Englisch für Deutsche

von Michael Bach

Englisch->Deutsch Deutsch->Englisch Gedicht “THE CHAOS” (English is tough stuff)

Englisch ist meine Lieblingsfremdsprache (was daran liegen mag, dass es die einzige Fremdsprache ist, die ich einigermaßen beherrsche ;-)). Ich hänge aber auch an der deutschen Sprache. Drum tut es mir gereadezu weh, wenn Ausdrücke unbedacht von der einen in die andere Sprache übernommen werden. Hier eine kleine Sammlung aus der “Wissenschaftssprache”. Für Korrekturen allfälliger Fehler bin ich sehr dankbar. Im übrigen möge man meine Vorschläge nicht bierernst nehmen. Kürzlich fand ich den Zwiebelfisch mit guten Anregungen. Die Stiftung Deutsche Sprache bietet neuerdings sogar eine “Sprachberatung” an.

Für englische Veröffentlichungen empfehle ich das “Manual of style”, American Medical Association, Williams & Wilkins 1989. Zum Überdenken des deutschen Stils empfehle ich die herrlichen Bücher von Wolf Schneider, z.B. “Deutsch für's Leben”, Rowohlt 1995). Wichtiges findet sich auch bei Common Errors in English oder Better Writing.

Übrigens haben auch die Engländer Sorge um ihre Sprache, siehe z.B. Society for the Preservation of English Language and Literature (SPELL) oder World Wide Words.

Englisch -> Deutsch
Englisch	Falsch	Richtig	Beispiel, Kommentar
administration	Administration	Regierung, auch: Verwaltung
blink	Blink	Lidschlag, blinken, blinzeln	• We’ll signal by blinking the headlights • Tünnes: “Schau 'mal, ob der Blinker geht.” Scheel: “Geht, geht nicht, geht, geht nicht...”
clinic	Klinik	Ambulanz, Labor	auf so vielen WWW-Seiten falsch, dass es inzwischen sogar die Engländer verstehen
control-	Kontroll-	Steuer- auch: kontrollieren, Macht ausüben	unglückliche Formulierung: “Der Pilot saß an den Kontrollen...”
crosstalk	Crosstalk	Übersprechen
corrupt	(korrupt)	beschädigt etc. auch: korrupt	doppelt unglückliche Formulierung: “Die finalen Files sind korrupt”
domain	Domäne	Bereich Domäne im Sinne von Herrschaftsgebiet, Landbesitz	“dank” Microsoft für immer zementiert. Beispiel für richtige Anwendung: “domain is a territory over which dominion is exercised”
fatal	fatal	letal, fatalistisch, schicksalhaft	to accept his word was a fatal mistake
festschrift	Festschrift	(akademische) Feier	dies ist ein ganz süßes Beispiel für einen Bedeutungswandel
celebration brochure		Festschrift	dies ist ein ganz süßes Beispiel für einen Bedeutungswandel
fibre optics	Fieberoptik	Faseroptik
file	File	Datei, Akte
flicker	Flicker	Flimmern
flow	Flow	Fluss, fließen	richtig: axoplasmatischer Fluss
frequency	(Frequenz)	Häufigkeit, aber auch Frequenz im Sinne von periodischer Wiederkehr	periodische Ereignisse: Frequenz, sonst Häufigkeit
history	Historie	(Vor) Geschichte, Historie im Sinne von Werdegang	history of changes → Protokoll
holiday	(Ferien)	Meist: Feiertag, je nach Kontext auch “Urlaub, Ferien”	holiday camp, holiday maker
home page	Homepage	Startseite	nach Handy eine neue richtig schön missverständliche Fehlübersetzung, siehe auch die Gegenrichtung unten. Das neudeutsche ‘Homepage’ meint ja den gesamten Internetauftritt, die richtige Übersetzung davon wäre ‘site’
illusion	Illusion	Täuschung	optische Täuschungen
implant	Implant	Implantat	Netzhautimplantat, Cochlea-Implantat
line, credit line, line of credit	Kreditlinie	Kreditlimit=Line of Credit häufiger: Ableitung, Herkunftslinie	Achtung: 2 ganz verschiedene Bedeutungen, einmal ‘Kredit’ im finanziellen Sinn, dann im Sinn von Zuweisung des copyrights
line, lines on monitor	Linien auf dem Monitor	Zeilen auf dem Monitor	Linie ist nicht dasselbe wie Zeile
matched (PPP von match)	Matched	angepasst	altersangepasste Kontrollgruppe
optic nerve	optischer Nerv	Nervus opticus
philosophy	Philosophie	Vorstellung, Plan, selten Philosophie auch:Philosophie im Sinne von Grundüber-zeugung	unglückliche Formulierung: “unsere Firmenphilosophie ist es, ...”
probe	Probe	Sonde
rule of thumb	Daumenregel	Faustregel	(vgl. “Einen Punkt machen”)
standing ovations	Stehende Ovationen	Dauerapplaus, anhaltender Beifall	‘standing’ nicht im Sinne von ‘stehen’, sondern von ‘andauernd’. Dachte ich, jedoch (Oxford English Dictionary): “standing ovation: a rousing ovation conferred by an audience standing as a mark of enthusiastic approval, esp. after a speech.”
technique	Technik	Methode
technology	Technologie	Technik, Technik; auch: ‘Technologie’ im Sinne von Technologievorsprung	a competitive edge on technology, advanced technology, engineering technology, a car’s fuel-saving technology
to amplify	amplifizieren	verstärken, vervielfachen
to detect	detektieren	erkennen, feststellen, entdecken
to flicker	flickern	flimmern oder flackern
to jog	joggen	trotten, schlendern
to scroll	scrollen	rollen, als Nomen Rolle, Schriftrolle
under construction	unter Konstruktion	im Bau	(!)
Strittiges
lesion	Läsion	Schaden, Verletzung
to train	trainieren	dressieren, ausbilden	z.B. neuronale Netze
Ergänzungen von Erhard Bruy, Januar 1998
once more	einmal mehr	wieder einmal
it makes sense	es macht Sinn	es ist verständlich
it makes no difference	es macht keinen Unterschied	es ist kein Unterschied
in 1997	in 1997	1997
a paper	ein Papier	Veröffentlichung, Artikel

