Mar 15, 2006 02:17
18 yrs ago
1 viewer *
German term
Charakterschwein
German to English
Art/Literary
Slang
this is the expression a woman uses to describe her ex-husband. The idea is clear, but what would best reflect this term in English?
Ich werfe ihm vor, daß er sich von Anfang der Ehe an bis jetzt völlig amoralisch als Betrüger und Lügner erwiesen hat, kurz, als das, was man in Deutschland gemeinhin als
„Charakterschwein“ bezeichnet.
Ich werfe ihm vor, daß er sich von Anfang der Ehe an bis jetzt völlig amoralisch als Betrüger und Lügner erwiesen hat, kurz, als das, was man in Deutschland gemeinhin als
„Charakterschwein“ bezeichnet.
Proposed translations
(English)
| 3 | a pig |
Lancashireman
|
| 4 +3 | scumbag |
Francis Lee (X)
|
| 4 +1 | a nasty piece of work |
David Hollywood
|
| 4 +1 | a rat |
Nicole Schnell
|
| 4 | a filthy character |
swisstell
|
| 4 | nasty pig |
Dirgis (X)
|
| 4 | in short, a pig of a man, as far as his character is concerned |
CMJ_Trans (X)
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| 3 | a complete swine |
Jeremy Amos
|
Change log
Mar 15, 2006 02:19: swisstell changed "Language pair" from "English to German" to "German to English"
Proposed translations
11 mins
Selected
a pig
'character' is understood
But how are you going to incorporate all these ideas into the sentence: "was man *in Deutschland* gemeinhin als „Charakterschwein“ bezeichnet"?
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Note added at 17 hrs (2006-03-15 19:32:03 GMT)
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Well, yes, once the floodgates open there are many different insults that can be hurled. But in the final analysis, this long-suffering lady chose a porcine image in German so why should this not transfer easily to English? Some scepticism has been expressed along the lines that this could be taken as a reference to table manners. This is IMO a rather restricted view of the use of the insult 'pig' in English. I am not suggesting that you go for the full MCP (male chauvinist pig) slur, but this does illustrate the broad nature of offence intended by the use of this label.
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Note added at 23 hrs (2006-03-16 01:22:53 GMT)
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My complaint about him is that from the moment this marriage began right up to the present day he has shown himself to be thoroughly amoral, a cheat and a liar. In short, what would be described in Germany as a ‘Charakterschwein’ (literally ‘a pig by nature').
But how are you going to incorporate all these ideas into the sentence: "was man *in Deutschland* gemeinhin als „Charakterschwein“ bezeichnet"?
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Note added at 17 hrs (2006-03-15 19:32:03 GMT)
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Well, yes, once the floodgates open there are many different insults that can be hurled. But in the final analysis, this long-suffering lady chose a porcine image in German so why should this not transfer easily to English? Some scepticism has been expressed along the lines that this could be taken as a reference to table manners. This is IMO a rather restricted view of the use of the insult 'pig' in English. I am not suggesting that you go for the full MCP (male chauvinist pig) slur, but this does illustrate the broad nature of offence intended by the use of this label.
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Note added at 23 hrs (2006-03-16 01:22:53 GMT)
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My complaint about him is that from the moment this marriage began right up to the present day he has shown himself to be thoroughly amoral, a cheat and a liar. In short, what would be described in Germany as a ‘Charakterschwein’ (literally ‘a pig by nature').
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Aniello Scognamiglio (X)
: ein "Schwein" ist nicht gleich ein *Charakter*schwein ;-)
7 hrs
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The other contributors await your comments: 'nasty pig', 'a pig of a man', 'a complete swine'. Or maybe Charakterschwein = rat? // Sigrid, CMJ and Jeremy await your verdict, Aniello.
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you very much Andrew, and everyone else for contributing"
5 mins
a filthy character
with several million Google hits for the expression, there must be quite a few of those around.
PS: I reversed your language pair.
