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heftige Schote

English translation: do very foolish things

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:heftige Schoten machen
English translation:do very foolish things
Entered by: Karin Rueter (X)

20:54 May 28, 2002
German to English translations [Non-PRO]
Art/Literary / interview
German term or phrase: heftige Schote
I am working on an interview of a psychatrist with her patient and have to translate

"Als mein Vater noch jung war, hat er ziemlich heftige Schoten gemacht. Das hat mir meine Oma erzählt".

I have difficulties with "heftige Schoten". Has anybody an idea how to translate it?

would "he did very strange/curious things" work? Or is there anything better?

Thanks a lot for your help!
Karin Rueter (X)
Local time: 10:56
He did some really dumb things
Explanation:
Schote = Dummkopf, Einfallspinsel, Schaute
Or; He did some really stupind things.

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Note added at 2002-05-29 01:19:36 (GMT)
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Translation for Schote is \"fool.\" So the man did some very foolish things, i.e., not necessarily bordering on the criminal.
Selected response from:

Dr. Fred Thomson
United States
Local time: 02:56
Grading comment
Thanks a lot to all of you. All your ideas are great and I myself do not know whether the things he did were close to criminal activities or not. I think in my context this is the best way to translate it. I am sorry that I cannot give points to all of you!
Thanks again, Karin
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +4He did some really dumb things
Dr. Fred Thomson
4 +1he pulled some pretty big stunts
Kim Metzger
4he did some heavy stuff
Klaus Dorn (X)
4seriously silly
jerrie
4Sentence option:
brute (X)


  

Answers


3 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
he did some heavy stuff


Explanation:
bordering onto criminal, I think...he did some things that were on the edge of legality

Klaus Dorn (X)
Local time: 11:56
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in pair: 1514
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17 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
he pulled some pretty big stunts


Explanation:
Without more context it's hard to say if there was a criminal aspect to his youthful activities. The online Ruhrpott slang dictionary below indicates Schoten are similar to stunts, as the word is used in US English.

Schote

Scherz, witzige Erzählung, unglückliches Mißgeschick
'Also, ich hab mir jestern mal widda ne Schote geleistet: ...'




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Note added at 2002-05-28 21:44:38 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

In colloquial BE I think it might be more like \"he pulled off some rather fierce stunts.\"


    Reference: http://freunde.imperium.de/gansel/ruhrgebiet/ruhr_s.htm
Kim Metzger
Mexico
Local time: 02:56
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 22192

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Steffen Walter
11 hrs
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +4
He did some really dumb things


Explanation:
Schote = Dummkopf, Einfallspinsel, Schaute
Or; He did some really stupind things.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-05-29 01:19:36 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Translation for Schote is \"fool.\" So the man did some very foolish things, i.e., not necessarily bordering on the criminal.

Dr. Fred Thomson
United States
Local time: 02:56
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in pair: 5861
Grading comment
Thanks a lot to all of you. All your ideas are great and I myself do not know whether the things he did were close to criminal activities or not. I think in my context this is the best way to translate it. I am sorry that I cannot give points to all of you!
Thanks again, Karin

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jeannie Graham: I agree and this leaves it open whether the dumb things were illegal or not!
5 hrs
agree  Steffen Walter: with foolish things
7 hrs
agree  brute (X)
7 hrs
agree  jerrie: also see below...for another option
7 hrs
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12 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
seriously silly


Explanation:
When my Dad was younger he did some seriously silly things.

seriously as in really, really
silly - I think sounds a bit better than foolish?

jerrie
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:56
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 1469
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

12 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
Sentence option:


Explanation:
"When father was still young, he did some pretty foolish things; Grannie told me"


brute (X)
PRO pts in pair: 255
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