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Sentence

English translation: another option

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:Sentence
English translation:another option
Entered by: jerrie

07:05 Jul 4, 2002
German to English translations [PRO]
Marketing - Journalism / journalism
German term or phrase: Sentence
I don´t understand this sentence. There is probably an idiom I am not familiar with (and my usual idiom consultant is filming for the BBC today!), or maybe I am misreading something from this bad fax, but I don´t think so. It comes from a magazine test report of an Italian sports boat. Here´s the headline and sentence that precede the problem sentence:

"Italienische Primaballerina trifft auf deutschen Kumpel.

Nun ja, der deutsche Kumpel steht nicht allein der Rassigen aus Italien gegenüber, sondern hat noch einen Kumpel mitgebracht."

And here´s the problem sentence: "Alleine könnte er auch wohl kaum seinen 'Mann' stehen, denn die feurige Italienerin hat es in sich: " (followed by technical data).

Suggestions for "Kumpel" would also be nice.
Chris Rowson (X)
Local time: 08:23
another option
Explanation:
Maybe turn it around a bit and use:

He/it really wouldn't stand a chance on his/its own

He/it wouldn't have a 'hope in Hell' going it alone....

First Kumpel...maybe something like workhorse?
Second Kumpel...mate, buddy, friend...brought a friend along for the ride?

hth

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-07-04 08:18:19 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

He wouldn\'t be able to hold off (the Italian) on his own
Going solo he wouldn\'t be able to hold out (hold his own) against the Italian
Selected response from:

jerrie
United Kingdom
Local time: 07:23
Grading comment
Thanks a lot everyone!

I ended up with “On his own he wouldn´t stand a chance ...”. I appreciate the various suggestive suggestions, but I had to be a bit careful here not to go over the top, there was already a lot of innuendo in the wider context.

I really couldn´t see this lady going for a coal miner. I´ve been referred to often enough as a Kumpel to know it doesn´t have to have this sense (nobody would take me for a coal-miner).

4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +3miner! / mate, pal / stand one's ground
Endre Both
5 +2miner, buddy/pal, stand on one's own two feet
Andy Lemminger
4 +2He could not handle her on his own as the racy italian [boat !] comes fully featured:
TService (X)
4 +1buddy
wrtransco
4 +1Kumpel I would translate as buddy
Martina Keskintepe
4 +1German workhorse
Jonathan MacKerron
4 +1sentence
gangels (X)
4to stand one's ground/pal
Elvira Stoianov
4below
Mary Worby
4another option
jerrie


  

Answers


6 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
buddy


Explanation:
for the US

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Note added at 2002-07-04 07:27:20 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

He alone could not go up against....

wrtransco
Local time: 02:23
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  TService (X): YES ! This hits the point and is closest to the meaning of "Kumpel", as "Kumpel" is a colloquial expression as well.
1 hr
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9 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
to stand one's ground/pal


Explanation:
seinen Mann stehen is indeed an idiom and according to QuickDic has the above meaning
Duden definition: auf sich gestellt tüchtig sein und sich bewähren
(Beispiel: sie musste schon früh im Leben seinen Mann stehen)
For Kumpel you might use "pal" or buddy

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-07-04 07:16:09 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

of course \"ihren Mann\" in the example, sorry

Elvira Stoianov
Luxembourg
Local time: 08:23
Native speaker of: Native in RomanianRomanian, Native in HungarianHungarian
PRO pts in category: 3

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Endre Both
17 mins
disagree  gangels (X): It means to persist in the face of adversity. I think here, Mann stehen is a subtle erotic allusion.
10 hrs
neutral  Joy Christensen: tend to agree with Klaus
12 hrs
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10 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
below


Explanation:
seinen Mann stehen (seine
Pflicht tun) do one's duty; (selbständig sein) stand on one's own two feet; (sich durchsetzen) stand up for oneself;

It'd have a hard enough job (standing on its own two feet) on its own, because the fiery little Italian number has got what it takes:

Kumpel = mate?

Definition from Oxford-Duden

HTH

Mary

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Note added at 2002-07-04 07:17:12 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

It would have its work cut out for it on its own ...
It would be up against enough of a challenge on its own ...