Deutsch → Englisch
Deutsch	wrong	right
Dauerlaufen = 'Joggen'	to jogg	to run
Informationen	informations	information
Klinikum	Clinics oder University Hospital	Medical school
Universitäts-Augenklinik	University eye clinic	Ophthalmic department
Taschenlampe	pocketlight	flashlight, torch
Handy	handy	mobile (phone), cell (phone)
Homepage (neu & eh falsch, siehe oben)	home page	site
aktuell	actual	current

Zeichensetzung
Die Zeichensetzung unterscheidet sich auch zwischen den beiden Sprachen. Für Kommata gilt die Faustregel: Im Englischen mehr Kommas als im Deutschen. Das Umgekehrte gilt für Bindestriche: Im Englischen fast nie, im Deutschen sehr häufig.
Englisch	Deutsch	Beispiel, Kommentar
E=mc² (Einstein, 1923)	E=mc² (Einstein 1923)
EEG amplitude	EEG-Amplitude

Zur Versöhnung noch ein kleines Gedicht zum Üben der Aussprache:

“THE CHAOS” (English is tough stuff)
Dearest creature in creation, Study English pronunciation. I will teach you in my verse Sounds like corpse, corps, horse, and worse. I will keep you, Suzy, busy, Make your head with heat grow dizzy. Tear in eye, your dress will tear. So shall I! Oh hear my prayer. Just compare heart, beard, and heard, Dies and diet, lord and word, Sword and sward, retain and Britain. (Mind the latter, how it's written.) Now I surely will not plague you With such words as plaque and ague. But be careful how you speak: Say break and steak, but bleak and streak; Cloven, oven, how and low, Script, receipt, show, poem, and toe. Hear me say, devoid of trickery, Daughter, laughter, and Terpsichore, Typhoid, measles, topsails, aisles, Exiles, similes, and reviles; Scholar, vicar, and cigar, Solar, mica, war and far; One, anemone, Balmoral, Kitchen, lichen, laundry, laurel; Gertrude, German, wind and mind, Scene, Melpomene, mankind. Billet does not rhyme with ballet, Bouquet, wallet, mallet, chalet. Blood and flood are not like food, Nor is mould like should and would. Viscous, viscount, load and broad, Toward, to forward, to reward. And your pronunciation's OK When you correctly say croquet, Rounded, wounded, grieve and sieve, Friend and fiend, alive and live. Ivy, privy, famous; clamour And enamour rhyme with hammer. River, rival, tomb, bomb, comb, Doll and roll and some and home. Stranger does not rhyme with anger, Neither does devour with clangour. Souls but foul, haunt but aunt, Font, front, wont, want, grand, and grant, Shoes, goes, does. Now first say finger, And then singer, ginger, linger, Real, zeal, mauve, gauze, gouge and gauge, Marriage, foliage, mirage, and age. Query does not rhyme with very, Nor does fury sound like bury. Dost, lost, post and doth, cloth, loth. Job, nob, bosom, transom, oath. Though the differences seem little, We say actual but victual.	Refer does not rhyme with deafer. Feoffer does, and zephyr, heifer. Mint, pint, senate and sedate; Dull, bull, and George ate late. Scenic, Arabic, Pacific, Science, conscience, scientific. Liberty, library, heave and heaven, Rachel, ache, moustache, eleven. We say hallowed, but allowed, People, leopard, towed, but vowed. Mark the differences, moreover, Between mover, cover, clover; Leeches, breeches, wise, precise, Chalice, but police and lice; Camel, constable, unstable, Principle, disciple, label. Petal, panel, and