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Unwort

English translation: "Non-word"

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:Unwort
English translation:"Non-word"
Entered by: writeaway

12:12 Jan 26, 2003
German to English translations [PRO]
Marketing / Presentation
German term or phrase: Unwort
Der Euro wird zum Unwort des Jarhes: Teuro
Lydia Molea
Germany
Local time: 21:51
"Non-word"
Explanation:
A group of journalists and linguists in Frankfurt has declared Gotteskrieger (holy warrior) the "Unwort" (nonword) of 2001, putting the term at the top of its list of the year's most offensive media buzzwords.http://www.germany-ch/info/publications/week/012502/misc1.ht...

seems like a reasonable translation
Selected response from:

writeaway
Grading comment
Thanks, I think this fits best. However, I do like all the other answers. Thank you for your help, everyone!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +5"Non-word"
writeaway
4 +1eurosis
William Stein
3 +2the euro got itself a bad name as the Teuro
Armorel Young
4 +1the new-speak word of the year
Nancy Arrowsmith
4word of the year
Nicole Tata
4sick word of the year
Dr. Fred Thomson
4weird word
Eva Blanar
3the 'T-word'
jerrie
3oxymoron of the year
Jonathan MacKerron


  

Answers


12 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +5
"Non-word"


Explanation:
A group of journalists and linguists in Frankfurt has declared Gotteskrieger (holy warrior) the "Unwort" (nonword) of 2001, putting the term at the top of its list of the year's most offensive media buzzwords.http://www.germany-ch/info/publications/week/012502/misc1.ht...

seems like a reasonable translation

writeaway
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 1179
Grading comment
Thanks, I think this fits best. However, I do like all the other answers. Thank you for your help, everyone!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jacqueline van der Spek: definitely!
35 mins
agree  Endre Both
57 mins
agree  gangels (X): perhaps 'dread word'
2 hrs
agree  Chris Rowson (X): Looking at the 8 interesting proposals now here, I like this best.
13 hrs
agree  Susan Geiblinger
17 hrs
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22 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
the 'T-word'


Explanation:
(bit like the 'f' word)

The taboo word
The swear word

jerrie
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:51
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 1469
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
word of the year


Explanation:
I would keep it nice and simple.
Unwort describes a word with a negative meaning, like a negative buzzword - except Teuro means nothing in English so you'd have to explain the pun anyway.

I found over 600 English speaking google hits talking about Teuro being voted Germany's 'word of the year', mostly followed by an explanation of the pun.

I'll find some examples in a minute.





--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-01-26 13:21:10 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Thursday, Jan. 2. Why \"Teuro,\" a combination of \"euro\" and \"expensive,\" was Germany\'s official word of the year in 2002. international papers June Thomas, Jan. ...
politics.msn.com/

Euro\'s starting to get a bad name in German A German language association voted \"teuro\" its word of the year, Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported, citing the group. ...
www.sun-sentinel.com/business/local/ sfl-ybquick06jan06,0,6634297.story?coll=sfla-business-headlines

The word \"Teuro\" (a pun on the German word for expensive, teuer) was just voted Germany\'s official \"word of the year.\" A year after euros replaced deutsche ...
www.euroswapper.com/forum/ viewtopic.php?p=4693&l=nl

hope it helps

Nicole Tata
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:51
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in pair: 1326
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
sick word of the year


Explanation:
For your consideration.

Dr. Fred Thomson
United States
Local time: 13:51
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in pair: 5861
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
eurosis


Explanation:
The disease of the year: eurosis [of the pocketbook]

I thought of "abs-word-ity" for "Unwort", but I couldn't find any suitable application in this context.

Your pun reminds me of another:
Why is the tea callled Oolong?
Because the name was too-long.

William Stein
Costa Rica
Local time: 13:51
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 1734

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  gangels (X): like it a lot
59 mins
  -> Thanks, Klaus.
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
the euro got itself a bad name as the Teuro


Explanation:
A looser translation, because as others have pointed out, there isn't a handy English word with the negative connotations of Unwort. A phrase like this has the advantage that it makes the link from Euro to Teuro (perhaps better than the original, which doesn't really make it clear whether the Unwort is Euro or Teuro).

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Note added at 2003-01-26 14:33:58 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

On reflection, I think I prefer \"acquired a bad name\"

Armorel Young
Local time: 20:51
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in pair: 4700

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Teresa Reinhardt
3 hrs
agree  Ron Stelter
22 hrs
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
the new-speak word of the year


Explanation:
This has the negative connotation of Unwort, and has been widely used in political journalism. My father and other intellectuals love to pick out new, horifying, grammar-defying examples of new-speak.

Nancy Arrowsmith
Local time: 13:51
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 474

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Sarah Downing: Yup, originally from Orwell's 1984
42 mins
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6 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
oxymoron of the year


Explanation:
is another possibility

Jonathan MacKerron
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in pair: 5577
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3 days 19 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
weird word


Explanation:
my guess, if you're looking for something short

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2003-01-30 07:27:53 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I just found out that this is a traditional competition in Germany, see:
http://www.unwort.de/
http://swpat.ffii.org/analysis/unwort/index.de.html
You can even vote at http://www.freenet.de/freenet/unterhaltung/fun/stories/unwor...

Eva Blanar
Hungary
Local time: 21:51
Native speaker of: Hungarian
PRO pts in pair: 247
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