PS: I reversed your language pair.
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Kim Metzger
: For the record, it's 210 hits for "a filthy character."
17 mins
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| neutral |
Francis Lee (X)
: my first (though not the only) association would be with a paedophile o.ä; in any case, it's not the same as a Charakterschwein
10 hrs
|
+1
3 mins
David Hollywood
Native in English
worked for int. orgs (IMF, OAS, IDB)
Native in: English
Works in: Spanish to English, German to English
Related KudoZ points
:
4
a nasty piece of work
one option
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Note added at 4 mins (2006-03-15 02:22:19 GMT)
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Irving is a nasty piece of work ... I am suggesting that if he hadn't been so vocal about his views, her reaction would have been different as well. ...
www.kiwiblog.co.nz/archives/013359.html - 22k - Cached - Similar pages
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Note added at 5 mins (2006-03-15 02:23:09 GMT)
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would cover all the lying, cheating, etc.
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Note added at 7 mins (2006-03-15 02:24:30 GMT)
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be a nasty piece of work (British & Australian, informal)
to be a very unpleasant person. He's a nasty piece of work, is Carl. I'd avoid him if I were you
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Note added at 10 mins (2006-03-15 02:28:13 GMT)
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or: a "low-down swine"
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Note added at 4 mins (2006-03-15 02:22:19 GMT)
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Irving is a nasty piece of work ... I am suggesting that if he hadn't been so vocal about his views, her reaction would have been different as well. ...
www.kiwiblog.co.nz/archives/013359.html - 22k - Cached - Similar pages
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Note added at 5 mins (2006-03-15 02:23:09 GMT)
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would cover all the lying, cheating, etc.
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Note added at 7 mins (2006-03-15 02:24:30 GMT)
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be a nasty piece of work (British & Australian, informal)
to be a very unpleasant person. He's a nasty piece of work, is Carl. I'd avoid him if I were you
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Note added at 10 mins (2006-03-15 02:28:13 GMT)
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or: a "low-down swine"
+1
15 mins
Nicole Schnell
United States
United States
Native in German
Works in field
United States
Award winning Advertising/Marketing
Native in: German 
Works in: English to German, German to English
Related KudoZ points
:
8
a rat
Another option.
3 hrs
nasty pig
that - maybe in quotation marks - would fit inot the original sentence, the nasty renders the character part, and it would be understood everywhere
5 hrs
in short, a pig of a man, as far as his character is concerned
usually in English a "pig" is someone who behaves badly in public, has no table manners, etc.
You could end the sentence by adding "as we say in Germany", or some such thing
You could end the sentence by adding "as we say in Germany", or some such thing
6 hrs
a complete swine
I'm going to be accused of being overliteral, but IMO, in British English at least, this comes very close to the German meaning - it refers to character, rather than table manners and suggests degeneracy and depravity to much the same extent as the German term.
+3
10 hrs
scumbag
i.e. morally reprehensible, a pig AND he knows it ...
as in "complete and utter scumbag"
Not sure if this would apply stateside, however; in F. Scott Fitzgerlad's era they would have said "cad" or even "scoundrel", but these days ... ?
Oh - "(a real) bastard" would be another option
as in "complete and utter scumbag"
Not sure if this would apply stateside, however; in F. Scott Fitzgerlad's era they would have said "cad" or even "scoundrel", but these days ... ?
Oh - "(a real) bastard" would be another option
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Ingeborg Gowans (X)
1 hr
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| agree |
Kim Metzger
: We've got lots of scumbags Stateside - and dirt balls, too.
1 hr
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You're right - I see them on the News every night ...
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| agree |
doctor_suz
: "rat" implies an informer, "pig" has something of overindulgence
2 hrs
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| neutral |
Kari Foster
: I'd go directly for the "B"-word you mentioned. (My goodness, I'm starting to dislike this nasty individual myself! :-) )
4 hrs
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yes, the b- word is certainly applicable
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Discussion