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German Translation - Discussion Thread


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In here I'd like to have any and all discussion on the German translation. For the first discussion subject (and this will be a long one), I'd like some help from the community and from Chris to decide which terms to use on those translations that are not clear or have to be changed on grounds of other consideration in German.

I'll be posting the word in question, then it's possible translation and information on those and I'll do this in English so that everyone here can understand. Any German people would understand the translations themselves in any way.

I'll put my preferred translation(s) in bold face and hide most behind spoiler tags, as it will be quite a long post otherwise.

Warning: The spoiler tags are both here as a means to shorten the display length of the post, as well as to keep people that have as of yet advance further into the game to get spoiled on the possible things that appear. So, if you do not want to get spoiled on what is in store for you in the future, do not read on.

1.) Race Names

1.) Unclear Race Names:

a.) Aliens/Extraterrestials - Fremde; Extraterrestrische (ExTerrer); Außerirdische; Invasoren; Aliens
I said I'd put my favorites in bold, so why is there no bold? I have a really hard time deciding on this one, as all words are possible synomys. Even
alien
is a word that has been accepted into the German language, so would be a viable translation, however I'd like to avoid using this one as much as possible, as it sounds a bit off in most cases considering the subject matter of this game. For now I used Extraterrestrische exclusively in each place of the preliminary translation, but this inflates the text by a large amount. I thought on this and the first thing I came up with was the abbreviation
ExTerrer
(ExTerrs in English) to cut down on the amount of writing. After investigating synonyms I found the other ones to be viable substitutions most of the time.
Fremde
is the direct translation of alien into German, having here also both the meaning of someone/-thing unknown both from this or from another world.
Extraterrestrische
, again, is the direct translation of the latin derived word extraterrestials.
Außerirdische
(from without earth) is just the German term for extraterrestrials, same meaning and context conserved.
Invasoren
is invaders, which is also a sufficient substition in certain contexts. If there are no real objections against one term or the other I will use them where apropriate within texts, where I do need help is on what I should use for the entry headings, as those should be uniform. Here I would want to use Extraterrestrische as this is what is used in the English version and works quite well. The only real substitution I would want to use, if the other words does not resonate well, would be Außerirdisch.
b.) Harridan -
Harridaner
; Fledermenschen; Vogelscheuche
Since Harridan is a word with a meaning behind it, I'm having a few difficulties with this one. Now, I could go the easy route and just translate it as Harridaner and most Germans would not know that harridan is an actual word used in English. The problem is, that the only translation for harridan would be Xanthippe, wife of Sokrates and this would certainly not fit with this alien species. So I had to find alternatives and used what little creativity I have. I had a look at the xenopedia image and immediately I was reminded a bit of bats by looking at the head of the creature. Bat, in German Fledermaus, 'fleder' being a word from medieval german for 'to flutter' and 'maus' being 'mouse', so fluttermouse, I adjusted this word a bit and arrived at Fledermensch, literally 'Flutterman'. Vogelscheuche (Scarecrow) is my second thing I came up with, because of the, for humans, hideous look of this alien.
All in all, however, I think I prefer Harridaner on this one.
c.) Reaper -
Schnitter
; Sensenschrecken; Klingenschrecken; Seelenernter
Reaper has a direct translation into German, Schnitter, which is a bit of an old-fashioned word and is mainly remembered not for people harvesting crops on the field, though the word was used in this capacity, but more because of the alitereation with the grim reaper, the antropomorphization of Death himself. This word would be my favorite, but I still tried to come up with alternatives, as Chris suggested that he'd imagine the Reapers as a type of harvester of humans. Since the direct translation of harvester would rather create imagery of argricultural machinery I avoided even listing it, however Seelenernter (Soulharvester) would fit with a creature of this ferocity and deadliness. It both is implying that the being will kill you when it gets to you and that it will destroy your soul, by making a zombie (albeit a short-lived one) out of you.
Two other translations - Sensenschrecken and Klingenschrecken (Scythe-/Bladehorror) - deal more with the fact of the weapons that are part of the creature and the horror the application of their weapons can cause.
d.) Wraith - Geist;
Phantom
; Spuk
Wraiths, beings with the ability to teleport, are aptly named after a kind of apparition, a ghost, a spook, a phantom. In German there is no direct translation for Wraith, but from the options I have available I do believe the word Phantom will be the best description.