canal, Wait, surprise, plait, promise, pal. Worm and storm, chaise, chaos, chair, Senator, spectator, mayor. Tour, but our and succour, four. Gas, alas, and Arkansas. Sea, idea, Korea, area, Psalm, Maria, but malaria. Youth, south, southern, cleanse and clean. Doctrine, turpentine, marine. Compare alien with Italian, Dandelion and battalion. Sally with ally, yea, ye, Eye, I, ay, aye, whey, and key. Say aver, but ever, fever, Neither, leisure, skein, deceiver. Heron, granary, canary. Crevice and device and aerie. Face, but preface, not efface. Phlegm, phlegmatic, ass, glass, bass. Large, but target, gin, give, verging, Ought, out, joust and scour, scourging. Ear, but earn and wear and tear Do not rhyme with here but ere. Seven is right, but so is even, Hyphen, roughen, nephew Stephen, Monkey, donkey, Turk and jerk, Ask, grasp, wasp, and cork and work. Pronunciation - think of Psyche! Is a paling stout and spikey? Won't it make you lose your wits, Writing groats and saying grits? It's a dark abyss or tunnel: Strewn with stones, stowed, solace, gunwale, Islington and Isle of Wight, Housewife, verdict and indict. Finally, which rhymes with enough - Though, through, plough, or dough, or cough? Hiccough has the sound of cup. My advice is to give up!!!
Author: Dr. Gerard Nolst Trenité, a.k.a. ‘Charivarius’ (1870 – 1946). Dieses Gedicht erschien in “Drop Your Foreign Accent – Engelse Uitspraakoefeningen” von G. Nolst Trenité (5th rev. ed., H. D. Tjeenk Willink & Zoon 1929). Some background.

“THE CHAOS” (English is tough stuff)

Dearest creature in creation,
Study English pronunciation.
I will teach you in my verse
Sounds like corpse, corps, horse, and worse.
I will keep you, Suzy, busy,
Make your head with heat grow dizzy.
Tear in eye, your dress will tear.
So shall I! Oh hear my prayer.

Just compare heart, beard, and heard,
Dies and diet, lord and word,
Sword and sward, retain and Britain.
(Mind the latter, how it's written.)
Now I surely will not plague you
With such words as plaque and ague.
But be careful how you speak:
Say break and steak, but bleak and streak;
Cloven, oven, how and low,
Script, receipt, show, poem, and toe.

Hear me say, devoid of trickery,
Daughter, laughter, and Terpsichore,
Typhoid, measles, topsails, aisles,
Exiles, similes, and reviles;
Scholar, vicar, and cigar,
Solar, mica, war and far;
One, anemone, Balmoral,
Kitchen, lichen, laundry, laurel;
Gertrude, German, wind and mind,
Scene, Melpomene, mankind.

Billet does not rhyme with ballet,
Bouquet, wallet, mallet, chalet.
Blood and flood are not like food,
Nor is mould like should and would.
Viscous, viscount, load and broad,
Toward, to forward, to reward.
And your pronunciation's OK
When you correctly say croquet,
Rounded, wounded, grieve and sieve,
Friend and fiend, alive and live.

Ivy, privy, famous; clamour
And enamour rhyme with hammer.
River, rival, tomb, bomb, comb,
Doll and roll and some and home.
Stranger does not rhyme with anger,
Neither does devour with clangour.
Souls but foul, haunt but aunt,
Font, front, wont, want, grand, and grant,
Shoes, goes, does. Now first say finger,
And then singer, ginger, linger,
Real, zeal, mauve, gauze, gouge and gauge,
Marriage, foliage, mirage, and age.

