Tag: german

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Tri-lingual Hobbit re-read: Chapter 5 (Post 1 of a few)

I am so, SO overdue to continue this that it’s not even funny! But since I definitely want to get this done before An Unexpected Journey comes out in December, and because my language geekery is wanting the love, let’s dive into Chapter 5, shall we? Bring on the riddles in the dark!

This won’t be the whole chapter, but it’s a start, and I’ll keep chipping away at this as I can!

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Tri-lingual Hobbit re-read: Chapter 1

As every Tolkien fan on the Net knows, we’ve just had ourselves the first glorious new Hobbit trailer! Between this and getting the beautiful, beautiful Blu-Rays of the extended editions of The Lord of the Rings, I am very, very much in a Tolkien mood now.

Those of you who have been with me since 2004 or so (on LJ) may remember that I’ve had this German edition of The Hobbit for some time. Now that I also have a French edition, not to mention the shiny new enhanced ebook edition of the book on my iPad, I decided that it’s high time to enjoy a re-read of the story. And because I’m feeling ambitious, I’m doing it in three languages at once! With these editions!

Editions of The Hobbit
Editions of The Hobbit

Mind you, it ain’t like I expect to really understand much of either the French or the German–that’s why I’ve got the English text handy. I want to go through the translated editions mostly to just get a sense of the rhythm of the language in each, and to see what things I do actually comprehend at first glance, or with judicious consultation of my French or German verb books or dictionaries.

Here are things I’ve observed going through Chapter 1: An Unexpected Party!

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It’s taken me forty years…

… but I have now purchased the very first Beatles album I’ve ever bought in my life. I got the new remastered 2-disc edition of Past Masters, which looks like it’s the new version of two previously released CDs that came out in 1990.

Decided to pick this one because it’s got the German versions of “She Loves You” and “I Want To Hold Your Hand” on it, as well as the English versions of those songs, and I want to see how well I can understand the lyrics! I can already tell that “I Want To Hold Your Hand” doesn’t literally translate; the German title is “Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand”, which is “Come, Give Me Your Hand”.

I totally blame this on Beatles Rock Band, which I finally got to seriously play last night when userinfojennygriffee came over to join us for a session of gaming. This is the first time I’ve ever seriously actually done Rock Band or anything like it, and that’s pretty much because this is the first time there’s been a version with a bunch of music I actually like. I’m still very new to the game, though; I spent the whole time with the guitar controller playing either Guitar or Bass on Easy. I’m going to have to try the singing, though. I kept bursting into harmony lines anyway while I was playing, and Paul thought I should have one of the mike controllers. ;)

It’s pretty nifty though that this has kindled my first serious burst of interest in the Beatles. I’ve now listened to most of userinfospazzkat‘s albums and have a new appreciation for the quality of the music; I’ve got Magical Mystery Tour and the White Album left to listen to. But now I’ve got the new Past Masters volume as well!

Posted on

It's taken me forty years…

… but I have now purchased the very first Beatles album I’ve ever bought in my life. I got the new remastered 2-disc edition of Past Masters, which looks like it’s the new version of two previously released CDs that came out in 1990.
Decided to pick this one because it’s got the German versions of “She Loves You” and “I Want To Hold Your Hand” on it, as well as the English versions of those songs, and I want to see how well I can understand the lyrics! I can already tell that “I Want To Hold Your Hand” doesn’t literally translate; the German title is “Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand”, which is “Come, Give Me Your Hand”.
I totally blame this on Beatles Rock Band, which I finally got to seriously play last night when came over to join us for a session of gaming. This is the first time I’ve ever seriously actually done Rock Band or anything like it, and that’s pretty much because this is the first time there’s been a version with a bunch of music I actually like. I’m still very new to the game, though; I spent the whole time with the guitar controller playing either Guitar or Bass on Easy. I’m going to have to try the singing, though. I kept bursting into harmony lines anyway while I was playing, and Paul thought I should have one of the mike controllers. ;)
It’s pretty nifty though that this has kindled my first serious burst of interest in the Beatles. I’ve now listened to most of ‘s albums and have a new appreciation for the quality of the music; I’ve got Magical Mystery Tour and the White Album left to listen to. But now I’ve got the new Past Masters volume as well!