2. Vehicles (air, land and space)

2.) Vehicle names

a.) X-120 Fury - X-120 Furie; Wut;
Zorn
; Rachegöttin
The Fury is quite an interesting thing. Again, based on feedback by Chris, who clarified that this interceptor is to represent the rage of the humans against the invaders I tried to come up with alternatives. The Furies themselves, greek goddesses of revenge, can have a translation into German, but it would describe more of a hysterical and angry woman, instead of something passing judgement on the invaders. Therefore
Furie
would be my least favorite translation to use and it was so right from the start.
Rachegöttin
(goddess of revenge) however brings in the wrath of a supernatural being and the vengance for so many deaths on earth, which makes this actually my second favorite entry. Speaking of wrath, we arrive at
Zorn
, which is the german word for wrath used in sayings like 'wrath of god', this being my favorite translation and being probably closest to the rage Chris attributed to.
Wut
, is just the german word for anger, rage, but it is a bit weaker in meaning than the word Zorn and it also does not fit the designation of a fighter craft as well.
b.) Hunter (scout vehicle) -
Häscher
; Waidmann (alt. Weidmann); Jäger
The Hunter gave me quite the proverbial headache (though luckily no real one) in deciding on what I should use. The obvious choice would have been Jäger, but there is a problem with that, namely an inflation of Jäger in a lot of cases. This starts at things like German military description for certain troop types, e.g. Feldjäger (German MP), Gebirgsjäger (infantry for use in mountainous areas) or Fallschirmjäger (Paratroopers), continuing on to fighter craft, e.g. Jäger (fighter), Schwerer Jäger (heavy fighter) and interceptor (Abfangjäger).
Now, I could have gone the easy route, and just used 'Hunter' as designation in German and could have rationalized it, with it being a british made vehicle, but then I would have to explain why I germanified/localized all the other designations, but not this one. So 'Hunter' was out of the question.
Then why not just use 'Waidmann', well Waidmann is a hunter, but a hunter of only game and the mental imagery of this picture just wouldn't fit that well with a military vehicle. It is one of a guy with a rifle, wearing Lederhosen, with his Dachshund by his side.
So I arrived at
Häscher
, which is someone that pursues or seeks out supposed criminals by order of the authorities. This may be, for example, a policeman, but it does not necessarily have to be. But the pursuing and seeking does fit with the theme of a scout vehicle, as a scout is also trying to seek out the enemy and it helps nicely with avoiding the inflation of Jäger in the texts, which makes this my favorite localization for this unit.
c.) Strikecruiser - Angriffskreuzer;
Schlachtkreuzer
Mostly, this is only a decission on which word fits a bit better, in my mind it it the Schlachtkreuzer, but I'd like some input from the German community on this if possible.
d.) D-42 Shrike - FW-190 Würger
After reading the designation for the D-42 I immediately had to think of the german WWII fighter aircrafte Focke-Wulf 190, as Shrike (Würger) was it's designation. I believe the D-42 should be the FW-190....... okay, I'm not being serious on this one, but the vehicles were actually pretty easy to localize and I didn't want to end it so quickly.
;)

