"Ick sprecken deutsch" or the ... interesting use of foreign languages in Grimm

[Klenotka]

I am actually pretty good with languages (no, I am not humble at all ) I started to learn Dutch a few months ago (but it is not enough to just learn so I can barely use it) and I am thinking about Russian or Spanish now.
For German, I found out that it is enough to stay in Germany for a few days and just listen. Like in FedCon. When I get to some presentation in German, it takes me a while but with time, I understand more and more I even dare to have longer conversations with people around me in queues (but mostly, I just nod and smile )

It is possible to learn language at any age if you have talent for it. I have a friend who is 35 and speaks about 5 languages, and started to learn japanese recently.
I think Nick could handle it. He is a smart guy

[Hyndara71]

Mh, could be with Czech ... also Russian or Polish. That would be pretty cool !
I have to say I don't understand those languages but I like to listen to ... well, at least Polish (one of my sisters in law is from Poland and both my parents came originally from there, as Germans after WWII).

About re-learning another language ... I have to say I only barely could write or read English seven years ago when I joined the (German) SG-fandom. But after I was chased away from the German part but didn't want give the show(s) up and wanted to talk about what I love I started really hard re-learning English. And I have to say, I think this time it was easier to learn as I did back in schooltimes because ... well, I already knew about some specials.
About my spelling ... depends on my personal mood. When I'm on the phone with friends from the US or Australia (yes, I have a friend there who's calling me from time to time - that's always a big deal for me ) with the time I lose my German accent (as they always tell me) and begin to talk more freely without too much thinking about the spelling. At FedCon I've learned that when I'm nervous I'm using such a typical German accent that others can only barely understand what I mean *iz still ashamed*. But I definetely need more speaking-practice, this way or another.

What I wanted to say is, if you really want to re-learn and need some help, I'm there. I've already some experience with teaching and exercising . Let me know

[Klenotka]

I think Nick needs to start learning German. Seriously. If he wants to study the books properly, he has to know the language in which they are written. Monroe won´t be always around.

As for German - I speak and understand it but it´s not as it used to be. I used to know more German than English at school and now I can barely ask for travel instructions

At least they haven´t tried Czech...yet (I am sure it will come up at some point). I am sure for most non-slavic people sound all the slavic languages as a weird noise and they can´t tell the difference so when I hear an attempt on TV (unless it is a real Czech speaking Czech like Zelenka on SGA), it is painful (however I understand it is difficult to learn how to pronounce it properly )

[Hyndara71]

Okay, new season and finally new German words. So, again, time for me to correct or, in this case, to explain:

Hank is called a "Kehrseite". Well, I'm really sorry for Hank in this case . A Kehrseite could mean two things:
1. (what I hope it means) Simply ... the back of something or someone. You have a frontside and a backside to everything, it's like (what a coincedence again) a coin.
2. (what I fear it means) An ... another kind of badass. A fool, idiot, or simply a bad person (Ein A...h). Someone mean. (very old-school here, I really had to dig deep to find out)

Monroe also explains, that Hank's not only a Kehrseite but also a "Schlichtkennen".
Well, Schlichtkennen as a word doesn't exist within the German language. But there are the two words "schlicht" and "kennen". Schlicht means simple pure and simple . Kennen means knowledge or knowing.
So ... that's why I fear it's the second explanation about Kehrseite because it's about this two words. Simple and knowledge together in one sentence usually means in German a mentally retarded person and also usually those two words together don't mean that in a friendly way.

I think the way it could be meant on Grimm to be a human WITH the knowledge about Wesen but WITHOUT getting really into it. Could explain the "simple", don't know.

[Hyndara71]

Maybe you should apply to be the one correcting the German on Grimm. I think they would need someone

You know what? I completely ignored that one word *shame on me!*. No, I don't think I should but I think someone should correct them sometimes, or give them advises about real existing words (Fuchsbau, Steinadler, Reinigen, etc.).

[Hyndara71]

I already have a Greencard for the US, you know? All I need right now is the money to move and start a new life there (btw, Portland looks more and more interesting to me ... so much about Iowa ...)

