then I got a grip and started thinking about things I could write about”
There you go.
“deceptively difficult”
“Germans” – especially from the region some of your ancestors came from (the Kupferzell stuff) had to think about “how to get that done”.
And the language “reflects” that thinking.
So – my post is not (only) about “korrekte deutsche Grammatik” but about the mindset (without the quotes) that represents the area, the region you (and me) is currently “in”.
And that also means – cookies 🙂
“Ich könnte über meine Ingwer Kekse, welche jetzt im Backoffen, schreiben. ”
Feedback:
“Ich könnte über” – das ist britische/Australian Grammatik.
Your “storyline” is/goes from “what to write about” (and some “thinkings how to get to “that topic”) to – yeah – found one topic “ginger bread biscuits”.
Hm – to get an elaborate german sentence to reflect that kind of “influences” – it would be hard (even as a quite elquent native german speaker) to get “all the meanings” in the sentences.
Und ein “Deutscher, eine Deutsche würde auch noch ausführlicher über die Motivation schreiben WIESO sie/er das überhaupt macht”.
A thing – known to english speakers … but – as the english language allows (german analysis) the use of “then I got a grip” without explaning “what are you exactly talking about”.
That REALLY makes a difference.
And – in a drastic way:
“Ich könnte über meine Ingwer Kekse, welche jetzt im Backoffen, schreiben.”
“Könntest Du” – but I want the cookies.
Now!
Don’t talk about them – get them done.
And deliver.
Your sentence has the message in it – there are cookies in the oven.
English – “praise me, the cook for making them and putting them in the oven”.
German – yay, there are cookies in the oven – get me some when they are ready.
“Ergebnisorientiert” – Cookies/Lebkuchen.
But – always in mind:
“Unausgesprochen” – you should not talk about HOW the ginger buscuits are made.
German style:
Just KNOW how to “do” it:
Do not brag about it, know how to do AND – just DO it.
Or to say it in German grammar:
It is the result that counts … 🙂
Meet the expectation …
Liv
28 October, 2013 at 9:38 amWow, thank you Alexander, for such a detailed comment. Some helpful things in there, not only about grammar, but also about the German ‘mindset’. This German is a tricky beast … I think I’ll always be learning!
cassmob
28 October, 2013 at 11:52 pmKeep it up Liv…makes me reawaken my comatose German “skills”.
Liv
29 October, 2013 at 8:03 amWonderful, very glad to hear my ‘skills’ can help your ‘skills’! x