3. Weapons and items

3.) Weapons and items

a.) Scatter Laser - Streulaser; Schnellfeuerlaser;
Maschinenlaser
As I understand it, the Scatter Laser is the machine gun of lasers for the infantry (am just shortly before laser weaponary in my first full playthrough attempt), and this was something where there direct translation, Streulaser, just does not make much sense. In german it could mean that this laser weapon fires all over the place, but not in the direction you want it, or only if you are really lucky. So I tried Schnellfeuerlaser (Rapid-fire laser) and while it did fit better it still was not a perfect fit and it collieded with the research project to develop rapid fire lasers. So I arrived at
Maschinenlaser
, which is an amalgation of 'Maschinengewehr' (machine gun) and laser. I believe that this would convey the meaning of the weapons use in German in the best manner.
b.) Plasma bolt - Plasmablitzgewehr (-kanone); Plasmapfeilwerfer; Plasmabolzenwerfer
As I have yet to discover its usage (if it even will be in the game) I don't know which should be my favorite. I'll hold off on this one for now, until I know if, when and how it is used. For now I only put up possible candidates for a german translation
c.) MAG or MAC weaponary
I do know that these weapons are based mainly on gauss technology (gauss using magnetic coils) and some are used as railguns/-cannons (using magnetic rails instead of coils for acceleration). I also would have a translation, but I'd need to know more on what remains in the game and if, for example, the MAGSTORM is just storm added to MAG or if it is its own abbreviation. Also the difference between the MAG and MAC, is it then Magnetic Acceleration Gun and Magnetic Acceleration Cannon?
Possible candidates for MAG in German would be:
MagBeGe or MaBeGe or MBG for Magnetbeschleunigergewehr (Magnetic acceleration gun)
MagBeWa or MaBeWa or MBW for Magnetbeschleunigerwaffe (Magnetic acceleration weapon)
Some clarification would be nice, otherwise I'll just wait on the entries for the Xenopedia/Research screen or the weapon tooltips before I decide on the final translation
d.) Avalanche Torpedo - Lawine / Avalanche Torpedo
This is one where I don't know if I should really use the german word for Avalanche, which is Lawine, especially in conjunction with torpedo it seems so wrong to me in German. I'd like some input from germanspeaking community members to help me decide on this one, because right now I'm tempted to use the English designation, as I also did with the Sidewinder, as that has no German designation in the Luftwaffe either and forcing a translation on something that is using the original word in the current armed forces, would be more than an immersion breaker.

Okay, those are the terms that I really need some help with, there are a few other, minor ones, where I have several synonyms, but those are easier to decide on and are not so rife with meaning.

The only other clarification I would need right now has rather to do with game mechanics. I need to know how the value of armour mitigation exactly works, to help get the right translation for this stat to make sense in German.

Now that I've reached the end of this post, let the discussions commence.

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Regarding our poor mistreated 'Fury'...

In the point of fact, 'Fury' is both a creature and a state of mind in all languages that exported the word 'fury'.

In the other point of fact, all air vehicles so far are named after entities, not emotions, nor states of mind.

I mean, okay, options is good, but don't we have a trend here which just needs to be adequately translated?

Edited by Safaquel
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Regarding our poor mistreated 'Fury'...

In the point of fact, 'Fury' is both a creature and a state of mind in all languages that exported the word 'fury'.

In the other point of fact, all air vehicles so far are named after entities, not emotions, nor states of mind.

I mean, okay, options is good, but don't we have a trend here which just needs to be adequately translated?

That is the thing, you know, having a translation that is close to the original where possible, but adapts where needed. The thing is, the German word Furie, which is the translation for Fury, is more associated with a hysterical woman than a state of furious rage and the mental imagery would not fit there, at least when it concerns a military aircraft. The word Zorn would describe the state of mind at least much better. But, as I pointed out in the text, the word Rachegöttin (goddess of revenge), which would be my preferred substitue for Zorn, it would describe a creature (or thing) that is using its rage or wrath to visit vengance upon those who have sinned or commited evil, at least according to the goddesses view.

If possible we should try to at least respect the wishes of Chris. I might also remind you that both the Foxtrot and Charlie designations are also no entities, but just words used for spelling purposes by the ICAO/NATO, so Zorn might be a possible interpretation of Chris' image of what the Fury is supposed to mean.

I do welcome your input, as it makes me see things from another perspective and that is what discussions are for. :)

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I prefer the bolded translations in most cases, except for the Maschinenlaser. It sounds pretty clunky to me and doesn´t invoke the image of a Maschinengewehr that shoots lasers, instead reminding me of industrialized lasers in a factory. Probably because Laser has other meanings besides "weapon", where Gewehr has none, so a Maschinengewehr is obviously a different/specialized type of weapon where as a Maschinenlaser could be a lot of things.

I like Schnellfeuerlaser, because the Schnellfeuer part makes it clear that its the weapon definition of laser.

