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Eheberater (in diesem Satz)

English translation: Marriage Guidance Counsellor

09:39 Jun 23, 2004
German to English translations [PRO]
Linguistics / Word Play
German term or phrase: Eheberater (in diesem Satz)
Eheberater sind solche, die einen beraten und ¨¹berzeugen, wie gl¨¹cklich man gewesen war, ehe man geheiratet hat.

I am wondering how to translated this sentence with the word "Eheberater" properly rendered to preserve the flavor of the German original. I would appreciate any help from any one, even just a guess.
Wenjer Leuschel (X)
Taiwan
Local time: 16:32
English translation:Marriage Guidance Counsellor
Explanation:
Person who advises you to tarry before you marry!

You could try getting the humour across with a little rhyme. According to the Collins dictionary, an Eheberater is a marriage guidance counsellor - someone that tends to be consulted before you tie the knot. So something like the above could work.

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Note added at 1 hr 23 mins (2004-06-23 11:02:13 GMT)
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Antje has a point. Perhaps you could also say \"Someone who tells you why you should have tarried before you married!\"
Selected response from:

Rowan Morrell
New Zealand
Local time: 20:32
Grading comment
There have been quite a lot good ideas about how to render the original flavor into English. And it has been hard for me to grade this one. Tarry/marry or merry/marry and prenuptial advisor/marriage (guidance) counsellor are all very interesting. However, I decide to take Rowans "marriage guidance counsellor" and "should have tarried before married."
Many thanks to all of you, dear colleagues, for I've learned a lot from you!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +5Marriage counsellor
David Moore (X)
4 +2marriage counsellor
Elvira Stoianov
3 +3Marriage Guidance Counsellor
Rowan Morrell
3Divorce Preventer
Jeff Steffin
3marriage counsellor (plus...)
Ken Cox
2 +1Prenuptial advisor
Michele Johnson


Discussion entries: 4





  

Answers


4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
marriage counsellor


Explanation:
I on't see why it wouldn't fit

Elvira Stoianov
Luxembourg
Local time: 10:32
Native speaker of: Native in RomanianRomanian, Native in HungarianHungarian
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  writeaway: I had the same answer ready but double-checked before I sent it.
1 min
agree  Ellen Zittinger: counselor, or advisor
6 hrs
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4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +5
Marriage counsellor


Explanation:
I think it will be impossible; the "pun" sense has to come from the reamining wording. For example: "a marriage counsellor is someone who counsels you to remember how happy you were before marriage".

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Note added at 6 mins (2004-06-23 09:45:32 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Drat these falming pismrints; that should of course read \"remaining\" wording....

David Moore (X)
Local time: 10:32
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 14

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  writeaway: yes-can't see any pun either with Eheberater/Marriage Counsellor (Counselor across the pond)
2 mins
agree  Orla Ryan
4 mins
agree  Monika Leit
7 mins
agree  Rowan Morrell: Sounds like something that could be in Wiley's Dictionary (cf. the "BC" comic).
13 mins
agree  Ken Cox: the pun is untranslatable. you could also say 'a marriage counsellor is someone who gives you advice and makes you think you were a lot happier before you got married'
1 hr
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9 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
Divorce Preventer


Explanation:
A divorce preventer is someone who helps to prevent divorce by advising agains marriage in the first place :-)

Jeff Steffin
Local time: 01:32
Native speaker of: English
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41 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
Marriage Guidance Counsellor


Explanation:
Person who advises you to tarry before you marry!

You could try getting the humour across with a little rhyme. According to the Collins dictionary, an Eheberater is a marriage guidance counsellor - someone that tends to be consulted before you tie the knot. So something like the above could work.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr 23 mins (2004-06-23 11:02:13 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Antje has a point. Perhaps you could also say \"Someone who tells you why you should have tarried before you married!\"

Rowan Morrell
New Zealand
Local time: 20:32
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
There have been quite a lot good ideas about how to render the original flavor into English. And it has been hard for me to grade this one. Tarry/marry or merry/marry and prenuptial advisor/marriage (guidance) counsellor are all very interesting. However, I decide to take Rowans "marriage guidance counsellor" and "should have tarried before married."
Many thanks to all of you, dear colleagues, for I've learned a lot from you!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Antje Harder: An "Eheberater" offers counselling for married couples - a "prenuptial advisor" would be what you think about.
32 mins
  -> Well, "marriage guidance counsellor" is what I found in the Collins dictionary, but I will admit that Wenjer's context is referring to someone counselling people already married.
agree  Jeremy Amos: This is ok, a marriage guidance counsellor is precisely an Eheberator (in BE), i.e. post nuptial, and I like the rhyming of tarry and marry.
1 hr
  -> Thanks Jeremy.
agree  Michele Johnson: Fine approach Rowan- compensate for the lost pun. A homonym approach like marry/merry might also be appropriate.
2 hrs
  -> That's another thought - thanks Michele.
agree  Cilian O'Tuama: the shortest sentence in English is "I am", and the longest is "I do" :-)
3 hrs
  -> ROTFL! Thanks Cilian.
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
marriage counsellor (plus...)


Explanation:
One way to preserve the irony of the original (but not the pun) would be:

A marriage counsellor is someone who convinces you that getting married was a bad idea.

Ken Cox
Local time: 10:32
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Gareth McMillan: I certainly didn't need a third party to convince me of that!
25 mins
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18 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Prenuptial advisor


Explanation:
Well, can't we at least *attempt* to maintain some of the "Ehe-/ehe" pun? Something along the lines of:

A prenuptial advisor is someone who reminds you how happy you were pre-nuptial. (Or: before you got married).

I think this works well because there really are prenuptial advisors, I guess for the Donald Trumps of the world. Afraid simply "marriage counsellor" will not bring the humor across?

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Note added at 3 hrs 19 mins (2004-06-23 12:58:54 GMT)
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Rowan has inspired me, so let me just post this here. Would something involving marry/merry work? A marriage counselor is someone who reminds you how merry you were before you married? Might sound too dorky though.

Michele Johnson
Germany
Local time: 10:32
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  roneill: This appeals to my quirky sense of humor!
6 hrs
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