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Souls alive!

German translation: Mensch!

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:Souls alive!
German translation:Mensch!
Entered by: PeterSQ

18:53 Aug 25, 2008
English to German translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
English term or phrase: Souls alive!
Kennt jemand diese Wendung? Danke!

"***Souls alive***, what news! It makes my heart go quite bumpily-bump!"
PeterSQ
Mensch!
Explanation:
I think it's an exclamation of surprise, like "goodness me". I wondered first about "meine Güte", but I think that sounds a little negative, whereas I'm not sure that the English has to be negative (depending on what kind of news it is).
I think perhaps just the exclamation "Mensch! Was für eine Nachricht!" would be a similar register in German.
Selected response from:

Catherine Winzer
Germany
Local time: 14:56
Grading comment
Danke! :)
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +8Mensch!
Catherine Winzer


Discussion entries: 3





  

Answers


9 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +8
souls alive
Mensch!


Explanation:
I think it's an exclamation of surprise, like "goodness me". I wondered first about "meine Güte", but I think that sounds a little negative, whereas I'm not sure that the English has to be negative (depending on what kind of news it is).
I think perhaps just the exclamation "Mensch! Was für eine Nachricht!" would be a similar register in German.

Catherine Winzer
Germany
Local time: 14:56
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Danke! :)

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Ingeborg Gowans (X): oder "Mensch Meyer", kam mir spontan in den Sinn
47 mins
  -> Danke, Ingeborg
agree  Kim Metzger: Heavens to Betsy. Meine Güte, take your pick.
1 hr
  -> Danke, Kim
agree  Inge Meinzer: Another possibility albeit a bit older would be *Sapperlot*
1 hr
  -> Danke - die Variente kannte ich noch nicht! :)
agree  Bernhard Sulzer: ach du liebes bisschen, mein Gott, Menschenskinder, ... ich denk es is eher positiv aber na ja..
1 hr
  -> Sehr schön :) Danke, Bernhard
agree  Dorothea Rose: in Süddeutschland/Österreich gibt's auch: "Meiner Seel!"
2 hrs
  -> Danke, Dorothea
agree  Sonja Köppen: Donnerwetter, Sack Zement, Heilig's Blechle / Kanonenrohr, mein lieber Schwan / Otto / Herr Gesangsverein, alter Schwede! ;)
11 hrs
  -> Schöne Liste :) Danke, Sonja
agree  Anja C.: Menschenskind!
12 hrs
  -> Thanks, Anja
agree  Susanne Stöckl: Mir fällt noch ein : Jungejunge;-)
1 day 11 hrs
  -> Danke, Susanne
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