Of course this collides with the Rapid Fire Research, as you said... I don´t have any idea for that, but I´ll think about it.

I actually wanted to send you a PM offering help regarding your translation earlier, since I study German and English and enjoy well done translations immensly. I can´t do much at the moment though because I still have a paper to write and oh god I haven´t even started and only 15 days left whatamidoinghereahhhhhhh...

Oh, and I also prefer Avalanche to Lawine regarding the Torpedo.

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I prefer the bolded translations in most cases, except for the Maschinenlaser. It sounds pretty clunky to me and doesn´t invoke the image of a Maschinengewehr that shoots lasers, instead reminding me of industrialized lasers in a factory. Probably because Laser has other meanings besides "weapon", where Gewehr has none, so a Maschinengewehr is obviously a different/specialized type of weapon where as a Maschinenlaser could be a lot of things.

I like Schnellfeuerlaser, because the Schnellfeuer part makes it clear that its the weapon definition of laser.

Of course this collides with the Rapid Fire Research, as you said... I don´t have any idea for that, but I´ll think about it.

I actually wanted to send you a PM offering help regarding your translation earlier, since I study German and English and enjoy well done translations immensly. I can´t do much at the moment though because I still have a paper to write and oh god I haven´t even started and only 15 days left whatamidoinghereahhhhhhh...

Oh, and I also prefer Avalanche to Lawine regarding the Torpedo.

Thanks for your feedback. Your mention of the Maschinenlaser made me think for almost the whole day on alternatives, however, I might go ahead and use Schnellfeuerlaser as a designation for the weapon and change the name of the research project a bit to maybe 'Laserwaffen mit hoher Feuerrate (Kadenz)'. That way the designation both won't collide with the reasearch project name and it is clear right from reading the designation as to what its use is. In a way it also makes the research project sound more scientific, doesn't it?

As for help, even if you can't help with translation, checking or testing, you can still give feedback on what you think and where you think the translation might be adjusted and how.

And your paper, go on and write it, getting an education and finishing it good is more important than a translation for one game, the first one will pay the bills later on in life, the latter one doesn't (or at least not in this case, as it is voluntary), but it is more than a gamble.

As for the quality of the localization, I don't know how good it will end up, that's for other people to judge, but I'll give it my best effort. However, I do agree that good translations can be very enjoyable, sadly there are few out there and even then there is only the rare occurance when a translation outshines even the original.

Anyway, I believe I will be able to post up some .xml for testing/trial next monday.

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Ah, the paper thing was just meant as an amusing anectode, I´m aware of the importance and confidant I´ll manage. :)

Regarding the Scatter Laser, I had the idea of translating it as a Schweres Lasergewehr. After all, it fills the same role as the LMG, just on a laser basis. It doesn´t underline the fact that its about suppressive or rapid fire, but maybe the similarity to the LMG (which I imagine you translate as Schweres Maschinengewehr) covers that.

Edited by DaftSkunk
Typo.
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Doesn't "LMG" stand for "light machine gun", i.e. "Leichtes Maschinengewehr", though? A Schweres Maschinengewehr would be the thing that's mounted on the armored car. But yeah, Schweres Lasergewehr sounds good to me. Other options that I'm just gonna throw out there: Automatischer Laser, Autolaser.

Also, I really like the name Klingenschrecken for some reason. Maybe because it sounds kinda like "Heuschrecke", conjuring up all these insectoid images in my mind. I haven't actually encountered reapers yet, though, so I don't know how accurate that is to the actual creature. Would the singular form of the word be "Klingenschrecke" or "Klingenschrecken"?

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Hum, I was reasonably sure it stands for Large Machinegun, but what you say is of course true. I remember being confused about that before playing Jagged Aliance 2 1.1.3. Maybe that disqualifies Schweres Lasergewehr on the grounds of similarity to something it is definitly not a Laser version of.

Automatischer Laser and Autolaser I think are both good, though just as with the Maschinenlaser they remind me a bit (but less) of non-weaponized lasers. Maybe Automatisches Lasergewehr?

