Die Novaks aus Prag

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I can’t find time to write about legal translation so instead I offer a song: Die Novaks aus Prag, by Hermann Leopoldi. I find the melody hard to hit right in the shower.

Sie kennen die Novaks, die Novaks aus Prag
Sie haben sie sicher gekannt.
Ein Gansl bei Novaks am Sonntag in Prag
berühmt war im böhmischen Land.

Gewohnt haben die Novaks am Altstädter Ring.
Ihre Wohnung war stets aufgeräumt.
Der einzige Fehler, den Novaks gehabt,
sie waren so schrecklich verträumt.

Es träumte der Leo von Montevideo,
von Damen, die flüstern: “Senore,
die Nacht ist gemacht für Amore”.
Die Tante, die Anna, die träumt’ von Havanna
die Sehnsucht von Arthur, dem Jüngsten,
war ein Stierkampf in Lisbon zu Pfingsten.

Die Köchin Marianka träumt’ von Casablanca,
die Tochter, die Mali, träumt’ von Tänzen in Bali,
von Shanghai und Bombay,
ach, schön ist die Welt!
Die Novaks, die träumen
in den eigenen Räumen
von einer Sehnsucht
der herrlichen Welt.

Der Fußtritt der Zeit hat die Novaks gekickt,
sie wurden aus Träumen geweckt.
Den böhmischen Löwen, den hat man verkauft,
die Gansln, die haben sich versteckt.
Marschierende Schritte, ein Führer, ein Volk,
da hat man im Schnellzug gesehen,
die Wrbas, die Krejcis, die Bilys, die Krcs,
doch was ist mit Novaks geschehen?

Es sitzt jetzt der Leo in Montevideo,
er denkt nicht mehr an die Senoras,
er hat jetzt ganz andere Zoras.
Die Tante, die Anna, die sitzt in Havanna,
und wartet auf Arthur, den jüngsten,
denn der Dampfer von Lisbon kommt Pfingsten.

Die Köchin Marianka sitzt in Casablanca,
die Tochter, die Mali, hat kein Visum von Bali
nach Shanghai und Bombay.
Und lang wird der Tag,
die Novaks, die träumen,
in gemieteten Räumen
von einem Ort nur,
sie träumen von Prag.

There’s a bit in the middle reminiscent of Kreisler’s Telefonbuchpolka (lyrics):

Vondrak, Vortel, Viplaschil
Voytech, Vozzek, Vimladil
Viora, Vrabel, Vrtilek
Viglasch, Vrazzeck, Vichnalek
Vregga, Vrba, Vikodill
Vrablic, Vutzemm, Viskocil
Vochedecka, Vuggelic
Vrtatko, Vukasinowitc
Vorrak, Vondru, Vorlicek
Voralek, Vosmik, Vorlik, Vrba, Vrtl
Vodrupa, Vozenilek
Vrinis, Vostarek
Vrtala und Viplacil
Vrzala und Vistlacil
Vouk, Vudipka, Vicesal
Vrazdil, Vrana, Vimmedall
Vrbizki, Vrbezki, Vranek.

Plums, damsons, Zwetschgen and peaches

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I know fruit and vegetable terminology is really confusing. We have a Polyglot Vegetarian, but where is the polyglot fruitarian?

For years I have known that Zwetschge is difficult to translate into English. The standard exemplar is sweet and can be eaten raw. It is commonly translated as damson because of its small size. But a damson is small and sour, and makes good jam. I suppose the best English translation is zwetsche (the G got lost, but it just indicates a diminutive). One also encounters damson plum, but I don’t know if that helps. And some people even throw the term prune into the mix.

But it seems I failed to define Zwetschge properly. I was thinking of taking some back to England for the neighbours, but I gradually realized that what I was seeing in the market as Zwetschgen were what I would call plums.

Yesterday at the market, at an organic veg stall with two types of Zwetschge, I was told that in everyday German, Pflaumen are round and Zwetschgen are oval!

Now I know that Californian plums are round, but Victoria plums are longish. But this is rubbish.

So no Zwetschgen for my neighbours in England. They would wonder why I was bringing plums all that way.

To be fair, I was told there are masses of different Zwetschgen.

Curiously, the Wikipedia entry for Pflaume does not link to plum, but to Prunus domestica. Perhaps that’s why Frau Albrecht was selling both Zwetschgen and Hauszwetschgen.

