Comments on: Germans only speak clear text http://nothingforungood.com/2008/05/21/germans-only-speak-clear-text/ German Quirks from an American Perspective Thu, 17 May 2012 01:18:02 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: another Jens http://nothingforungood.com/2008/05/21/germans-only-speak-clear-text/#comment-14537 another Jens Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:16:26 +0000 http://nothingforungood.com/2008/05/21/germans-only-speak-clear-text/#comment-14537 What about "Beschissen wär geprahlt"?! What about “Beschissen wär geprahlt”?!

]]> By: Jens http://nothingforungood.com/2008/05/21/germans-only-speak-clear-text/#comment-5134 Jens Fri, 07 Nov 2008 23:31:38 +0000 http://nothingforungood.com/2008/05/21/germans-only-speak-clear-text/#comment-5134 Well, IMO there are two possible answers to the question: "Gut." and "Muß ja." Well, IMO there are two possible answers to the question: “Gut.” and “Muß ja.”

]]> By: German Girl http://nothingforungood.com/2008/05/21/germans-only-speak-clear-text/#comment-1483 German Girl Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:34:28 +0000 http://nothingforungood.com/2008/05/21/germans-only-speak-clear-text/#comment-1483 My fiance once asked a person at a drugstore checkout: "Wie geht es ihnen?" ("how are you doing?"). But instead of saying "all right" like he expected, that person looked at him in a confused way and after a couple of seconds started giving him a 5 minute talk about their health problems. So, if you are not interested in how somebody is doing, you should definitely not ask them in Germany ;) My fiance once asked a person at a drugstore checkout: “Wie geht es ihnen?” (”how are you doing?”). But instead of saying “all right” like he expected, that person looked at him in a confused way and after a couple of seconds started giving him a 5 minute talk about their health problems. So, if you are not interested in how somebody is doing, you should definitely not ask them in Germany ;)

]]> By: simi1983 http://nothingforungood.com/2008/05/21/germans-only-speak-clear-text/#comment-738 simi1983 Thu, 22 May 2008 19:03:41 +0000 http://nothingforungood.com/2008/05/21/germans-only-speak-clear-text/#comment-738 I also had this kind of communication problem with an american friend of mine. We were on a vacation together (4 girls, 3 german, 1 american) and after one week she started acting really strange towards me and the other girls. She seemed to be pissed off for some reason. We asked her several times to tell us what was the matter but she just would answer kinda stiffly that everything was just fine. after a week we all were didn't know what to do anymore and got into a real argument with her. we (the germans) thought that it was kinda unfair of her just being cold to us and not telling us why and then she finally told us that she had felt like being outside our group because we had gone to the pool some times without remembering to ask her. an we just thought: why the hell didn't she just come up to us and tell us right away that she thought it wasn't ok we didn't ask her all the time. if my girlfriends would treat me this way it wouldn't take a week for me to tell them that i was pissed with them. i would just say: hey, why are you forgetting about me all the time. and they would say something like: no we didn't forget you, we just thought is was normal you were welcome anyway. i must say, i prefere the german way. i don'T have enough pacience to try to read someones mind whenever i feel something is wrong I also had this kind of communication problem with an american friend of mine. We were on a vacation together (4 girls, 3 german, 1 american) and after one week she started acting really strange towards me and the other girls. She seemed to be pissed off for some reason. We asked her several times to tell us what was the matter but she just would answer kinda stiffly that everything was just fine.
after a week we all were didn’t know what to do anymore and got into a real argument with her. we (the germans) thought that it was kinda unfair of her just being cold to us and not telling us why and then she finally told us that she had felt like being outside our group because we had gone to the pool some times without remembering to ask her.
an we just thought: why the hell didn’t she just come up to us and tell us right away that she thought it wasn’t ok we didn’t ask her all the time.
if my girlfriends would treat me this way it wouldn’t take a week for me to tell them that i was pissed with them.
i would just say: hey, why are you forgetting about me all the time.
and they would say something like: no we didn’t forget you, we just thought is was normal you were welcome anyway.

i must say, i prefere the german way. i don’T have enough pacience to try to read someones mind whenever i feel something is wrong