I think I see the appeal of Klingenschrecken as a name since it underlines the horror part of the creature, which Schnitter does not. For me, it´s difficult to say which is best as both pale in comparison with Reaper, which includes both the Grim Reaper and the aspect of harvest without sounding like its all about farmwork.

I´d say the singular would be der Klingenschrecken.

Edited by DaftSkunk
Fixing stuff.
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Hum, I was reasonably sure it stands for Large Machinegun, but what you say is of course true. I remember being confused about that before playing Jagged Aliance 2 1.1.3. Maybe that disqualifies Schweres Lasergewehr on the grounds of similarity to something it is definitly not a Laser version of.

Automatischer Laser and Autolaser I think are both good, though just as with the Maschinenlaser they remind me a bit (but less) of non-weaponized lasers. Maybe Automatisches Lasergewehr?

I think I see the appeal of Klingenschrecken as a name since it underlines the horror part of the creature, which Schnitter does not. For me, it´s difficult to say which is best as both pale in comparison with Reaper, which includes both the Grim Reaper and the aspect of harvest without sounding like its all about farmwork.

I´d say the singular would be der Klingenschrecken.

I know I don't know German or anything, but what about Maschinegewehr Laser?

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Thank you for the continued discussion.

Well, firstly, there are three common MG abbreviations used in English:

SMG = submachinegun = Machinenpistole (z.B. MP5, MP7, P90), often with 9mm pistol rounds or proprietary ammunition

LMG = light machinegun = Leichtes Maschinengewehr, usually in caliber 5.56 or 7.62 for NATO forces (e.g. MG3, M249 SAW)

HMG = heavy machinegun = Schweres Maschinengewehr, caliber of 12,7mm (.50 cal) or more (e.g. M2)

Schweres Lasergewehr is in my opinion not useable, as the normal Laser rifle is already the normal Lasergewehr, which is more of a laser assault rifle, whereas the Scatter Laser is to be used as a SAW and would not have semiauto firemode and the projectile damage statistic of the scatter laser is 60 compared to the laser rifle with 40 (according to V18HF1 strings.xml). Automatisches Lasergewehr might not hit the point either, as the burst fire on the laser rifle is also an automatic fire mode, creating confusion there.

However, as I pointed out in my last post, I can use Schnellfeuerlaser, I only need to localize the name of the research project differently to not collide, but still convey the same meaning as the original heading, e.g. Laserwaffen mit hoher Feuerrate or alternatively Kadenz instead of Feuerrate. This, in my opinion, would combine the best of both approaches and I do believe that this will be the way I'll be following for this specific point of contention/discussion.

As for the Reaper, the translation Schnitter actually has the same meanings in German as Reaper does in English, so both a farmhand using mainly a scythe to cut grain or the antropomorphic depiction of death as a skeleton, often in robes and carrying a scythe or sometimes a sword, which has come to collect your soul and your life. However, a short google search revealed, that, at least going by the pictures tab, that here in Germany there are quite a lot more people who connect Schnitter with a farmhand, while in English it is more connected with Death. I guess it depends on experience and even region which meaning is associated with the word. Had I not had opened this discussion thread, I'd have remaind quite oblivious and thought that my mental image overlaps with that of most other people. For me, if I hear Schnitter, I firstly think of Death.

In a way it reminds me of an old Battletech novels, where they had a similar dispute about the meanings of words for different people with different experiences, e.g. that Mechwarriors would think of a heavy mech first if they heard Crusader, while a historian that is versed in the history of Earth, would think of mediveal knights going to 'free' Jerusalem. This situation here is quite similar.

The word Klingenschrecken is the singular version of this word, as DaftSkunk already noticed. It is der Klingenschrecken(sing.) and die Klingenschrecken(plu.). I was thinking less of insects, but rather of a creature that has blades for its arms, coming to eviscerate or worse turn you into a zombie and the fear and horror (Schrecken) it would instill in the soldiers. I would find it quite plausible, that German speaking soldiers might use a word like Klingenschrecken (maybe Klingenhorror or Klingenterror?)to describe the creature to their peers that haven't seen it yet, especially if they were there to witness the eviscerations of someone else by one such creature. Reapers certainly are the stuff of nightmare, even more so if you let them get close, which can happen easily in closed enviorments with lots of hiding places and angles of attack. In a way I imagine them to instill a similar horror as the aliens did in the Alien and Aliens movies (and lets forget that Alien 3 and Alien Ressurection ever happened), the same aliens that probably have also inspired the Chryssalids in UFO:EU and these Reapers here in Xenonauts.

