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23:48 Jun 21, 2011
German to English translations [PRO] Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature
German term or phrase:Mundwerk
From a 1921 short-story collection by a Swiss-German author.
"Sie setzte sich dann in den Hintergrund und haspelte da die Maschen ihres Strickstrumpfes ab. (Es war eine Art Mundwerk, dieser Strickstrumpf; und wenn sie so fundiert war, konnte man sich das übrige denken.) An diesem Morgen fing sie aus irgendeinem Grund zu plaudern an."
Generally "Mundwerk" refers to speech of an informal sort, but although she's also chatting, I don't see how the Strickstrumpf itself becomes "eine Art Mundwerk." Maybe there's an additional meaning I'm missing?
Explanation: It seems the author, like other contemporaries, plays with an analogy between the clacking of needles and chatting people (see reference below). I think "wagging tongue" could this parallel between moving mouths and moving needles.
Thanks -- I think I'll change the phrasing a little, but I think you're right that the sound of the knitting itself is being compared to chatting. 4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer
Es ist schon lange her, aber ich habe in grauer Vorzeit in der Schule einen Strumpf gestrickt - ich weiß, wie die Öffnung eines Strickstrumpfs aussieht, ganz ohne Herrn Freund bemühen zu müssen.
Aside from the fact that doing needlework used to be a welcome occasion for women to chat (it doesn't take up much of your brain activities), the repetitive and mechanical work will trigger your urge to chat, similar to the urge to sing in the shower. Like praying the rosary, working on her Strickstrumpf made her talkative.
a sock you will use 5 needles; the shape of the knitted piece[sock] resembles an open mouth, and the clicking sound of the needles might sound like chatter.
It looked like a kind of mouth (?)
"Mundwerk is usally,only used in:" Er hat ein lockeres Mundwerk", means he talks much and not very polite, without really thinking much about what he says. Can be also offending.
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Answers
2 hrs confidence:
gift of the gab
Explanation: It's the first thing that comes to mind. Yes, it can be the "loose lips sink ships" kind of thing, but also "lip" in the sense of sassy, insulting prattle. Here it seems to say the knitting was its own kind of prattle. When she settled this way, you could guess what she thought, but she'd keep it to herself. On this occasion she did not, but chose to talk. The context might prove me wrong.
Horst Huber Local time: 08:21 Specializes in field Native speaker of: German PRO pts in category: 3
Explanation: ...reeled off the stiches of her knitting/knitted stocking. One could compare it to a litany that, once under way, one could imagine what it would lead to.
franglish Local time: 14:21 Native speaker of: German PRO pts in category: 20
Explanation: It seems the author, like other contemporaries, plays with an analogy between the clacking of needles and chatting people (see reference below). I think "wagging tongue" could this parallel between moving mouths and moving needles.
Example sentence(s):
Die Frauen stricken nämlich auf einmal wieder wie wild und lassen Nadeln und Mundwerk teilweise sogar in gemütlichen Kleingruppen klappern.
ihr Mundwerk steht nie still her tongue never stops wagging inf
The translation workplace 
