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Lebensfreude

English translation: lust for life


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10:22 Aug 8, 2006
German to English translations [PRO]
Social Sciences - Social Science, Sociology, Ethics, etc. / marketing blurb
German term or phrase: Lebensfreude
Again from CD inlay info: a Latin music compilation where they're talking about the melting pot/poverty trap that is Rio.
"Eine Stadt voller Kontraste: Surfer, sonnenhungrige Touristen, braungebrannte Schönheiten, Karneval und **Lebensfreude** auf der einen, Favelas auf der anderen Seite"
... for which I have:
"A city of contrasts: surfers, sun-worshipping tourists, bronzed beauties, carnival and XX, ..."
I need - may I stress - something that fits in with that (although alternative suggestions are welcome!), whether alliterative or just nicely phrased.

TIA!
(sorry, not sure exactly which Kudoz category this comes under)
xxxFrancis Lee
Local time: 08:30
English translation:lust for life
Explanation:
Iggy said it best...
Selected response from:

HarryHedgehog
Germany
Local time: 08:30
Grading comment
A sneaky last-minute winner, there.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +6joie de vivre
Cilian O'Tuama
3 +4lust for life
HarryHedgehog
4 +2joi de vivre
Stephen Roche
3 +2exuberance / exuberant spirits
Steffen Walter
5Zest for lifexxxkaykaydeutsc
4 +1joyous celebration of lifexxxIanW
4vitality
Annika Neudecker
4good cheer
Ineke Hardy
3gaietyxxxCMJ_Trans
3joyous, fee-flowing life
Nicole Schnell
3joie de vivre sounds a bit poncy ...TonyTK
3pulsating atmosphere
Henry Schroeder
2life forceMMUlr


Discussion entries: 2





  

Answers


3 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
joi de vivre


Explanation:
or high spirits

Stephen Roche
Local time: 08:30
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Steffen Walter: joi*e de vivre ;-)
1 min
  -> ah, too much nose-picking in French class
agree  lone
1 hr
agree  Ingeborg Gowans: this term is definitely understood in English as well
11 hrs
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5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +6
joie de vivre


Explanation:
unless you object to the bl**din' obvious

;-)

Cilian O'Tuama
Local time: 08:30
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 24
Notes to answerer
Asker: Erm, sadly I do. This was indeed the first thing that occured to me, but was immediately discarded because I just feel it doesn't fit in. For me, it reeks more of 1960s cote d'azure. ;-)


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Kieran McCann: I think this is indeed what we say for this in English, no doubt because we're unfamiliar with the concept ourselves.../could I borrow that shirt if it's going spare?/yeah, as long as there's a flexible dress code...
11 mins
  -> the sort of tripe you find on CD leaflets / absolutely berserk! you at the powwow in Düsseldorf?
neutral  TonyTK: Surely there are still some single men out there ... // As a follow-up to Kieran's comment, I was suggesting that being married depletes the general supply of joie ve vivre. But you've gone and ruined it. // It wouldn't fit, mate.
20 mins
  -> je ne follow pas / would it cheer you up if I lent you my shirt?
agree  Armin Prediger
24 mins
agree  Textklick: I don't think it sounds 'poncy' (see below) Absolute standard expression. Only problem is that, like 'xenophobia', it's a bloody foreign word.
53 mins
  -> I don't see anything wrong iwth it either - not reserved for Brigitte Bardot
agree  writeaway
2 hrs
agree  roneill
3 hrs
agree  Trudy Peters
8 hrs
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11 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
Zest for life


Explanation:
"Lebensfreude" literally translates into "Zest for Life" in English. It means to have a groove. It can also be defined as "to have a life filled with enthusiasm."

Example sentence(s):
  • Most Indian children are affectionate and warm and have a zest for life.
xxxkaykaydeutsc
Notes to answerer
Asker: Works fine in your sample sentence - but in my case things are just a bid, erm, sweatier. Sorry, but I do have to question the validity of your "absolutely sure" confidence level in this context. ;-)

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12 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
life force


Explanation:
Only a (non-native) suggestion, a little bit off the "-freude" track, but also used in your very context:

http://travel.msn.com/Guides/article.aspx?cp-documentid=2495...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2000/11/17/...



MMUlr
Germany
Local time: 08:30
Native speaker of: German

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Stephen Roche: a bit star wars
1 hr
  -> OK thanks :-)
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11 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
joyous, fee-flowing life


Explanation:
energy-filled, full of live, flowing with energy.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 14 mins (2006-08-08 10:37:02 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

"free-flowing", not "fee" (dang.)

Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 23:30
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 7

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  xxxIanW: My student days were pretty "fee-flowing" all right ... :-)
20 mins
  -> Aww, do not mock my stupid typo. :-(
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15 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
joie de vivre sounds a bit poncy ...


Explanation:
Maybe "high spirits", "non-stop fun", ...

