3 ms·

Interesting. Can you give an example? I've never bothered to translate the German lyrics.

itronitron 6y ago
I'm guessing that, in the process of translating lyrics to another language, word choices are made based on a preference for keeping the original rhyming scheme and rhythm. Alternatively, it could just be a bias resulting from the listener's experience with each language.
- jacquesm 6y ago
  Very true in the case of Kraftwerk, what is interesting that they tried at all, probably simply to reach a larger audience commercially, German lyrics wouldn't go very far in the English speaking world. Even Nena translated 99 lufballons. English is much more compact, so there is quite a bit of filler words to match the music.
  - dvirsky 6y ago
    Part of it might just be due to not being native to English. Even if you're fluent, translating lyrics is super hard. I've seen many examples of great songs written in my native language (Hebrew) that just sounded so shallow and lowbrow when translated to English to appeal to a wider market.
jacquesm 6y ago
Compare Sie ist ein Model und sie sieht gut aus Ich nähm sie heut gerne mit zu mir nach Haus Sie wirkt so kühl, an sie kommt niemand ran Doch vor der Kamera da zeigt sie was sie kann Sie trinkt in Nachtclubs immer Sekt (Korrekt!) Und hat hier alle Männer abgecheckt Im Scheinwerferlicht ihr junges Lächeln strahlt Sie sieht gut aus und Schönheit wird bezahlt Sie stellt sich zur Schau für das Konsumprodukt Und wird von Millionen Augen angeguckt Ihr neues Titelbild ist einfach fabelhaft Ich muß sie wieder seh'n, ich weiß sie hat's geschafft vs She's a model and she's looking good I'd like to take her home that's understood She plays hard to get, she smiles from time to time It only takes a camera to change her mind She's going out tonight but drinking just champagne And she has been checking nearly all the men She's playing her game and you can hear them say She is looking good, for beauty we will pay She's posing for consumer products now and then For every camera she gives the best she can I saw her on the cover of a magazine Now, she's a big success, I want to meet her again -- The deeper layer of the lyrics is almost completely absent in the English version.
- CaciaraAsAServi 6y ago
  Heh, I remember learning some German just to understand their lyrics, some years ago. Funniest one I remember is, in Computerwelt, Flensburg und das BKA / Haben unsere Daten da... where BKA is the federal German police and Flensburg is the city where they held some data about people (or still do, I don't know).
  - LordHeini 6y ago
    The agency collecting points for bad driving is located in Flensburg. Having "Punkte in Flensburg" thus means one got caught driving too fast, under the influence or over a red light etc. If you collect too many points you lose your drivers license and have to do a test and psychological exam to get it back. This test usually called the "Idiotentest" because you drive like an idiot and you (deservedly) get treated like an idiot by the agency. The whole affair is really annoying, expensive and takes quite some time. If you fail the psychological exam (they find out you are an alcoholic for examle) you might never get the license back.
- Ididntdothis 6y ago
  I agree. The German lyrics are very skillful whereas the English version feels just flat. You see the same in movies when you watch the English version vs the dubbed German version. The English movie has a lot of depth that usually gets lost in the German version.

I'm guessing that, in the process of translating lyrics to another language, word choices are made based on a preference for keeping the original rhyming scheme and rhythm. Alternatively, it could just be a bias resulting from the listener's experience with each language.

jacquesm 6y ago
Very true in the case of Kraftwerk, what is interesting that they tried at all, probably simply to reach a larger audience commercially, German lyrics wouldn't go very far in the English speaking world. Even Nena translated 99 lufballons. English is much more compact, so there is quite a bit of filler words to match the music.
- dvirsky 6y ago
  Part of it might just be due to not being native to English. Even if you're fluent, translating lyrics is super hard. I've seen many examples of great songs written in my native language (Hebrew) that just sounded so shallow and lowbrow when translated to English to appeal to a wider market.

jacquesm 6y ago

Compare Sie ist ein Model und sie sieht gut aus Ich nähm sie heut gerne mit zu mir nach Haus Sie wirkt so kühl, an sie kommt niemand ran Doch vor der Kamera da zeigt sie was sie kann Sie trinkt in Nachtclubs immer Sekt (Korrekt!) Und hat hier alle Männer abgecheckt Im Scheinwerferlicht ihr junges Lächeln strahlt Sie sieht gut aus und Schönheit wird bezahlt Sie stellt sich zur Schau für das Konsumprodukt Und wird von Millionen Augen angeguckt Ihr neues Titelbild ist einfach fabelhaft Ich muß sie wieder seh'n, ich weiß sie hat's geschafft vs She's a model and she's looking good I'd like to take her home that's understood She plays hard to get, she smiles from time to time It only takes a camera to change her mind She's going out tonight but drinking just champagne And she has been checking nearly all the men She's playing her game and you can hear them say She is looking good, for beauty we will pay She's posing for consumer products now and then For every camera she gives the best she can I saw her on the cover of a magazine Now, she's a big success, I want to meet her again -- The deeper layer of the lyrics is almost completely absent in the English version.

CaciaraAsAServi 6y ago
Heh, I remember learning some German just to understand their lyrics, some years ago. Funniest one I remember is, in Computerwelt, Flensburg und das BKA / Haben unsere Daten da... where BKA is the federal German police and Flensburg is the city where they held some data about people (or still do, I don't know).
- LordHeini 6y ago
  The agency collecting points for bad driving is located in Flensburg. Having "Punkte in Flensburg" thus means one got caught driving too fast, under the influence or over a red light etc. If you collect too many points you lose your drivers license and have to do a test and psychological exam to get it back. This test usually called the "Idiotentest" because you drive like an idiot and you (deservedly) get treated like an idiot by the agency. The whole affair is really annoying, expensive and takes quite some time. If you fail the psychological exam (they find out you are an alcoholic for examle) you might never get the license back.
Ididntdothis 6y ago
I agree. The German lyrics are very skillful whereas the English version feels just flat. You see the same in movies when you watch the English version vs the dubbed German version. The English movie has a lot of depth that usually gets lost in the German version.