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second-class status was a spur

German translation: leiden unter der Zweitrangigkeit

23:23 May 31, 2010
English to German translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Journalism
English term or phrase: second-class status was a spur
From an article in the Economist about Germans cleaning their language from too many anglicisms. Any idea how "spur" is to be understood in this context? (For the right understanding it may help to consider that the Economist is a British paper).

"... groups taught Germans to
prefer Abstand to the French Distanz and Augenblick to Moment. (Some coinages failed: Meuchelpuffer was shot down by Pistole.) The Napoleonic wars and, later, the German empire brought more linguistic cleansing. Second-class status was a spur. Unlike Latin and French, German was never the language of diplomacy and culture."

The whole article can be read here: http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displayStory.cfm?story...
Hewhotranslates
Local time: 23:52
German translation:leiden unter der Zweitrangigkeit
Explanation:
müsste noch ein subjekt dazu, in diesem fall wohl deutschland oder wenns etwas dicker sein soll die deutsche volksseele oder nur das volk
Selected response from:

transcreator
Germany
Local time: 08:52
Grading comment
Thank you!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +8ein Stachel im Fleische
Johanna Timm, PhD
3 +2leiden unter der Zweitrangigkeit
transcreator


  

Answers


27 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +8
ein Stachel im Fleische


Explanation:
etwas, über das man sich maßlos ärgerte, aber nicht ändern konnte (d.h. über den zweite Klasse-Status der deutschen Sprache - die Tatsache, dass das Deutsche eben nicht die Sprache der Diplomatie war).

also auf journalistisch vielleicht:" war ein Stachel im deutschen Fleische."

Johanna Timm, PhD
Canada
Local time: 23:52
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 35

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Christian Weber
6 hrs
agree  Nicole Backhaus: hübsch :)
7 hrs
agree  Annett Hieber: gute Formulierung!
8 hrs
agree  Jutta Scherer: Schöne Lösung!
8 hrs
agree  Rolf Keiser
9 hrs
agree  mill2
9 hrs
agree  Hans G. Liepert
15 hrs
agree  OK-Trans
2 days 16 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

8 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
leiden unter der Zweitrangigkeit


Explanation:
müsste noch ein subjekt dazu, in diesem fall wohl deutschland oder wenns etwas dicker sein soll die deutsche volksseele oder nur das volk

transcreator
Germany
Local time: 08:52
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 31
Grading comment
Thank you!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Barbara Wiebking: ... oder einfach "man". Sehr schade übrigens, dass es der Meuchelpuffer nicht in den alltäglichen Sprachgebrauch geschafft hat. ;-)
2 hrs
agree  British Diana
4 hrs
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