Bottle Flip: Das ist zunächst einmal nichts weiter als ein Rückwärtssalto einer Flasche. Man wirft die Flasche, sie dreht sich einmal und kommt – wenn es denn funktioniert – auf dem Flaschenboden zum Stehen ... Manchmal läuft was schief: „Tut mir leid, Papa, die Flasche war nur zu voll. Leider mit Mezzo Mix. Sorry.“ Die Brühe läuft über den Arbeitstisch. Rechnungen, Bücher, ein Telefon. Hier flippt nix mehr – außer vielleicht der Vater.
From Sueddeutsche.de, 24 November 2017
Translation offered by the translation software:
Bottle flip: This is first once nothing else as a reverse somersault of a bottle. One throws the bottle, she turns once and comes — if it functions then — on the bottle ground to the standing position ... Sometimes what goes wrong: “Is sorry me, dad, the bottle was only too full. Unfortunately, with Mezzo mix. Sorry.” The broth runs through the desk. Calculations, books, a phone. Here flippt nothing more — except maybe the father.
(translation: online-translator.com)
Spotlight translation:
Bottle flip: this really means nothing more than flipping a bottle backwards. You throw the bottle, it rotates once and — ideally — lands upright on its base... Sometimes things go wrong: “Sorry, Dad, the bottle was a bit too full — with Coke, unfortunately. So sorry.” The stickyklebrigsticky liquid spills over the desk: bills, books, a phone. This is the end of making anything flip — except maybe your father.
Analysis
- This month’s text excerptAuszugexcerpt is from a column on bottle flipping — an activity that is extremely popular among teenagers, though most adults fail to appreciate its appealReizappeal.
- The online translation has a lot of shortcomingUnzulänglichkeit, Defizitshortcomings we discussed in previous months, such as word-for-word translations (“first once” for ersteinmal; the use of the personal pronoun “she” to refer to a bottle) and incorrect word order (“she comes on the bottle ground to a standing position”).
- The program failed to recognize was as a colloquialumgangssprachlichcolloquial form of etwas and tut mir leid as a shortened version of the phrase es tut mir leid. When we inserted etwas and es into the original text and ran the program again, it came up with correct translations (“something goes wrong”, “I am sorry”).
- The part on which a container stands is called its “base” or “bottom”. However, even if the program had chosen either of these words, the resulting compoundKompositum, Wortverbindungcompound “bottle base” or “bottle bottom” would also not have been okay, simply because these terms are not used together.
- Several of the program’s lexical choices don’t fit the context. For example, Rechnungen used in an abstract sense can be translated as “calculations”, but a piece of paper showing an amount of money to be paid is an “invoice” or “bill”.
- “Broth” means “soup” or “stock”. Brühe in the sense of a “nastyekelhaftnasty liquid” could be translated as “brew”, “slop”, “sludge” or “swill”. However, none of these words is ideal to describe a fizzykohlensäurehaltigfizzy drink, so we decided to add a negative adjective to “liquid”.
- The soft drink Mezzo Mix is produced and officially sold exclusively in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The association with a sticky, brownish liquid might therefore be lost on the translation’s readership. The universally known brandMarken-brand name Coke could be used instead or, if you wish to avoid using a trademark, you could say something like “a disgustingekelerregenddisgusting looking soft drink”.
- The German text plays with the English verb “flip” and the German verb (aus)flippen. Fortunately for the translator, this wordplay also works in English, as “flip” can mean “become very angry”.
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