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Abstellgenehmigung

Glossary entry

German term or phrase:

wehe wenn sie losgelassen

English translation:

beware of their boisterous pranks

Added to glossary by BrigitteHilgner
Dec 16, 2009 14:56
14 yrs ago
3 viewers *
German term

wehe wenn sie losgelassen

German to English Marketing Tourism & Travel holiday apartment website
Die fünfte Jahreszeit ist die erste im Jahr. Die alemannische Fasnet hat jahrhundertealte Tradition. Natürlich steht jetzt das Wintervergnügen an erster Stelle und doch lohnt es sich Schellennarr und Fransenkleidle, Bollimänkli und Beerewibli anzuschauen bei den Umzügen in der Umgebung- aber - wehe wenn sie losgelassen
Proposed translations (English)
3 +5 beware of their boisterous pranks
2 +4 but beware when they're let loose
4 woe betide you when they are let loose!
3 but you'd better watch out when they go on the rampage
3 watch out once they're (being) turned lose
3 "Woe! when loose from all its ties ...!"
3 when you're hot, you're hot
References
Schiller: Song of the Bell
Change log

Dec 30, 2009 08:06: BrigitteHilgner Created KOG entry

Discussion

Lancashireman Dec 16, 2009:
loslassen Is there anything in your source text to suggest that these figures are being held back or physically restrained in any way, Rachel? Maybe by handlers in the procession. Or would that be an overly literal interpretation of this well-known quote? And could we perhaps see the next sentence which quite possibly goes on to elucidate further, i.e. the mischief that they get up to, which is anticipated in one of the popular versions below?
Thomas Pfann Dec 16, 2009:
Schiller hin oder her Ursprünglich mag der Satz ja aus Schillers Lied von der Glocke stammen, ist seither aber als ganz eigenständige Wendung ohne jeglichen Bezug zu Schillers Glocke in die Alltagssprache eingegangen.<br><br>Auch die Bedeutung selbst hat sich leicht verschoben: In der Glocke bezieht sich das "sie" auf die "freie Tochter der Natur" (= das Feuer), während das "sie" hier heutzutage eher im Plural zu verstehen ist und sich in der Regel auf eine Gruppe von Personen bezieht. Der typische Deutsche (einschließlich meiner selbst) denkt bei "wehe, wenn sie losgelassen" vermutlich tatsächlich eher an den von EdithK erwähnten Peter-Alexander-Film, als an Schillers Gedicht.
Armorel Young Dec 16, 2009:
It is indeed Schiller and in Marianna Wertz's translation as "Song of the bell" this line appears as "Woe, when it is liberated".
http://www.schillerinstitute.org/transl/trans_schil_1poems.h...
Edith Kelly Dec 16, 2009:
sorry, you are right talking about writers ....
Edith Kelly Dec 16, 2009:
sibsab you are write, it's Schiller, and here the full text:
meister.igl.uni-freiburg.de/gedichte/sch_fv04.html
Sabine Akabayov, PhD Dec 16, 2009:
It's Schiller das Lied von der Glocke
Rachel Taylor (asker) Dec 16, 2009:
no sadly no more to the text!
Edith Kelly Dec 16, 2009:
ok not a poet but a film de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wehe,_wenn_sie_losgelassen
Edith Kelly Dec 16, 2009:
Jonathan this is the whole sentence, this is a "geflügeltes Wort", can't remember by which poet
Ingeborg Gowans (X) Dec 16, 2009:
w/ Jonathan: it is important to know what follows.Ii would suspect something along the lines of "wait till they get going/ watch out when they get into action... does that fit?
Jonathan MacKerron Dec 16, 2009:
is there more to this sentence??

Proposed translations

+5
29 mins
Selected

beware of their boisterous pranks

My suggestion
Peer comment(s):
agree Cetacea : Nice one. That's the sense here, anyway, and since Schiller's quote isn't that well known in the English speaking world, it's better to drop it. Sorry, Friedrich... ;-)
21 mins
Thank you, Cetacea. Yes, of course, I do apologize for straying from the original - but I think people should get an idea of what to expect. :-)
agree Ingeborg Gowans (X) : that could work, too as it is quite often part of the "Fastnacht" tradition, I guess
1 hr
Danke schön, Inge. Ja, wenn die Narren frei rumlaufen, wird es wild ... Ich nehme an, in Kanada ist man vor ihnen sicher? Hier in Wien spielt sich zu Fastnach auch nicht viel ab - aber in anderen Landesteilen. Liebe Grüße aus der Kälte. :-)
agree franglish
1 hr
Thank you, franglish. Have a nice evening.
agree Melanie Nassar : I agree, as neither the Schiller quote not the movie title is likely to mean anything to an English-speaking person, might as well convey the meaning (and give a warning).
2 hrs
Thank you, Melanie. I don't know the movie either - I was quite surprised to read that such a movie exists. :-)
agree Bernhard Sulzer : or: but know this (don't kid yourself), they're a wild bunch: like your approach of explaining to the English reader what these characters are about (they're boisterous); makes good sense in English (IMO).
11 hrs
Thank you, Bernhard. Yes, I think in this case an explanation might be more helpful than a more literal translation. Have a pleasant day!
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
+4
6 mins

but beware when they're let loose

though it sounds as though something is missing at the end of your sentence
Peer comment(s):
agree Ingeborg Gowans (X) : my first thought goes in that direction, now that we know it is based on Schiller's Glocke "festgemauert in der Erden ..." not sure that helps?
19 mins
thx, or "beware when they are let loose to roam freely"?
agree British Diana
22 mins
thx
agree franglish : but beware when they're unleashed, or does it sound too ominous?
1 hr
agree William Murphy : watch out lest they get loose
2 hrs
Something went wrong...
14 mins

but you'd better watch out when they go on the rampage

... unless they are actually 'unleashed' by some other figure in the procession
Something went wrong...
16 mins

watch out once they're (being) turned lose

Der Gebrauch von "being" ist optional.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 32 mins (2009-12-16 15:29:10 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

That is, of course, loose.
Peer comment(s):
neutral Ingeborg Gowans (X) : loose
8 mins
Of course! Thank you, Ingeborg.
Something went wrong...
48 mins

"Woe! when loose from all its ties ...!"


"Woe! when loose from all its ties,
To its growing rage no bar,
And destroying all it meets. ..."

(The song of the bell, by Friedrich von Schiller)

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&as_q=The Song of the Bell...
(page 9, line 1)

German version:
"Wehe, wenn sie losgelassen,
Wachsend ohne Widerstand ..."

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&as_q=Schiller Die Glocke&...
Something went wrong...
4 hrs

when you're hot, you're hot

as Gerry Reed (I think it was) sang in his song...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 hrs (2009-12-16 18:58:43 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

victim of Fasnacht, Altweiber, and other carnevalistic atrocities ;-)
Something went wrong...
5 days

woe betide you when they are let loose!

I think that this suits the context...
Something went wrong...

Reference comments

15 mins
Reference:

Schiller: Song of the Bell

here a half-official translation

www.schillerinstitute.org/transl/trans_schil_1poems.html

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 17 mins (2009-12-16 15:13:45 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

see also:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_of_the_Bell
Peer comments on this reference comment:
agree Cetacea : You're absolutely right, of course, but since an English speaking audience is probably not going to recognize the reference, IMO it would be better to create something new altogether rather than to quote Schiller.
31 mins
Thx, true, was just meant as a reference
Something went wrong...
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