Translators - Translator Resources
ProZ.com global directory of translation services
The translation workplace
Looking for translators or interpreters?   Post translation job | Search translator directory    Premium service
12 Oct 14:57 GMT
New to ProZ.com?  Register (free)
 Login
Search
Translation Home | Language Translation Services | Translation Jobs | Professional Language Translators

German: Brillengesicht

English translation: bespectacled face







KudoZ
The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators... More
« Für die weitere Ent...Return to KudoZ list
ein Vertrag vom 09.... »


GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:Brillengesicht
English translation:bespectacled face
Entered by:BirgitBerlin
Options:
- Contribute to this entry

11:10am Apr 19, 2006Login or register (free) for more options.
German to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / teenage novel
German term or phrase: Brillengesicht
Is there a snappy way of expressing this in English?

"Laura musste eine Brille tragen, weil der Schularzt herausgefunden hatte, dass sie kurzsichtig war. Den ganzen Kindergottesdienst lang heulte Laura vor Scham und versteckte ihr **Brillengesicht** hinter ihrem Diddl-Ranzen."

Maybe something with "four eyes", but I'm not sure whether the German is a negative term or more neutral.
Rachel Ward
United Kingdom
Clarification request(s) and response
xxxFrancis Lee: 11:14am Apr 19, 2006: Could depend on the narrator's general attitude (positive, negative, neutral) toward Laura. -

bespectacled face
Explanation:
Brillengesicht is not negative, Brillenschlange is.
I'd say "She hid her bespectacled face behind the "Diddl" school-bag."

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 mins (2006-04-19 11:15:01 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Terence beat me to it...
Selected response from:

BirgitBerlin
Germany
Note from asker to answerer
Thanks, everyone
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +6bespectacled face
BirgitBerlin
4 +1bespectacled face
Terence Ajbro
4 -1four-eyed faceArmin Prediger
3four eyes
Ingeborg Gowans


  

Answers

2 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
bespectacled face

Explanation:
--

Terence Ajbro
Denmark
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 28

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree Cetacea: Yes, I think "four eyes" would be too negative here.
26 mins
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)


3 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +6
bespectacled face

Explanation:
Brillengesicht is not negative, Brillenschlange is.
I'd say "She hid her bespectacled face behind the "Diddl" school-bag."

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 mins (2006-04-19 11:15:01 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Terence beat me to it...

BirgitBerlin
Germany
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 16
Note from asker to answerer
Thanks, everyone

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree Ian M-H: Terence only got there first because you took the trouble to offer an explanation.
31 mins
  -> Thanks, Ian.
agree Annette Urbschat
50 mins
  -> Thanks, Annette.
agree Bryan Smith: Yes, I think this is the best choice here
1 hr
  -> Thank you!
agree Steven Sidore
1 hr
  -> Thanks!
agree Walter Köppe
2 hrs
  -> Thanks!
agree Nicole Schnell
6 hrs
  -> Thank you!
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)


20 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
four eyes

Explanation:
this came to mind immediately, if it doesn't sound too negative in the context.
Obviously she wasn't happy with it.


Ingeborg Gowans
Canada
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral Ian M-H: Offering this suggestion with the qualification "if it doesn't sound too negative" is merely repeating Asker's question: "Maybe something with 'four eyes', but I'm not sure whether the German is a negative term"
29 mins
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)


25 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): -1
four-eyed face

Explanation:
While Brillengesicht is not as negative as Brillenschlange, I wouldn't consider it 100% neutral; also, the excerpt indicates that Laura is ashamed of her glasses. In conjunction with the context of a teen novel and the request for a snappy way of saying this, I would suggest 'four-eyed face'.

Armin Prediger
Ireland
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree Bryan Smith: I would not consider "four-eyed face" at all correct as I have never heard four-eyes used as an adjective in real life so why do it here... "four-eyes" is just a name refering to PERSON, not a face.
48 mins
  -> With all respect, it's "four-eyed" used as an adjective, not "four-eyes". Seems to be a common enough adjective according to google, and its meaning is very clear in this context.
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)





Return to KudoZ list

Copyright © 1999-2008 ProZ.com - All rights reserved. Privacy policy