[mi_guard]

this!

it is worth a try

[Hyndara71]

maybe you should apply to be the one correcting the german on grimm. I think they would need someone

this!

[mi_guard]

Maybe you should apply to be the one correcting the German on Grimm. I think they would need someone

[Hyndara71]

Okay, I'm rewatching 1.18 right now - and stumbling again over what Sebastian Roche says - btw. he did a really great job speaking German!:

"Wenn Sie verstehen, was ich sage, dann lassen Sie mich mal wissen."

Not completely correct. Again one word on another place makes the correctness:

"Wenn Sie verstehen, was ich sage, dann lassen Sie mich das wissen." or "Wenn Sie verstehen, was ich sage, sollten Sie mich das wissen lassen."

Another example from 1.17:
"Ich warte auf ihn jetzt. Hier kommt er!"
Correct would be:
"Ich warte jetzt (better would be "gerade") auf ihn. Da kommt er (ja)!"

[Hyndara71]

Better never stop learning. There's so much to learn out there, it's such an amazing world

[mi_guard]

thanks for the feedback your comment made me check again and found that in fact in German there's the word Jager but it has nothing to do with a bear nor a hunter.

in fact Jager is the hybrid from a male jaguar and a female tiger - well THAT would have made a really interesting creature for Grimm

PS apparently in some German dialects they say Jager instead of Jäger (for hunter) one never stops learning

[Hyndara71]

I am just wondering how they will solve all these issues when the show will be aired in German - I am not looking forward to that

THIS I can only double!

Well, ahm ... Jager IS a word but it usually doesn't exist on its own but as part. It's a drink called "Jagertee" . But I think you are right about how they put this name together.

What me myself turned down a bit was when they began to use real names and subjects in season 1. As I'd written in my LJ, what would an US-American think about it when suddenly the bold eagle is turned into something like we'd seen in "Three Coins in a Fuchsbau" - or even Fuchsbau itself. It's the place where a fox is living not the fox himself.

[mi_guard]

Jagerbar - this is another strange word - it is composed of "Jager" and "Bar".

Well, 'Jager' does not exist in German, so they probably mean 'Jäger', i.e. 'hunter'. The word Bar does exist in German, but it means the same as in English, i.e. a bar where you can buy drinks. So also here the correct word would have been "Bär" (i.e. bear in English). So the correct name for this creature should have been: Jägerbär (i.e. something like hunter bear). But probably they either considered it too difficult to pronounce and preferred to adapt it, or worse, who is doing the researches for the German words is doing a bad job (or they really wanted to use Jägerbar, standing for a bar where hunters go for a drink after the hunt - but I do not think this is the case )

And then we come to the plural. They just put an s at the end (Jagerbars), but the correct plural for Bär would be Bären, which would make the correct plural: Jägerbären

I really like this show, but if anyone plans to learn German using Grimm, please forget it and take regular classes to do so

I am just wondering how they will solve all these issues when the show will be aired in German - I am not looking forward to that

[Hyndara71]

I do not know Mannheim so I cannot judge, but those kind of houses can be found all around the Black Forest, I think also in Rheinland-Pfalz and in France in the Alsace region, so I have no idea. I read somewhere that it might be Heidelberg, but I do not really think so. Do you recognize something indicating that it is at least in Germany?

Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's taken somewhere in Germany. My first thought was: "Frauenkirche?" (Munich) but the two buildings in front doesn't match. But definetely somewhere in southern Germany. I'm living in Northrhine-Westphalia in a pretty old town but the framework doesn't match - and that differs from region to region. But I doubt it's Heidelberg *shakes head*. It's years that I was there but again, framework doesn't match from what I have in mind.

EDIT: About the Lowen ... sorry, don't wanted to ignore that.
They pronounced the word completely wrong. I know English speakers always have problems with the German umlauts (funny dictionary!) but for Loewe it sounded like they said "Lohe". Lohe means a small fire, like a torch, not a lion. They were completely wrong in that way - anyway the episode was awesome!