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  2. English to German

browse

German translation: surfen

08:30 Aug 25, 2001
English to German translations [Non-PRO]
Tech/Engineering
English term or phrase: browse
Gibt es einen deutschen Ausdruck fuer "to browse the internet"?
Vielen Dank.
M. Playford
German translation:surfen
Explanation:
im Internet surfen
Selected response from:

Andy Lemminger
Canada
Local time: 13:01
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
na +3surfen
Andy Lemminger
na +3I would say...
IngePreiss
na +2browsen
Alexander Schleber (X)
nabrowsen
Dan McCrosky (X)


  

Answers


1 min peer agreement (net): +3
surfen


Explanation:
im Internet surfen


    own experience
Andy Lemminger
Canada
Local time: 13:01
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in pair: 2242

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  italia
17 mins
agree  Geri Linda Metterle: but of course surfen = OK too
2 hrs
agree  Roland Grefer
4 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

2 mins peer agreement (net): +3
I would say...


Explanation:
im Internet surfen, although this verb is also of english origin as many words when it comes to internet, it etc.

hth

inge

IngePreiss
Germany
Local time: 21:01
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in pair: 82

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  italia
16 mins
agree  Geri Linda Metterle: can be also to browse your local folders :)
2 hrs
agree  Roland Grefer
4 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

1 hr peer agreement (net): +2
browsen


Explanation:
The word has been taken over into German, as you can see from the 11600 hits on Google.

HTH


    Reference: http://www.google.com/search?as_q=&num=10&btnG=Google+Search...
    computer and programmaing and Internet experience
Alexander Schleber (X)
Belgium
Local time: 21:01
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 1466

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Geri Linda Metterle
1 hr
agree  Roland Grefer
3 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

22 hrs
browsen


Explanation:
Since the verbs "to browse" and "to surf" both exist in English with reference to moving from one site to another and another and another in the Internet, the use of the neuGerman verb "surfen" for "to browse" would be very dependent on the context and possibly not right.

Originally "to browse" meant "schmökern", "umschauen", "umsehen", "durchblättern", "durchforschen", or "blättern", it meant an unhurried, relaxed perusal of a book, many books or magazines in a book shop or news agent's, or clothes in an apparel shop. In contrast, "to surf" meaning "surfen" meant a much faster, more hectic, agile, urgent activity.

The difference has usually been retained in the Internet meanings of the two verbs. An Internet "surfer" leaps from site to site with much agility and speed like a "surfer" on a board moves over the water. To explain the way an exuberant teenager surfs the Internet, one could never say "s/he is browsing the Internet". When I am moving methodically from site to site looking for word usage in the Internet, that same teenager would laugh if I said I was "surfing" the net.

Unfortunately for the translator, the Internet surfer and the person browsing through the Internet both use the same tool, a "browser" and the person might be a "surfer" but almost never a "browser".

For "to browse", you could certainly use "browsen", "umschauen", "durchforschen", "umsehen", "durchforsten", "durchblättern", or "blättern" depending on your context but "surfen" might imply too much speed and "schmökern" might imply too little speed.

As Alexander mentioned above, the other neuGerman verb "browsen" seems to have been quite clearly "eingeGermaned". Even when the ".de" domain, as well as the language "German", is added to the query, there are still nearly 10,000 hits for "browsen".

http://www.google.com/search?as_q=browsen&num=100&btnG=Googl...

HTH

Dan


Dan McCrosky (X)
Local time: 21:01
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 390
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