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Glossary entry

German term or phrase:

In meiner Badewanne bin ich Kapitän

English translation:

It's my party so I'll scream if I want to!

Added to glossary by Jack Doughty
Apr 22, 2002 10:04
22 yrs ago
German term

In meiner Badewanne bin ich Kapitän

German to English Other proverbs
this is a German proverb!
Proposed translations (English)
2 I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.
5 +4 A man's house is his castle
4 +3 I'm the boss here!
4 +2 I am captain of my own ship.
4 +2 Inside my own 4 walls I am king.
4 +1 In this little corner of my world...
5 Backyard

Proposed translations

54 mins
Selected

I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.

This is a well-known quotation from a Victorian poem, but I don't think it really covers the territorial aspect.
On a more childish level, how about:
"It's my party, so I'll cry if I want to!"
Peer comment(s):
neutral Сергей Лузан : Too far from the original, but the second part.
1 hr
neutral Roddy Stegemann : This does seem to wander a bit from the reality of a bath tub, doesn't it?
1 hr
agree manfredb : Absolutely. "Fate" is the correct
1 hr
disagree Joy Christensen : That quotations should not be used as these were the last words of Timothy McVeigh. Beautiful quote used by the misguided man responsible for the Oklahoma bombing..
7 hrs
I didn't know that but why should it stop me quoting a fine poem even if I had? Would you ban Wagner's music because Hitler liked it?
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "It's my party so I scream... was quite fitting!"
+4
2 mins

A man's house is his castle

What do you think of this? :-)

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Note added at 2002-04-22 10:14:25 (GMT)
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Or \"A man\'s home is his castle\"

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Note added at 2002-04-22 10:39:29 (GMT)
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A note to Alison: please note that the German proverb is not PC either! We can\'t take the PC issue to the point of being ridiculous and changing existing proverbs. Remember the disaster of trying to rewrite the Bible in terms of PC: PC freaks insisted in saying God/Goddess because according to them it was sexist to consider God to be masculine! For God/Goddess\'s sake... ;-)
Peer comment(s):
agree Cassandra Greer : :)
2 mins
neutral Mary Worby : A man's home (or 'An Englishman's home') is more common, I believe ...
5 mins
Good suggestion, thanks!
neutral Alison Schwitzgebel : yes, the saying exists, but some would think it not PC to use "man", and "an Englishperson's home..." just sounds really wierd!
20 mins
I don't think one ought to change a saying just to be "politically correct". I'm a woman and I would still say this. Let's not exaggerate with the PC issue.
agree brute (X) : Well said, Cid; weird's but Ali's spelling!
59 mins
agree Сергей Лузан : The very best, I presume.
2 hrs
agree Joy Christensen : My home is my castle --- this is what I thought of.
8 hrs
Something went wrong...
+3
20 mins

I'm the boss here!

Just as an alternative, I agree with the previous answerer too.

other suggestions: This is my patch!

I'm the king of the castle!

I'm the captain of this ship! (this could be used for anything, really, like even a project...)
Peer comment(s):
agree Alison Schwitzgebel : I like "I'm the captain of this ship" - it gets round the PC aspect of man/woman!!!
2 mins
agree jerrie : I'm captain of my own ship, I'm in charge
8 mins
neutral Teresa Duran-Sanchez : Good options but it would depend on whether the asker is looking for an existing, established saying or just for an equivalent expression.
10 mins
agree Сергей Лузан : Possible.
1 hr
agree Kathi Stock : That's definitely the bottom line of the meaning
2 hrs
disagree Joy Christensen : I dunno, they all sound a nuance too sharp.
8 hrs
Something went wrong...
+2
36 mins

I am captain of my own ship.

This is an alternative to "A man's home is his castle". It avoids the problem of PC and shares a similar naval motif -- only the scale is different.

Obviously the author has little sympathy for Japanese culture.

In Japan everyone has shared the same bath at least once in his life.
Some share the same bath for their entire lives.

See homepage.mac.com/moogoonghwa under "Tatami in four languages..." The click on the Japanese symbol for moutain (yama) and follow to the end.




--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-04-22 10:43:41 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

The word \"The\" in the last line should read \"Then\".
Peer comment(s):
agree Сергей Лузан : Likely to be another option.
1 hr
agree Joy Christensen : I think this fits pretty well.
8 hrs
Something went wrong...
+2
57 mins

Inside my own 4 walls I am king.

I think the German saying implies specifically that the sayer of the saying doesn't have much to say outside his own "Badewanne".
Peer comment(s):
agree Сергей Лузан : Just one more option, dependant upon the context.
1 hr
agree Roddy Stegemann : One would hope so, anyway.
1 hr
Something went wrong...
+1
3 hrs

In this little corner of my world...

I am boss
Peer comment(s):
agree Joy Christensen : I like "corner of my world", but this one seems too humble.
5 hrs
Something went wrong...
8 hrs

Backyard

In my own backyard, I'm the one who has the say.
Something went wrong...
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