7 ms·
This article may be interesting as trivia, but the nuance of many of the words mentioned is so different from the literal translation that it doesn't make much
by jfries 7y ago
This article may be interesting as trivia, but the nuance of many of the words mentioned is so different from the literal translation that it doesn't make much sense.
- FabHK 7y agoI find the connotations captured reasonably well here: > ehrlich (“sincere”), aufrichtig (“straightforward”), rechtschaffen (“right-doing”), redlich (“true to one’s word”), anständig (“decorous”), brav (“well-behaved”), ehrenwert (“worthy of honor”), and bieder (“upright”). (which incidentally is at odds with the claim that German and English are fundamentally different there...)
- darklajid 7y agoI'd translate "rechtschaffen" as lawful ... because Lawful Good is officially Rechtschaffen Gut of course. (Sorry, this German is missing his Pathfinder group) On a more serious note: I assume you could pick different translations for most of these words and I'm not convinced that the article makes any sort of generally applicable point. What I do want to say is that the little exposure I had to the US culture ("How are you doiiiing? Are you alriiiight? That's SOOOOO nice!") is impossible to digest and feels .. fake. I also have to admit that - living in Asia for the last 2 years - my tone and direct (or is it blunt?) communication leads to misunderstandings sometimes.
- maxxxxx 7y agoI don’t agree with some : Rechtschaffen -> righteous Anständig -> decent Aufrichtig is not straightforward. Can’t think of a good word but “honest” is closer. But that’s just me. It shows that direct translation of words is risky and often impossible. There is way too much subtlety.