P. domestica ssp. domestica – common plums, zwetschge (including ssp. oeconomica)
P. domestica ssp. insititia – damsons and bullaces, krieche, kroosjes, perdrigon and other European varieties
P. domestica ssp. intermedia – egg plums (including Victoria plum)
P. domestica ssp. italica – gages (greengages, round plums etc.; including sspp. claudiana and rotunda)
P. domestica ssp. pomariorum – spilling
P. domestica ssp. prisca – zibarte
P. domestica ssp. syriaca – mirabelle plums

Zwetschge (Prunus domestica subsp. domestica)
Kriechen-Pflaume oder Hafer-Pflaume (Prunus domestica subsp. insititia)
Halbzwetsche (Prunus domestica subsp. intermedia)
Edel-Pflaume (Prunus domestica subsp. italica)
Spilling (Prunus domestica subsp. pomariorum)
Ziparte (Prunus domestica subsp. prisca)
Mirabelle (Prunus domestica subsp. syriaca)

In other news, I encountered the Roter Weinbergpfirsich.

It was sold as a Blutpfirsich.

Up to then I thought Weinbergpfirsich (vineyard peach) just referred to those flat peaches that have become so fashionable (Plattpfirsiche). But I was told that was not so – the term properly (if such a thing exists in fruit terminology) refers to old garden peaches that have furry skins and don’t keep well. I got some yellow ones too, but I have now eaten them, and I’ve converted the red ones into compote.

Cat-ladder in prison/JVA Aichach Katzenleiter

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Many years ago I found this story, I think in Stern, about men prisoners feeding cats in the Aichach prison:

Fortunately I have found my old copy and sent it to Jimmy’s Catladder blog.

I can’t find anything about it now. Possibly the ladders have gone. I think the big windows at the ends of blocks are the kitchens where the prisoners can make themselves food in their break times and presumably fed cats too. It’s mainly a women’s prison, but I think it was in the men’s section that the cats were.

The ‘Impressum’ in the UK

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We translators spend a long time arguing about the (mis)translation of the German word Impressum into English.

In this connection it’s sometimes suggested that the duty to have such a notice of contact details for legal purposes is a German peculiarity. It fits so well into the image of German bureaucracy. But not at all – it’s an EU requirement, and has been implemented in the UK too.

There’s a post (in German) on the terrors of the UK equivalent today by Max-Lion Keller in it-recht kanzlei.

This is about online shops, so I don’t think translators have to have it. Nor do German online businesses, unless they have a branch in the UK – then they can use their friendly German Impressum.

But if they do have a UK branch, they are subject to The Electronic Commerce (EC Directive) Regulations 2002. Here you go:

General information to be provided by a person providing an information society service
6.—(1) A person providing an information society service shall make available to the recipient of the service and any relevant enforcement authority, in a form and manner which is easily, directly and permanently accessible, the following information—

(a) the name of the service provider;

(b) the geographic address at which the service provider is established;

(c) the details of the service provider, including his electronic mail address, which make it possible to contact him rapidly and communicate with him in a direct and effective manner;

(d) where the service provider is registered in a trade or similar register available to the public, details of the register in which the service provider is entered and his registration number, or equivalent means of identification in that register;

(e) where the provision of the service is subject to an authorisation scheme, the particulars of the relevant supervisory authority;

(f) where the service provider exercises a regulated profession—

(i) the details of any professional body or similar institution with which the service provider is registered;

(ii) his professional title and the member State where that title has been granted;

(iii) a reference to the professional rules applicable to the service provider in the member State of establishment and the means to access them; and

(g) where the service provider undertakes an activity that is subject to value added tax, the identification number referred to in Article 22(1) of the sixth Council Directive 77/388/EEC of 17 May 1977 on the harmonisation of the laws of the member States relating to turnover taxes—Common system of value added tax: uniform basis of assessment(1).

(2) Where a person providing an information society service refers to prices, these shall be indicated clearly and unambiguously and, in particular, shall indicate whether they are inclusive of tax and delivery costs.

It’s pretty draconian. Of course, we do not find any term there equivalent to Impressum.

Pinsent Masons have a guide here.

Tage wie diese

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It was amusing to see the CDU in Berlin dancing to An Tagen wie Diesem (sp?) by the Tote(n) Hosen (that was difficult to spell in an English sentence). Watch them here, led by Volker Kauder.
Here’s the song plus translation.

The band distanced itself from the use of its songs in political campaigns (strafakte.de).

Die Toten Hosen distanzierten sich durch Erklärung schon im Wahlkampf von der Verwendung ihrer Musik durch die Parteien zu Wahlkampfzwecken, stellen aber wohl rechtlich richtig fest:

In letzter Zeit sind wir mehrmals darauf aufmerksam gemacht worden, dass unser Lied „Tage wie diese“ immer wieder auf verschiedenen Wahlkampfveranstaltungen eingesetzt wird, vor allen Dingen bei CDU und SPD. Die Rechtslage ist leider so, dass wir dagegen nichts tun können.

Is this a violation of the rights of personality of Die Toten Hosen?

(via Strafrecht Itzehoe)