TonyTK
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8
Notes to answerer
Asker: If I were an Answerer, you'd get a slam-dunk Agree from me on your headline, Mr. T.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Stephen Roche: no poncier than menage a trois or fois gras//well let's face it, French toast is poncy for a Manc
1 hr
  -> Well, "foie gras" is really poncy for a Mancunian. I'm not sure about the "menage" thingy - probably depends who you do it with.
neutral  writeaway: but you agreed with joyous celebration of life and that sounds a bit "evangelical" (not wishing to beat about the bush)
1 hr
  -> Well, I started off with a "neutral" and changed it to an "agree". Ian pays well.
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21 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
gaiety


Explanation:
is what I would have said before the word was denatured....

Shame reallly.....

xxxCMJ_Trans
Local time: 08:30
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 24
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54 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
pulsating atmosphere


Explanation:
or pulsating with some other noun.

I found this idea of pulsating at some website on the city and think it would fit in your sentence. They used "pulsating city", but you would have to reconstruct your sentence to do that.

Another website did use "love of life" for Rio: http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:m9HNFhEfBtMJ:www.carnav... (middle of second paragraph) - another viable option apparently.

P.S. I would use the plural "carnavals" rather than the singular, but that is probably a typo.

Henry Schroeder
United States
Local time: 02:30
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Notes to answerer
Asker: Yup. Good idea. That's the spirit! "Love of life" is also sound.

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35 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
joyous celebration of life


Explanation:
Perhaps you could work in "joyous celebration of life" into the sentence. Better still, you could seek out the Portuguese equivalent of "joie de vivre" and if it is recognisable to the readership, I'd use that.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2006-08-08 11:23:52 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

The Portuguese for "joie de vivre" is "prazer de viver", so that probably wouldn't work after all.

xxxIanW
Local time: 08:30
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 16
Notes to answerer
Asker: Funny. After returning from an invigorating half-hour midday manicure, the first notification mail I opened was Cilian's with "the bl**din' obvious" - prompting me to ponder (before refreshing the page): perhaps there is after all a relatively literal rendering which is not, however, joie de vivre. I thought: I wonder if anyone's suggested "celebration of life"? ...

Asker: I wonder how long it takes to clean R's ears out (never mind his tongue)?


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  TonyTK: "Rooney foi prematurao bathao" // Changed it to "agree". Possibly slightly religious but it's been growing on me (your answer that is, not religion).
9 mins
  -> And misunderstood "going for the tackle"
neutral  Nesrin: That would be "alegria de viver" in Portuguese, but I don't know how understandable that would be for the English reader (prazer=pleasure, alegria=joy. It's also the more common expression)
27 mins
  -> Thanks - I don't think either of these would be understood by most readers, so better to drop the idea.
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +4
lust for life


Explanation:
Iggy said it best...

HarryHedgehog
Germany
Local time: 08:30
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
A sneaky last-minute winner, there.
Notes to answerer
Asker: Now THAT's what I'd call an obvious (and perfectly feasible) answer ...


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  TonyTK: Typical. Wait till wer're all exhausted, then slip in an easy one while no one's looking.
26 mins
  -> I was away from my desk for a couple of hours because I gave blood - how's that for an excuse?
agree  yyyzzz: An attribute of participants in this forum.
32 mins
agree  roneill: alliterative also
2 hrs
agree  xxxnatalia m
23 hrs
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8 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
exuberance / exuberant spirits


Explanation:
... to add some variety ...

As an aside, am I correct that "joy of life" isn't exactly what you're after? (seems too obvious...)

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2006-08-08 12:25:21 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Perhaps even "vibrant life/atmosphere" or "vibrancy", as an offshoot from Henry Schroeder's suggestion "pulsating atmosphere" (aka the "pulse of the city").


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2006-08-08 12:26:22 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Never ever is this question Non-PRO, Francis - this is just too intricate.

Steffen Walter
Germany
Local time: 08:30
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 8
Notes to answerer
Asker: Yes, Steffen. You read my mind regards "joy of life".


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Stephen Roche: exuberance is good
1 hr
agree  Woodstock: Yes, I like this, too. A good fit, IMO.
4 hrs
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
good cheer


Explanation:
Not too "poncey" for the context? Or how about jollity.

Ineke Hardy
Canada
Local time: 02:30
Native speaker of: Native in DutchDutch
Notes to answerer
Asker: I certainly appreicate the input, Inke, but I must again stress that any solution has to fit the specified sentence. ;-)

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12 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
vitality


Explanation:
My 2 cents:

I'll go with "vitality" (in stark contrast to "Favelas"):

From http://www.brasilien.de/volk/bevoelkerung/favela.asp
"Das Leben unter den Umständen der Favelas kann man oft nur als Überlebenskampf bezeichnen. Dass diese soziale Situation die Eskalation von Gewalt und den Konsum von Drogen zur Folge hat, ist klar. Schiessereien, Raub und Vergewaltigungen sind an der Tagesordnung. Alkohol und Drogen "helfen" dabei, den harten Alltag zu vergessen."

"Vitality" is defined as "The capacity to live, grow, or develop".



Annika Neudecker
Local time: 08:30
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
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Voters for reclassification
as
PRO / non-PRO		Non-PRO (1): Nicole Schnell


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Changes made by editors
Aug 8, 2006 - Changes made by Marcus Malabad:
FieldArt/Literary => Social Sciences
Field (specific)General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters => Social Science, Sociology, Ethics, etc.


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