]]> By: Matthias http://nothingforungood.com/2008/05/21/germans-only-speak-clear-text/#comment-701 Matthias Wed, 21 May 2008 21:00:19 +0000 http://nothingforungood.com/2008/05/21/germans-only-speak-clear-text/#comment-701 I think these differences and misunderstandings are related more to culture than to language. In Schwaben there is this rule "Edd gschempft isch gnuag gloobd" (no dispraise is sufficient to express praise), which causes a lot of misunderstanding of this kind within the German language area, especially in northern Germany. There are even blogs dedicated to this topic e.g www.blogwiese.ch While on the other side I think the differences between German (even southern) and American culture is minimal compared to most east asian cultures. An anecdote: the Japanese company NEC set up a subsidiary in Heidelberg as a proxy to the American dominated standardisation committees like IETF, because Japanese scientists wouldn't be able to handle it when Americans would call their new idea "[bullcrap]" right in their faces. <strong>Editor's Note</strong>: Still prude here. I think these differences and misunderstandings are related more to culture than to language.

In Schwaben there is this rule “Edd gschempft isch gnuag gloobd” (no dispraise is sufficient to express praise), which causes a lot of misunderstanding of this kind within the German language area, especially in northern Germany.
There are even blogs dedicated to this topic e.g http://www.blogwiese.ch

While on the other side I think the differences between German (even southern) and American culture is minimal compared to most east asian cultures.

An anecdote: the Japanese company NEC set up a subsidiary in Heidelberg as a proxy to the American dominated standardisation committees like IETF, because Japanese scientists wouldn’t be able to handle it when Americans would call their new idea “[bullcrap]” right in their faces.

Editor’s Note: Still prude here.

]]> By: Thomas http://nothingforungood.com/2008/05/21/germans-only-speak-clear-text/#comment-700 Thomas Wed, 21 May 2008 18:32:13 +0000 http://nothingforungood.com/2008/05/21/germans-only-speak-clear-text/#comment-700 Somehow Americans and Germans are like men and women (or vice versa ;) ) I work in an 'university environment' where German and American culture sometimes clash in a discussion... Americans tend to be sissies when a German places a 'contructive criticism' like "No, that won't work! This idea cannot work. You have to...'. And Germans never notice any criticism statements like 'Your idea is quite unorthodox and interesting. But maybe you could also consider that...' ;) Somehow Americans and Germans are like men and women (or vice versa ;) )

I work in an ‘university environment’ where German and American culture sometimes clash in a discussion…
Americans tend to be sissies when a German places a ‘contructive criticism’ like “No, that won’t work! This idea cannot work. You have to…’. And Germans never notice any criticism statements like ‘Your idea is quite unorthodox and interesting. But maybe you could also consider that…’ ;)

]]> By: HermanTheGerman http://nothingforungood.com/2008/05/21/germans-only-speak-clear-text/#comment-698 HermanTheGerman Wed, 21 May 2008 16:50:17 +0000 http://nothingforungood.com/2008/05/21/germans-only-speak-clear-text/#comment-698 I think she was joking, because it was a little weird what your friend said and she wanted to make fun of him. Well, that's what i hope or else she's just very stupid. I think she was joking, because it was a little weird what your friend said and she wanted to make fun of him. Well, that’s what i hope or else she’s just very stupid.

]]> By: xion http://nothingforungood.com/2008/05/21/germans-only-speak-clear-text/#comment-697 xion Wed, 21 May 2008 16:43:51 +0000 http://nothingforungood.com/2008/05/21/germans-only-speak-clear-text/#comment-697 > In America, we like to coat everything up nicely and try > to indirectly say what we want to say in the most polite > way possible. You better tell that to George Carlin. ;) > In America, we like to coat everything up nicely and try
> to indirectly say what we want to say in the most polite
> way possible.

You better tell that to George Carlin. ;)

]]> By: MuGo http://nothingforungood.com/2008/05/21/germans-only-speak-clear-text/#comment-693 MuGo Wed, 21 May 2008 15:29:57 +0000 http://nothingforungood.com/2008/05/21/germans-only-speak-clear-text/#comment-693 Well, I think that there is a very important difference between a cure for dandruff or against it; or at least it is very uncommon that people really want to buy something that provokes dandruff...^^ Well, I think that there is a very important difference between a cure for dandruff or against it; or at least it is very uncommon that people really want to buy something that provokes dandruff…^^

]]> By: SvB http://nothingforungood.com/2008/05/21/germans-only-speak-clear-text/#comment-692 SvB Wed, 21 May 2008 11:44:23 +0000 http://nothingforungood.com/2008/05/21/germans-only-speak-clear-text/#comment-692 Hey, come on. I'd bet the drugstore lady was just humorous. Hey, come on. I’d bet the drugstore lady was just humorous.

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