GUTE VORSÄTZE AM ARSCH

17:02 Mar 31, 2015

German to English translations [Non-PRO]
Tourism & Travel

German term or phrase: GUTE VORSÄTZE AM ARSCH

I'm doing a list of even titles for a client and they want me to translate "GUTE VORSÄTZE AM ARSCH"

Does this really mean "Good Intentions in the Ass" ??

I have no other context :(

Kelly Martin KudoZ activity Questions: 71 (9 open) (4 without valid answers) (3 closed without grading) Answers: 1 United States
Local time: 04:24

Summary of answers provided

3 +1

Good intentions down the pan

Lancashireman

Good intentions, my ass!!

Donald Jacobson

Gute Vorsätze am Arsch!

Danik 2014

good intentions went to shit

Michael Martin, MA

I blew it!

Ramey Rieger (X)

Summary of reference entries provided

***

Johanna Timm, PhD

Discussion entries: 13

beermatt

Well, then...

20:46 Mar 31, 2015

...if you have no further context, it's up to you to decide to carry over the intentional and obvious offensiveness in German to the respective reader in the US or to cop out and give them something wishy-washy and US politically correct.

AllegroTrans

United Kingdom

So perhaps, asker

20:45 Mar 31, 2015

you need to ask your client what the titles are needed for so that you don't make a complete....of them! Translation is about context, style, register and intended purpose and not just a dictionary exercise.

Kelly Martin

United States

ASKER

20:41 Mar 31, 2015

Yes, it should say "event" titles.

Kelly Martin

United States

ASKER

20:41 Mar 31, 2015

I literally said in my original post that "I have no other context :("

beermatt

With AllegroTrans....

20:35 Mar 31, 2015

As far as I'm concerned, you know my solution.
But maybe some more context would help find a way to solve the "cultural difference"...
So, dear Kelly, do you have a little more context?

AllegroTrans

United Kingdom

@ Edwin

20:29 Mar 31, 2015

Maybe, but we have no idea what kind of events these are
The context (please asker) would help to clear up the style and register appropriate for the translation - you must know something about what these "titles" are going to be used for, even it is only the other titles in your list

Edwin Miles

Germany

@ AllegroTrans

20:25 Mar 31, 2015

I'm pretty sure that's meant to be "event" titles.

Donald Jacobson

United States

@ beermatt

19:40 Mar 31, 2015

I'm from the Chicago area (think Saturday Night Live). We have no inhibitions in this area at all.

AllegroTrans

United Kingdom

Asker

19:19 Mar 31, 2015

what are "even titles"?

beermatt

Oh, you North Americans!

19:13 Mar 31, 2015

Why is it always such a hassle with you and your sensibilities concerning swear words in public????

The most obvious and direct version for this would be
"Good intentions fucked up"
But because of the mess you tend to create for foreigners concerning swearing, and the according policy of ProZ, I probably won't get this through with ProZ censors...
But just in case: this is the real solution if you want to be honest about the translation....

Usch Pilz

Depending ...

18:42 Mar 31, 2015

... on the context that we don't have, all of the answers can be correct, even though they convey a variety of different meanings.

Donald Jacobson

United States

Your YouTube

17:56 Mar 31, 2015

reference indicates I am correct. It is about Jacobson's a*s. LOL

Lancashireman

United Kingdom

A*s

17:39 Mar 31, 2015

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXpTXZ2vhPk

Answers

11 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

Good intentions down the pan

Explanation:
http://www.dohiy.com/2014/02/03/good-intentions-down-the-pan...

Lancashireman
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:24
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 134

12 mins confidence:

I blew it!

Explanation:
This fully depends on if the good intentions failed or if one should stick his/her good intentions where the sun never shines. the source text indiccates the former.

Ramey Rieger (X)
Germany
Local time: 10:24
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 56

22 mins confidence:

Good intentions, my ass!!

Explanation:
Applicable Chicago slang variant

Donald Jacobson
United States
Local time: 03:24
Works in field
Native speaker of: English

37 mins confidence:

Gute Vorsätze am Arsch!

Explanation:
I loved all the suggestions but it´s the name of a musical presentation.
So I don´t think it aught to be translated.
https://www.google.com.br/search?q=GUTE VORSÄTZE AM ARSCH&ie...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 7 hrs (2015-04-01 00:57:22 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Using the research from Johanna Timm here is an aproximate translation:
Good intentions going down the drain.
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/down-the-...
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/down the drain

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 8 hrs (2015-04-01 01:03:07 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

An approximate translation:Good intentions going down the drain!
Or: Good intentions going to the devil.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 8 hrs (2015-04-01 01:05:34 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Sorry. Sometimes the page doesn´t register the answer and you have to write it twice.

Danik 2014
Brazil
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

German,

Portuguese

Notes to answerer

Asker: I left it in English originally and the client complained and told me to translate it :(

9 hrs confidence:

good intentions went to shit

Explanation:
Seems to be the same register...
The one that's commonly used in public places. Often full of people who don't seem to have read beermat's memo on US sensitivities about swearing..

Michael Martin, MA
United States
Local time: 04:24
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

German,

English
PRO pts in category: 46

Reference comments

1 hr peer agreement (net): +5

Reference: ***

Reference information:
im Arsch sein = defekt / kaputt sein
am Arsch sein= 1. erschöpft / verausgabt / müde sein
2. in großen Schwierigkeiten sein

http://www.redensarten-index.de/suche.php?suchbegriff=~~im A...[]=rart_ou

http://mundmische.de/synonyme/im arsch sein

Johanna Timm, PhD
Canada
Native speaker of:

German
PRO pts in category: 23

Peer comments on this reference comment (and responses from the reference poster)

agree

Danik 2014: Sollte als Antwort eingegeben werden!

1 hr

-> Das ist lieb gemeint, danke! Aber in diesem Fall wollte ich wirklich nur ein paar Hintergrundinfos geben.

agree

AllegroTrans

1 hr

neutral

Donald Jacobson: So how would you translate the whole thing and why not throw in one of your options

2 hrs

-> A bit of additional info on the SOURCE term is always useful, I think! Clearly, no. 2 applies here, meaning that it’s “difficult/tricky” to follow through with one’s good intentions - not necessarily that they are being abandoned, IMO.

neutral

Lonnie Legg: I'm with Donald.

2 hrs

neutral

Lancashireman: Don and Lon. I can only think that this is aimed at discrediting one of the above answers.

3 hrs

agree

writeaway

7 hrs

agree

Susanne Schiewe

13 hrs

agree

Horst Huber (X): "Im" wäre wohl richtig gewesen, ähnlich wie "im Eimer."

3 days 8 hrs

-> ganz genau!

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