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There's an (apparently untranslatable) word in German for people who are only interested in amassing knowledge in their own domain and totally ignorant of anyth

by rob74 6y ago

There's an (apparently untranslatable) word in German for people who are only interested in amassing knowledge in their own domain and totally ignorant of anything else: "Fachidiot" (see also https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/327748/is-there-really-no-english-equivalent-to-germans-fachidiot https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/327748/is-there-...) - it's not really a flattering term. So, in my book, expanding your horizons is a good thing. Of course, Sherlock Holmes would disapprove (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3605300 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3605300).

RMPR 6y ago
Further in that thread https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3605851 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3605851
codetrotter 6y ago
It's translatable to Norwegian though. The Norwegian word for it is fagidiot. IPA: /faːɡ.i.di.uːt/ https://naob.no/ordbok/fagidiot https://naob.no/ordbok/fagidiot https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fagidiot#Norwegian_Bokmål https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fagidiot#Norwegian_Bokmål
newdude116 6y ago
Sorry could not resist: Kraftidioten https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2675914/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2675914/
- rob74 6y ago
  Fascinating... "Kraftidioten" could also be a German word, but with a different meaning. In Norwegian, the "kraft" ("powerful") refers to the idiocy, whereas in German it refers to the idiot. That's why the film was called "Einer nach dem anderen" in German - "Kraftidioten" wouldn't have gone down well with bodybuilders...
ctrlp 6y ago
In English was that person a 'Fachingidiot'.
- gibspaulding 6y ago
  This was my first thought as well. It looks like "Fach" translates to something like compartment, or subject, which I suppose makes sense in the context: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Fach#German https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Fach#German
rramadass 6y ago
>Of course, Sherlock Holmes would disapprove Ah, No! As a lifelong Sherlockian/Holmesian i cannot allow you to cast my hero in a unflattering light :-) That was Holmes being flippant. Over the timeline of the stories, it turns out that Holmes is actually very well and widely read and has a large personal library into which he often dips for some long forgotten fact which has suddenly become relevant to his current case.

by rob74 6y ago

RMPR 6y ago

Further in that thread https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3605851 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3605851

codetrotter 6y ago

It's translatable to Norwegian though. The Norwegian word for it is fagidiot. IPA: /faːɡ.i.di.uːt/ https://naob.no/ordbok/fagidiot https://naob.no/ordbok/fagidiot https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fagidiot#Norwegian_Bokmål https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fagidiot#Norwegian_Bokmål

newdude116 6y ago

Sorry could not resist: Kraftidioten https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2675914/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2675914/

rob74 6y ago
Fascinating... "Kraftidioten" could also be a German word, but with a different meaning. In Norwegian, the "kraft" ("powerful") refers to the idiocy, whereas in German it refers to the idiot. That's why the film was called "Einer nach dem anderen" in German - "Kraftidioten" wouldn't have gone down well with bodybuilders...

ctrlp 6y ago

In English was that person a 'Fachingidiot'.

gibspaulding 6y ago
This was my first thought as well. It looks like "Fach" translates to something like compartment, or subject, which I suppose makes sense in the context: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Fach#German https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Fach#German

rramadass 6y ago

>Of course, Sherlock Holmes would disapprove Ah, No! As a lifelong Sherlockian/Holmesian i cannot allow you to cast my hero in a unflattering light :-) That was Holmes being flippant. Over the timeline of the stories, it turns out that Holmes is actually very well and widely read and has a large personal library into which he often dips for some long forgotten fact which has suddenly become relevant to his current case.