Taking the underground to Nuremberg airport (I had to rebook to England three times), I was surprised to hear the voice saying ‘Next train to Airport’ – that is, the tube station Flughafen is translated into English. At the station itself, both versions appear on the wall.
Now here is the Hamburg Railway system with all the station names in English:
(via Christiane Bergfeld’s weblog Übersetzen und Literatur, doch nicht nur)
I remember when I studied German in London that we translated some of the London underground names into German. A fuller version is available at Vienna University:
London Underground map in German
Heathrow comes out as Heidenreihe, Hounslow as Hundslangsam and Ealing Common as Gemeinsames Aalen.
What’s *Wandsworth Common* in the London map then? I couldn’t figure out why *Wandsbek* was rendered as “Border Beck* in the HVV diagram. Possibly *Wand* was read as *Rand*? Or is that too far-fetched? Germans are tickled pink by the translation of Poppenb
Wandsworth Common is a railway station, not Underground, I think. I used to live in Clapham Common and I don’t remember a tube station there.
There are certainly some dubious bits on the London translation.
Hi Margaret
Yes, the same happens on the S-Bahn in Stuttgart as you approach the airport. Folks start sniggering when they hear an obviously German voice announcing “Next stop for airport” – mindless – why don’t they just say “Flughafen”? Beats me…
PS: I’m in England now at my sister’s place in Bristol
Paul
Hi Paul. You are well placed to follow murder investigations then. I am currently, but not much longer, in Donzdorf, where it is very snowy, although not as cold as in F