User's manual vs. User manual

[Harding, Dan]

ACHTUNG! ALLES LOOKENSPEEPERS! Das computermachine ist nicht fuer gefingerpoken und mittengrabben. Ist easy schnappen der springenwerk, blowenfusen und poppencorken mit spitzensparken. Ist nicht fuer gewerken bei das dumpkopfen. Das rubbernecken sichtseeren keepen das cotten-pickenen hans in das pockets muss; relaxen und watchen das blinkenlichten.



-----Original Message-----
From: framers-bounces at lists.frameusers.com [mailto:framers-bounces at lists.frameusers.com] On Behalf Of Syed Zaeem Hosain (Syed.Hosain at aeris.net)
Sent: Monday, March 16, 2015 10:55 AM
To: Davis, David; framers at lists.frameusers.com
Subject: RE: User's manual vs. User manual

David Davis said:
> In German they get around this kind of thing by making compound nouns, so you'd have the equivalent of "Usermanual"  (Benutzerhandbuch...?), but English prefers to leave a space.

Indeed! :) 

Reminds me of the time I was helping a fraternity brother (fluent German speaker) translate a highly technical document from German to English for his summer job and we encountered this (or some similar) word: "SchwebendeElektroMagnetischenFeld" .... and that was one of the simpler compound words there!

The translation we provided in English was "Levitating Electro-Magnetic Field". The word "Schwebende" means something else I think, but the context was MagLev trains, so "Levitating" seemed better to me! :)

I have never forgotten this story even though it has been 40 years now. I ended up sudying German for two semesters the year after that summer - needed it as a foreign language requirement. 

Z

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