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I know I don't know German or anything, but what about Maschinegewehr Laser?

If everything else fails then I will consider your Maschinengewehrlaser or Lasermaschinengewehr, as soon as it is. :)

After all, this thread is for discussion and everybody is invited to provide input and as most of the thread is in English, you don't need to understand necessarily need to speak German to give an idea I or other people didn't think about. ;)

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Schnellfeuerlaser sounds really well, I don´t know why I didn´t give my opinion on that. For me, Laser mit hoher Feuerrate works a bit better than mit hoher Kadenz, but I´m not terribly put off by it.

Regarding the Reapers, I also feel Schnitter being more connected to Death as an entity than with farmwork and I feel that Reaper in English is still connected to more than Death by phrases such as "Reap what you sow". Anyway, Klingenhorror sounds good to me, a bit better than Klingenschrecken, with both ahead of Klingenterror.

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This may be a really stupid suggestion, but you could call the Reapers "Grimms" after the Grim Reaper's namesake.

Well, Grimms, that might be an associative disaster area, the reason being those brothers that lived in the 19th century in Germany, which had Grimm as their last name. Outside of (and even in) Germany they are mostly know for their fairy tales, in Germany they are also recognized for being the first ones to publish a complete dictionary of the German language. Then again, it might be a perfidious strategy of the aliens to lull the soldiers into a false sense of security by telling them the fairy tales, and when they aren't looking or starting to nod of, the Reapers strike.

Okay, I could always use 'Grimmer Schnitter', which is the analogous translation of grim reaper.

@DaftSkunk:

I do realize that reaper also has an agricultural meaning in English, however you might want to try a little experiment. Open a google search, type in 'Schnitter' and select the 'Bilder' tab, then do the same for 'Reaper', at least if I go by that, though it is by no means extensive research, it seems to suggest that the picture of Death is more easily associated with Reaper, than with Schnitter.

I might go with Schnitter in the end, but I guess it would be biased in this case, might have to do with my forum name and such, Schnitter tm (for trademark). ;)

Well, I still have a few months to think on it on how it will end up in the final version. Single designations/names/descriptions are much more easily changed (thanks to search and replace functions in text editors) than full texts.

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Well, Grimms, that might be an associative disaster area, the reason being those brothers that lived in the 19th century in Germany, which had Grimm as their last name. Outside of (and even in) Germany they are mostly know for their fairy tales, in Germany they are also recognized for being the first ones to publish a complete dictionary of the German language. Then again, it might be a perfidious strategy of the aliens to lull the soldiers into a false sense of security by telling them the fairy tales, and when they aren't looking or starting to nod of, the Reapers strike.

Okay, I could always use 'Grimmer Schnitter', which is the analogous translation of grim reaper.

@DaftSkunk:

I do realize that reaper also has an agricultural meaning in English, however you might want to try a little experiment. Open a google search, type in 'Schnitter' and select the 'Bilder' tab, then do the same for 'Reaper', at least if I go by that, though it is by no means extensive research, it seems to suggest that the picture of Death is more easily associated with Reaper, than with Schnitter.

I might go with Schnitter in the end, but I guess it would be biased in this case, might have to do with my forum name and such, Schnitter tm (for trademark). ;)

Well, I still have a few months to think on it on how it will end up in the final version. Single designations/names/descriptions are much more easily changed (thanks to search and replace functions in text editors) than full texts.

The idea behind my suggestion was that the original fairy tales were more cautionary tales than bedtime stories, although over the years they have been made much less scary. The English word "Grim" is directly taken from the name "Grimm" and it has the connotations that it does because of the very dark nature of early stories like Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, and the many other tales which originally had the children punished, most often by being eaten, for not heeding their parents or behaving inappropriately.

