SUBSIM Radio Room Forums - View Single Post - European Voters Know What They Don't Want

Skybird · 06-13-09, 01:32 PM

Letum,

here you are right. It got lost in translation indeed.

In German, "Symphatie" usually has not the wide range of meanings like "sympathy" can have in English. In English it can mean "compassion", and I assume this is where you criticism is coming from. But in German, that would not be "Du hast meine Symphatie", sondern "Du hast mein Mitgefühl". German "Symphatie" in meaning is more limited to the meaning of a positive attitude towards somebody. It eventually can express, indirectly, compassion, but that would be indirectly only, and very much accentuated from the context in which the word is used. As a rule of thumb, "Symphatie" in German means that positive attitude thing most of the time, and that was what I wished to express. If I would have meant "compassion", as an ignorrant German I would have used the word compassion or condolence, then.

Sorry if I messed it up, Respenus. My fault. After all, English is a foreign language for me, and sometimes I manage to trap myself badly in it.

06-13-09, 01:32 PM	#14
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 42,637 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	Letum, here you are right. It got lost in translation indeed. In German, "Symphatie" usually has not the wide range of meanings like "sympathy" can have in English. In English it can mean "compassion", and I assume this is where you criticism is coming from. But in German, that would not be "Du hast meine Symphatie", sondern "Du hast mein Mitgefühl". German "Symphatie" in meaning is more limited to the meaning of a positive attitude towards somebody. It eventually can express, indirectly, compassion, but that would be indirectly only, and very much accentuated from the context in which the word is used. As a rule of thumb, "Symphatie" in German means that positive attitude thing most of the time, and that was what I wished to express. If I would have meant "compassion", as an ignorrant German I would have used the word compassion or condolence, then. Sorry if I messed it up, Respenus. My fault. After all, English is a foreign language for me, and sometimes I manage to trap myself badly in it. __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.