Mary Worby
United Kingdom
Local time: 07:23
Native speaker of: English

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Joy Christensen: mate is not so good in this case, because could also mean his wife, right?
12 hrs
  -> If somebody told me they'd be bringing a mate or their mate along, I'd be very surprised if they turned up with a husband or wife! (-:
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25 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
miner! / mate, pal / stand one's ground


Explanation:
As you see, not much new compared to previous answers, with one addition:

Kumpel can mean both miner/pitman (Duden says: "Bergmann"; actually, this is the word's original meaning if I'm not mistaken) and pal/buddy.

So "deutscher Kumpel" probably is not "German pal" (whose pal would it be anyway?) but something like "German worker", i.e. hard-working but not very refined ("German miner" probably wouldn't make sense to speakers of English).

In "der deutsche Kumpel ... hat einen Kumpel mitgebracht", the first Kumpel is "miner", the second is "pal", making for a play on words.

Seinen Mann stehen is, as Eli said, something like "stand one's ground".

Endre Both
Germany
Local time: 08:23
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman, Native in HungarianHungarian

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Martin Schmurr: but depends on context
1 hr
agree  Joy Christensen: that's right, but it is also used in other instances
12 hrs
agree  allemande
1 day 10 hrs
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26 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +2
miner, buddy/pal, stand on one's own two feet


Explanation:
tough piece indeed...
"der deutsche Kumpel" is "the German miner", people working in the Ruhrgebiet who are considered as typically lower-class Germans

"noch einen Kumpel" is his buddy/pal

and "seinen Mann stehen" is "stand on one's own two feet" in general but "Mann" and "stehen" in this context also has sexual implications to top the difficulty.

Andy Lemminger
Canada
Local time: 00:23
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Joy Christensen
12 hrs
agree  sonni
23 hrs
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43 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
another option


Explanation:
Maybe turn it around a bit and use:

He/it really wouldn't stand a chance on his/its own

He/it wouldn't have a 'hope in Hell' going it alone....

First Kumpel...maybe something like workhorse?
Second Kumpel...mate, buddy, friend...brought a friend along for the ride?

hth

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-07-04 08:18:19 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

He wouldn\'t be able to hold off (the Italian) on his own
Going solo he wouldn\'t be able to hold out (hold his own) against the Italian

jerrie
United Kingdom
Local time: 07:23
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thanks a lot everyone!

I ended up with “On his own he wouldn´t stand a chance ...”. I appreciate the various suggestive suggestions, but I had to be a bit careful here not to go over the top, there was already a lot of innuendo in the wider context.

I really couldn´t see this lady going for a coal miner. I´ve been referred to often enough as a Kumpel to know it doesn´t have to have this sense (nobody would take me for a coal-miner).
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45 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Kumpel I would translate as buddy


Explanation:
and as for the sentence, I agree with Andy that there is definitely a sexual implication.
Therefore you could probably translate it like this: On his own he could not be man enough to handle the hot blooded Italian.
Not a verbal translation, but maybe a helpful one.

Martina Keskintepe
Türkiye
Local time: 09:23
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman, Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Martin Schmurr: agree with "On his own…" etc.
1 hr
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
German workhorse


Explanation:
for 'deutsche Kumpel'. Seems appropriate in this context since it is offset by the Italian primaballerina.

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Note added at 2002-07-05 13:32:39 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

My take was that the \'deutsche Kumpel\' referred to a German boat versus the racey Italian. In that case I think German workhorse is just fine. If it refers to a person then not, but I can\'t be sure with the bit of text that Chris has provided.
\'Side-kick\' might be appropriate for the second instance of Kumpel.

Jonathan MacKerron
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 18

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  TService (X): No ! "Deutsche Kumpel" means people working in a coal mine !
10 mins
  -> maybe, but it would be absurd to use that translation in this context
agree  Endre Both: TService is right about the literal meaning, but the translation is good!
27 mins
neutral  Martin Schmurr: if the context does not make clear his job, this may fit
1 hr
agree  Joy Christensen: Yes, yes, yes - Kumpel is the worker here more than the buddy. And a boat can be a workhorse, but not a miner! Unless it's a mining boat??
11 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
He could not handle her on his own as the racy italian [boat !] comes fully featured:


Explanation:
Preserves the sexual bias.

TService (X)
Local time: 08:23

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Lydia Molea: yes, and for Kumpel I'd take buddy; and Italian capitalized
1 hr
agree  stefana
2 days 13 hrs
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10 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
sentence


Explanation:
By himself , he hardly could do "the job", for the racy Italienne is something else.

Anybody living in the present will catch the slightly suggestive double entendre.

gangels (X)
Local time: 00:23
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 12

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Joy Christensen
2 hrs
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