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schadenfreude

English translation: malicious joy

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:schadenfreude
English translation:malicious joy
Entered by: Christopher Gierig

21:02 Mar 23, 2002
German to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary
German term or phrase: schadenfreude
German
Richard Wynne
malicious joy
Explanation:
This is probably the best English translation of this word. It refers to taking joy in someone else's failure or suffering
Selected response from:

Christopher Gierig
United States
Local time: 15:39
Grading comment
Graded automatically based on peer agreement. KudoZ.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +9malicious joy
Christopher Gierig
5 +1Also "gloating"
Teresa Duran-Sanchez
4"eat your heart out"
Yngve Roennike
4deriving (to derive) pleasure from other people's misfortune
Cilian O'Tuama


  

Answers


7 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +9
malicious joy


Explanation:
This is probably the best English translation of this word. It refers to taking joy in someone else's failure or suffering


    grad student
Christopher Gierig
United States
Local time: 15:39
PRO pts in pair: 4
Grading comment
Graded automatically based on peer agreement. KudoZ.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Kim Metzger: Yes, and the word schadenfreude is also used in English.
1 min
agree  swisstell: agree with your comment
7 mins
agree  Eva Blanar: In certain contexts, I would keep schadenfreude.
11 mins
agree  Elisabeth Ghysels
20 mins
agree  Sandra Schlatter: yes, you read it over and over: there is no equivalent word in English.
21 mins
agree  Sven Petersson
1 hr
agree  athena22: Agree with Kim, Eva, Sandra. Gloat (see below) is possible too. Perhaps another possibility might be "perverse pleasure"...
2 hrs
agree  Teresa Duran-Sanchez: ".
3 hrs
agree  ingot
23 hrs
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39 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Also "gloating"


Explanation:
Yes, I agree that "schadenfreude" is also used in English and that "malicious joy" is probably the best transation, although it isn't as strong a expresion to express the pleasure in somebody else's disgrace. This is the other possible translation I've found (see ref.).

Good luck!


    Reference: http://www.wordreference.com/de/en/translation.asp?deen=scha...
Teresa Duran-Sanchez
Spain
Local time: 23:39
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in pair: 15

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  John Kinory (X): Both are excellent suggestions, and I am kicking myself for always having thought that you CANNOT translate Schadenfr': oh yes, you can. Personally, I feel that malicious joy is just as strong as Schadenf', though there may be a very subtle difference
2 hrs
  -> Thanks for your contribution!
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18 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
"eat your heart out"


Explanation:
Is a good rendition in many cases.

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Note added at 2002-03-24 17:36:40 (GMT)
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especially when you are celebrating your own success at the expense of someone else\'s misfortune.

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Note added at 2002-07-24 02:04:37 (GMT) Post-grading
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Also, copying from Dutch leedvermaak = perverse delight, malicious pleasure.

Yngve Roennike
Local time: 18:39
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 34
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3 days 15 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
deriving (to derive) pleasure from other people's misfortune


Explanation:
You have given no context whatsoever, but maybe you can rephrase as above.



Cilian O'Tuama
Germany
Local time: 00:39
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in pair: 7294
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