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Translating a Danish newspaper article to English (in which I was interviewed and got the last word I might add: "checkmate").

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sbrothy

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I'm not even half done cause it was lenghtier than I suspected. But if anyone can spare the time they could perhaps correct my most blatant errors. (Be aware it's political and has to do with the crack epidemic in Denmark. We're basically 10 years behind the US).

https://omecc.dk (Whatever you answer to the "cookie warning" has no consequence. The translation is on the "News" page...
 
It's a first draft. So I know it's full of errors. I'm mostly interested if I used idioms and grammar correctly, (especially time consistently).
 
I've been on presciption heroin for more than 12 years for pain (I'm done wth it now), hence my interest in addiction damage control. I might as well come clean and tell you that I mainlined cocaine just before the interview with the journalist to prove that not everyone goes into psychosis. I do cocaine extremely seldom because I don't really see the charm contra the price, and I'm not in danger of getting hooked on it. As I said: I don't see why it's fun.
 
I'm not sure this word can be translated at all. I've tried in German and English but to no avail:

"fnidder"

When people on cocaine obsess over ridiculous things, like digging up 5 square meters of a sidewalk or keep looking for shiny things in the stupid hope it a piece of cocaine (apparently it doesn't mater that they just took for DKK 600,- (~USD 100,-)

It's like a psychosis but not really dangerous, you can still get through to them.
 
What’s the sentence? Use the word ‘fnidder’ where you don’t have an English word to use. Maybe we can suggest something, but I don’t know of any coke-specific words for irrational behavior, ocd may be the most apt.
 
I'm only missing the last third of the article. The part containing my "last word" and the part he hung his article on.

Weekendavisen is one of the most serious papers in Denmark. It's only sold once a week so you can imagine there're a lot of in-depth articles in it.
 
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sbrothy said:
I've been there. In German it gets translated as "kichern" which translates to "giggle" in English. Not really my intented meaning.
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I think things like that are the real challenge when translating something. The translation of factual sentences is easy, but what changes are metaphors, or some specific words. We are watching radish from below. English-speaking people are pushing daisies. And there are many, many more. The meanings of metaphors usually exist in both languages, but the wordings are completely different. My favorite example for an untranslatable word is "schweigen". You cannot translate it into English because all English expressions are passive, and schweigen is a decision, something active.
 
fresh_42 said:
what changes are metaphors
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A European co-worker once told me "Ok, waiting to die, then." in response to me saying something status-related. When I was clearly at a loss for words, she laughed and told me that in her language, which may have been Russian, I don't recall, that just means I am standing idle and waiting for the world to present me with something else I should do.
 
Agreed. And especially idioms are difficult to translate properly. "Pushing daisies" as you say. I can read German and understand the mainstream spoken version, but there are a lot of German idioms I don't get.
 
Grinkle said:
A European co-worker once told me "Ok, waiting to die, then." in response to me saying something status-related. When I was clearly at a loss for words, she laughed and told me that in her language, which may have been Russian, I don't recall, that just means I am standing idle and waiting for the world to present me with something else I should do.
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OK. Harsh example. That does indeed sound like Russian! As in "waiting for Godot". :)
 
Grinkle said:
A European co-worker once told me "Ok, waiting to die, then." in response to me saying something status-related. When I was clearly at a loss for words, she laughed and told me that in her language, which may have been Russian, I don't recall, that just means I am standing idle and waiting for the world to present me with something else I should do.
Click to expand...

As kids, we made fun of translating such idioms word by word. The results sounded very weird.
 
sbrothy said:
OK. Harsh example. That does indeed sound like Russian! As in "waiting for Godot". :)
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I once asked my (Russian) girlfriend what she said when an officer at the airport tried to rip me off, and she scolded him. She only said that she sent him far, far away. Russians are quite direct and quick with curses.
 
I had a Moroccan girlfriend who was fluent in Arabic and Dutch. When she got really mad at me I got scolded in a mixture of those two languages. I didn't understand a word but I had absolutely no doubt I effed up! :)
 

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