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The idea behind my suggestion was that the original fairy tales were more cautionary tales than bedtime stories, although over the years they have been made much less scary. The English word "Grim" is directly taken from the name "Grimm" and it has the connotations that it does because of the very dark nature of early stories like Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, and the many other tales which originally had the children punished, most often by being eaten, for not heeding their parents or behaving inappropriately.

While it is true that fairy tales were (and in some ways still are) meant as cautionary tales, the German word for fairy tales, Märchen, does have a somewhat different meaning nowadays, e.g. it could be taken as made up stories. It also is generally more associated with things not so grim, because, even if grim things happen in the fairy tales, the protagonists of the story usually do survive and 'live happily every after'. The reaper would certainly be the bad guy and we can't have a bad guy win in a fairy tale, now can we? (Actually, I think we could, but others might not be so lenient). And as I mentioned, in Germany the Grimm brothers are also know for their work on the first publicized German dictionary, and while I find the picture of a horrible looking creature that is offering help in case, say, a spelling problem in German, it does make it look quite comical to me.

Dialog:

Pvt. Franz: 'Herr Feldwebel, how do you spell Flussschifffahrtsgesellschaft again?'

Sgt. Hans: 'Excuse me, Gefreiter?'

[Reaper entering]

Reaper: 'I may be of assisstance here, it is spelled F-L-U-S-S....

Pvt. Franz and Sgt. Hans: 'ARGH, a Grimm, SHOOT IT!'

[sounds of gunfire, slashing noises, two dead/zombified soldiers]

Reaper: *sigh*'Why doesn't anybody want my help, why do they always want to shot me? I'm a person, too, you know.'

As for the origins of the word 'grim' in English, it does not have anything to do with the brothers Grimm, it is a fairly old word, as many online sources, including the Merriam-Webster dictionary among others suggest. It has been in use since before 900 A.D. and was even back then already part of English it seems. There were very similar sounding words in Old High German (grimm) and Old Norse (grimmr) and might even go further back to ancient greek, though that is not as clear.

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While it is true that fairy tales were (and in some ways still are) meant as cautionary tales, the German word for fairy tales, Märchen, does have a somewhat different meaning nowadays, e.g. it could be taken as made up stories. It also is generally more associated with things not so grim, because, even if grim things happen in the fairy tales, the protagonists of the story usually do survive and 'live happily every after'. The reaper would certainly be the bad guy and we can't have a bad guy win in a fairy tale, now can we? (Actually, I think we could, but others might not be so lenient). And as I mentioned, in Germany the Grimm brothers are also know for their work on the first publicized German dictionary, and while I find the picture of a horrible looking creature that is offering help in case, say, a spelling problem in German, it does make it look quite comical to me.

Dialog:

Pvt. Franz: 'Herr Feldwebel, how do you spell Flussschifffahrtsgesellschaft again?'

Sgt. Hans: 'Excuse me, Gefreiter?'

[Reaper entering]

Reaper: 'I may be of assisstance here, it is spelled F-L-U-S-S....

Pvt. Franz and Sgt. Hans: 'ARGH, a Grimm, SHOOT IT!'

[sounds of gunfire, slashing noises, two dead/zombified soldiers]

Reaper: *sigh*'Why doesn't anybody want my help, why do they always want to shot me? I'm a person, too, you know.'

As for the origins of the word 'grim' in English, it does not have anything to do with the brothers Grimm, it is a fairly old word, as many online sources, including the Merriam-Webster dictionary among others suggest. It has been in use since before 900 A.D. and was even back then already part of English it seems. There were very similar sounding words in Old High German (grimm) and Old Norse (grimmr) and might even go further back to ancient greek, though that is not as clear.

Mein Gott! You actually know more about words than me. I was sure I read in my mother's old dictionary that "grim" is from Grimm. I suppose I'll just slink off now and shut up.

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@DaftSkunk:

I do realize that reaper also has an agricultural meaning in English, however you might want to try a little experiment. Open a google search, type in 'Schnitter' and select the 'Bilder' tab, then do the same for 'Reaper', at least if I go by that, though it is by no means extensive research, it seems to suggest that the picture of Death is more easily associated with Reaper, than with Schnitter.