Query does not rhyme with very,
Nor does fury sound like bury.
Dost, lost, post and doth, cloth, loth.
Job, nob, bosom, transom, oath.
Though the differences seem little,
We say actual but victual.

Refer does not rhyme with deafer.
Feoffer does, and zephyr, heifer.
Mint, pint, senate and sedate;
Dull, bull, and George ate late.
Scenic, Arabic, Pacific,
Science, conscience, scientific.

Liberty, library, heave and heaven,
Rachel, ache, moustache, eleven.
We say hallowed, but allowed,
People, leopard, towed, but vowed.
Mark the differences, moreover,
Between mover, cover, clover;
Leeches, breeches, wise, precise,
Chalice, but police and lice;
Camel, constable, unstable,
Principle, disciple, label.

Petal, panel, and canal,
Wait, surprise, plait, promise, pal.
Worm and storm, chaise, chaos, chair,
Senator, spectator, mayor.
Tour, but our and succour, four.
Gas, alas, and Arkansas.
Sea, idea, Korea, area,
Psalm, Maria, but malaria.
Youth, south, southern, cleanse and clean.
Doctrine, turpentine, marine.

Compare alien with Italian,
Dandelion and battalion.
Sally with ally, yea, ye,
Eye, I, ay, aye, whey, and key.
Say aver, but ever, fever,
Neither, leisure, skein, deceiver.
Heron, granary, canary.
Crevice and device and aerie.

Face, but preface, not efface.
Phlegm, phlegmatic, ass, glass, bass.
Large, but target, gin, give, verging,
Ought, out, joust and scour, scourging.
Ear, but earn and wear and tear
Do not rhyme with here but ere.
Seven is right, but so is even,
Hyphen, roughen, nephew Stephen,
Monkey, donkey, Turk and jerk,
Ask, grasp, wasp, and cork and work.

Pronunciation - think of Psyche!
Is a paling stout and spikey?
Won't it make you lose your wits,
Writing groats and saying grits?
It's a dark abyss or tunnel:
Strewn with stones, stowed, solace, gunwale,
Islington and Isle of Wight,
Housewife, verdict and indict.

Finally, which rhymes with enough -
Though, through, plough, or dough, or cough?
Hiccough has the sound of cup.
My advice is to give up!!!

Author: Dr. Gerard Nolst Trenité, a.k.a. ‘Charivarius’ (1870 – 1946).
Dieses Gedicht erschien in “Drop Your Foreign Accent – Engelse Uitspraakoefeningen” von G. Nolst Trenité (5th rev. ed., H. D. Tjeenk Willink & Zoon 1929). Some background.

Und wo wir gerade dabei sind. Diese 22 Regeln garantieren exzellentes Englisch…

Avoid alliteration. Always.
Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do
The adverb always follows the verb
Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary
Remember to never split an infinitive
Contractions aren't necessary
Foreign words and phrases are not apropos
One should never generalize
Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “I hate quotations. Tell me what you know.”
Don’t be redundant; don’t use more words than necessary; it’s highly superfluous
Be more or less specific
One-word sentences? Eliminate. The passive voice is to be avoided.
Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed. Who needs rhetorical questions?
Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement
Don't never use a double negation
Proofread carefully to see if you words out
And don’t start a sentence with a conjunction. (Remember, too, a preposition is a terrible word to end a sentence with.)
Don’t overuse exclamation marks!!!!!!!
Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided
Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky
Using French in postings is passé
Last but not least, avoid cliches like the plague; they're old hat; seek viable alternatives.

And more…

Why do “overlook” and “oversee” mean opposite things?
Why are a “wise man” and a “wise guy” opposites?
Why does “fat chance” and “slim chance” mean the same thing?
Why does “slow down” and “slow up” mean the same thing?
Why is bra singular and panties plural?
Why do we put suits in garment bags, and garments in a suitcase?
Why do “tug” boats push their barges?
Why are they called “stands” when they are made for sitting?
Why is it called “after dark” when it really is “after light”?
Why is the third hand on the watch called the second hand?
How come abbreviated is such a long word?
Why do they call it a TV set when you only have one?
Why do we park on the driveway and drive on the parkway? (GP)

Created Dec 1996.

Important suggestions & corrections by G. Kommerell, H. Wilhelm, M. Seeliger, J. Fulha, Claudia Nacke, Carole Leita & Greg Chalfin are gratefully acknowledged.

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Last update 2013-05-24 by Michael Bach (G+)

Englisch für Deutsche

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Zeichensetzung

“THE CHAOS” (English is tough stuff)