German spelling: Leveln, Levels, Level
Thread poster: margarete
margarete
margarete  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 07:37
German to English
+ ...
Sep 27, 2005

Who will be able to help me through the German spelling jungle.

Specifically, how is the dativ of foreign word formed:

Mit 2 Leveln (wie Löffel) ??

oder doch

Mit 2 Levels ???

oder gar

Mit 2 Level ???

I was unable to find the appropiate rule. Thanks for your help! Ariane


 
Steffen Walter
Steffen Walter  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 12:37
Member (2002)
English to German
+ ...
Is this about gaming? Sep 27, 2005

If not, I'd suggest using Ebenen or Niveaus

Steffen

P.S. If you can't avoid using the plural of level in German, it should be "mit 2 Levels". AFAIK the plural S is to be kept in English words taken over in German.

[Edited at 2005-09-27 12:24]


 
Harry Bornemann
Harry Bornemann  Identity Verified
Mexico
Local time: 05:37
English to German
+ ...
-s Sep 27, 2005

Le|vel, der; -s, -s (Niveau, [Schwierigkeits]stufe)
(Duden)

D.h.: Genetiv und Plural mit -s

Die Frage ist aber berechtigt:
"mit zwei Leveln": 141 GooglZ
"mit zwei Levels": 241 GooglZ

[Edited at 2005-09-27 12:39]


 
Erik Hansson
Erik Hansson  Identity Verified
Germany
Swedish
+ ...
Yes, but many exceptions Sep 27, 2005

Steffen Walter wrote:

AFAIK the plural S is to be kept in English words taken over in German.


Plural S from English is often used in German too, and I agree with you concerning dative form for Level in Plural, but there are plenty of exceptions:

der Computer
die Computer

der Monitor
die Monitore, die Monitoren (both suggested in Duden)

Let's face it: German computer technology is just another English dialect. Of course this makes life easier for translators between EN and DE, but harder for others (myself included). BTW, nobody would understand Mutterbrett or Weichware anyway

Erik

**********************************
Erik Hansson
Technical translator DE-SV
Hansson Übersetzungen GmbH
Am Birkenwäldchen 38
D-01900 Bretnig-Hauswalde, Germany
Phone +49 - 3 59 52 - 321 07
Fax +49 - 3 59 52 - 322 02
E-Mail [email protected]
Internet www.hansson.de
Internet www.t-translators.net
Internet www.technical-translators.net
ProZ profile http://www.proz.com/pro/21654
***********************************

[Edited at 2005-09-29 20:01]


 
Steffen Walter
Steffen Walter  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 12:37
Member (2002)
English to German
+ ...
Yes and no, Erik Sep 27, 2005

Erik Hansson wrote:
Let's face it: German computer technology is just another English dialect. Of course this makes life easier for translators between EN and DE, but harder for others (myself included). BTW, nobody would understand Mutterbrett or Weichware anyway


Straying slightly off-topic - yes and no, Erik: the real difficulty now is to figure out when to use the English term in German, too, and when to use a German term instead or even to invent/create a new one. However, German-speaking IT people have long given up on this creative aspect, which is why no German speaker would understand "Mutterbrett" today (Hauptplatine works, though)

In turn, English-speaking readers/translators confronted with "Germlish" IT jargon have got a lot of mysteries to solve, given the improper use of English terms by German-speaking people.

Steffen


 
margarete
margarete  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 07:37
German to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks! Sep 28, 2005

Thank you so much Steffen, Harry and Erik!

Yes indeed, we are talking about a video game, so "Levels" it is.

This is what I would have done for the plural, but I wasn't sure about the dativ.

I was looking for the official rule on the dativ of foreign words in the Duden but couldn't find it.

Thank you for your help!
Ariane


 
Elke Vogelsang
Elke Vogelsang  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 12:37
English to German
Look it up in the Duden Oct 12, 2005

Duden says:
Level, der; -s, -s (engl.) (Niveau,[Schwierigkeits]stufe)



 


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:


You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

German spelling: Leveln, Levels, Level






Protemos translation business management system
Create your account in minutes, and start working! 3-month trial for agencies, and free for freelancers!

The system lets you keep client/vendor database, with contacts and rates, manage projects and assign jobs to vendors, issue invoices, track payments, store and manage project files, generate business reports on turnover profit per client/manager etc.

More info »
Trados Studio 2022 Freelance
The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.

Designed with your feedback in mind, Trados Studio 2022 delivers an unrivalled, powerful desktop and cloud solution, empowering you to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way.

More info »