I might go with Schnitter in the end, but I guess it would be biased in this case, might have to do with my forum name and such, Schnitter tm (for trademark). ;)

Well, I still have a few months to think on it on how it will end up in the final version. Single designations/names/descriptions are much more easily changed (thanks to search and replace functions in text editors) than full texts.

The picture check is a neat trick, thanks for showing that to me. :)

Personally I think it might be a bit more likely for soldiers who just survived the first encounter with Reapers to call them something like Schrecken or Horror, with the Klingen- part being a specifier.

With that said, I´m okay with calling them Schnitter, it works well and is a kind of fun "reward" for you that doesn´t detract from the quality of the translation.

Mein Gott! You actually know more about words than me. I was sure I read in my mother's old dictionary that "grim" is from Grimm. I suppose I'll just slink off now and shut up.

You don´t need to shut up just because you got something wrong. Being proven wrong just means learning something new. :)

...Wow that sounded a lot less cheesy in my head. :D

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Mein Gott! You actually know more about words than me. I was sure I read in my mother's old dictionary that "grim" is from Grimm. I suppose I'll just slink off now and shut up.

Actually, I don't believe I know more about words than you do, however I do like to use the huge fountain of resources that is the internet. You do have to be careful about which sources you choose, but you can find a lot of answers if you can coerce Google to help you in finding them.

The dictionary of your mother might just be that, old or written by someone ignorant, or using information that was available back then, which has been outdated nowadays. If an information is right depends on many things, though the most useful support is testable evidence, like that in natural sciences. Once people thought the information that the Earth is flat was right, until they've been disproven wrong and slowly but surely accepted the fact, the the Earth is a globe (that is all but a few, hm, 'misguided' people).

Okay, before I can't stop rambling and talking and typing (a bad habit of mine), please stay and continue to give your input, no matter how stupid you may think it is, in the end it may end up being genius and I believe we're all in this life for the learning experience.

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You've twisted my arm. I'd be happy to provide input on whatever you come up with.

I'm not into the arm twisting business, I just rip them out and throw them away. ;)

Well, actually, right now it is my brain that is a twisted, mangled, mess right now, all this additional information to process and to adjust to actually writing something and writing it as good as you can (which might still be bad to a lot of people) is somewhat tiring, but as soon as I can increase the stage of or add a new entry in my overview list it feels like quite the accomplishment.

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For the overall extraterrestrials, I like Außerirdische, but only because I like words with ß in them.

Also, for the hunter-and this is going to be way out there and I only mention it because in the description you mention Dachshunds-why not call it a Dachshund? Unless people don't know that they were originally bred for badgers out of badger holes. Maybe it's just that I usually use the Hunter for flushing out aliens, but I kind of like the imagery. Probably a bad idea.

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For the overall extraterrestrials, I like Außerirdische, but only because I like words with ß in them.

Also, for the hunter-and this is going to be way out there and I only mention it because in the description you mention Dachshunds-why not call it a Dachshund? Unless people don't know that they were originally bred for badgers out of badger holes. Maybe it's just that I usually use the Hunter for flushing out aliens, but I kind of like the imagery. Probably a bad idea.

Concerning the first one, I will and already have used several of those words as they are more or less synonyms and help in keeping the text from becoming boring to read, though I have decided to use Extraterrestrische exclusively in things like the Xenopedia headers.

The second one actually is an interesting idea, as the Hunter is based on the Damiler (a british company not owned by Daimler AG of Germany, but connected to it historically) Ferret, which is another animal used as both pet and for hunting and in a similar fashion to the dachshund, to ferret, as it is called, rabbits and such out of their hiding places. Though in that case I'd probably go with Dackel, as this is the name commonly used for the dachshund in German, but I also have to consider the designation Teckel, which is the name given to Dackel used by hunters in actual hunting. Therefore the last one would be the right one to use and I quite like the association of going from a vehicle named after one hunters helper to naming it after another helper and still having a reference to hunting in there. I will still have to do some thinking about it, and I'd also like to hear other opinions, but I'm strongly considering using this, so not a bad idea at all.

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