Fun and games with the German language

[lethargic_man]

When I gave up (for the time being) learning German a year and a half ago, despite two months of classes, and a year and a half teaching myself beforehand, I could still follow no more than at best 20% of what aviva_m's rabbi said in her sermon each week. Since then, I haven't been practising, and my level has gone back down to around 5%. So aviva_m was surprised when we were in a museum exhibition on Sunday and I said I was understanding around 95% (with a bit of guesswork) of the untranslated captions. But parsing language at natural speed has always been my weak spot; given as long as I want over every sentence I do much better.

I decided the other night I'd actually try writing down exactly what I did and did not get out of a piece of text. I used the opening paragraphs of this article from the Berliner Morgenpost. Allowing myself to consult my vocab lists, here's what I understood of it. I've marked not only words I don't know, but ones where I can understand the parts that go into it but not the overall meaning:

Berliner businesses expect best business in the last twenty years

Mostly the ]service-performance-BRANCHE[ runs well, industry has a positive outlook for the future. Though, so BETONEs the HANDELSKAMMERN, this success should come about not because of but despite the politics.

The businesses of businesses (!) in Berlin and Brandenburg are running well, but expectations of further development are yet better. Thus has the KONJUNKTURUMFRAGE of Industrial and HANDELSKAMMERN (IHK) of Berlin, Potsdam, Frankfurt (Oder) and Cottbus ER]give[en. The so-called KONJUNKTUR-climate-index, which ER]gives itself out of the SALDO from negative and positive EINSCHÄTZUNGs of the present and the future, climbed 129 points to the start of the year 2014.

"That is the highest value since 1995", said the ]place-representing[ main-business-leader of the Berliner IHK, Christian Wiesenhütter. The ]about-questions[ ?supports ?itself on the ]on-gifts[ of more than 1500
businesses in the region.

About that ]over-meets/hits[ the atmosphere of the Berliner ]be-drive[ the already high level in the ]around-land[.

54 percent of Berliner businesses ]bedraw[ their GESCHÄFTSLAGE as good, 37 percent as BEFRIEDIGing, only nine percent as bad. 43 percent moreover ]outgo[ from it, that the GESCHÄFTs in the next months will run yet better. Half ?reckon with a level remaining the same, only seven percent have a pessimistic view of the future. "Berlin up-takes KONJUNKTURELLE ]grow[UMS]impulse[ faster than other regions"—so Wiesenhüter.

Whilst I have an extended German passage in front of me, I blogged a little while ago wondering to what extent German turns into English if you reverse the High German consonant shift and restore the ability to handle "th" (and the odd bit of other anglicising; I've not been entirely consistent); here's my chance to find out:

Berliner Undernehmen erwarden beste geshapede seit 20 yahren

For allem thie thienstleistungsbranche lopeth good, thie industry blicketh positively in thie tocometh. Allerthings, so betonen the Handelskammern, sits thieser Erfollow naught wayen, sundern trotz ther Politik in.

Thie geshapeds of the Unternehmen in Berlin and Brandenburg lopen good, aber thie Erwardungen on thie widere Entwicklung sind nogh better. That hath thie Konjunkturumfrage ther Industrie- and Handelskammern (IHK) out [?of] Berlin, Potsdam, Frankfurt (Oder) and Cottbus ergiven. The so-named Konjunkturklimaindex, ther sich out them Saldo fon negativen and positiven inschattungen ther gainward and ther tocometh ergives, clettered to'm yahresbeginn 2014 up 129 points. "That is ther highest worth seit 1995", sayed ther stellfortreading haupdgeschapedsführer ther Berliner IHK, Christian Wiesenhütter. Thie Umfrage studdeth sich up the ongiven fon mair als 1500 Undernehmen in the region.

Tha'by überdreppeth thie Stimmung ther Berliner Bedrieve that schon hohe Niveau i'm Umland. 54 percent ther Berliner Undernehmer beteichnen ihre geshapedslage als good, 37 percent als befriethigend, nur neun percent als sleght. 43 percent gehen tothem thafon out, that thie shapeds in then nächsten Monaten nogh better lopen werthen. Thie Hälfte rechneth mid glikebleibendem Niveau, nur sieben percent blicken pessimistisch in thie tocometh. "Berlin nimmeth konjunkturelle Waxdomsimpulse sneller up als onthere Regionen", so Wiesenhüter.

Well, that turned out less impressive than I was expecting. Let's see if turning each word as far as possible into its English cognate (whilst not translating any of them) makes the passage more comprehensible. (I've also anglicised the inflected definite articles, and joined separable verb components, to clarify sentence structure.) Italicised words are German ones without English cognates:

Berliner Undernehms¹ erward best shapeds si'² 20 years

For all the thienst³lastingsbranche lopeth good, the industry blicketh positively in the tocometh. Allthings, so betone the Handlechambers, insits these erfollow not wayen, sundern trotz the politics.

The shaped of the undernehms in Berlin and Brandenburg lope goodly, aber the erwardings on the wider ant'wickling sind¹ nogh better. That hath the Konjunkturumfrage [of] the Industry- and Handlechambers (IHK) out [?of] Berlin, Potsdam, Frankfurt (Oder) and Cottbus ergiven. The so-named Konjunktur-clime-index, the sich out [of] the saldo from negative and positive inshattings [of] the [a]gainward and [of] the tocometh ergives, clettered to [the] yearsbeginning 2014 up 129 points. "That is the highest worth si' 1995", said the stellfortreading headshapedsführer [of] the Berliner IHK, Christian Wiesenhütter. The umfrage studdeth sich up the ongifts from mair⁴ as 1500 undernehms in the region.

Thereby overdreppeth the stimming [of] Berlin bedrives that sheen⁵ high niveau⁶ in [the] umland. 54 percent [of] Berlin undernehmers betoken 'eir shapedslair as good, 37 percent as befriethiging, nur nine percent as slight.⁷ 43 percent outgo tothe therefrom, that the shapeds in the next months nogh better lope worthen. The half reckoneth mid⁸ [a]likeleaving niveau, nur seven percent blick pessimistish in the tocometh. "Berlin nimmeth konjunkturelle waxdom's-impulse sneller up as other regions"—so Wiesenhüter.

Ta-da: fluent gibberish! ;^)

1. English used to use this element; then the Vikings came and we started using their word instead.

2. "Seit" is cognate to the first half of "since".

3. Stem obsolete in English, but you can still find it (in German) on old 2p coins. :o)

4. 'Scuse me whilst I go Scottish; it requires less change.

5. Apparently schon "already" derives from schön "beautiful", for which the cognate "sheen" makes more sense.

6. I'm sorry; what language are we speaking here?

7. A false friend: the word's changed meaning in English; in German it means "bad".

8. This sense survives in "midwife" (i.e. "with-woman").