German Translation Needed
 

Hello! Hola! Bonjour! <BR>I've never posted here before, but I enjoy reading what you all have to say. <BR> <BR>I recently went on a trip through southern Germany, Austria (Salzburg area) and a little of Switzerland. It was a fabulous trip. Now I'm going through my photos and putting together a scrapbook of the trip. Call me obsessive but I like to collect little tokens from my trips (napkins, brochures, tickets etc.) to put in my photo albums. One of these "trinkets" that I saved was a little piece of cardboard paper with something written in German on it. I have no idea where it came from or why I saved it. Unfortunately I know hardly any German and I'm really curious as to what it says. My dictionary couldn't help me much either. I would really appreciate it if someone could translate it for me. <BR> Gilt <BR> nicht <BR> als <BR> Fahr- <BR> ausweis <BR>I've written it exactly the way it is on the paper. <BR> <BR>Anyway, if you can translate it for me, thanks a lot and happy traveling! <BR>-Sarah

Sarah, <BR> <BR>I'll have a go! <BR> <BR>gilt – applies <BR> <BR>nicht – not <BR> <BR>als - as <BR> <BR>fahr – drive <BR> <BR>ausweis – ID Document <BR> <BR>Have I got those right? Anyone? <BR> <BR>Rob <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

Sarah, <BR> <BR>I don't speak German, but I ran the text through a translation program at http://www.systransoft.com, and it came up with "Applies not as Ticket." <BR> <BR>I interpret "Applies not as Ticket." to mean "This is not a ticket.", which is a statement that's sometimes used on something that could be mistaken for an actual plane ticket, event ticket, or whatever. <BR> <BR>Hope this interpretation holds up when the real German-speakers see your question...

That sounds fine to me, Don. It could still be a ticket, however, but not for travel, because of the qualifying word 'Fahr-'. <BR> <BR>Harzer

It's been many years since I lived in Germany but here goes. <BR>Does not apply as travel identification. <BR>Art <BR>

Don is right. It means "This is not a ticket". You probably got it in a train, tram or bus. <BR>

The word "gilt" is derived from the verb "gelten" which can mean "to be valid" or "to be in force". Although the noun Die Ausweis can mean a document used for identification, it can also be used in the context of "ticket". <BR>So I would translate the phrase as: <BR>"Not valid as a ticket." <BR>Or "Not good for travel." <BR>Was the piece of cardboard at one time attached to something else? A train or bus ticket perhaps? <BR> <BR>Perhaps Harzer will agree. <BR>(This drought in the Southeast is killing the shrubs and grass. Rough year for gardening and landscaping.) <BR>

Thanks everyone for your input. Now that I think about it, it probably did come from a bus or tram. Eventually I'll remember. <BR>Anyway thanks a lot! <BR>-Sarah <BR> <BR>Just lost my internet connection- I hope I'm not posting this twice.

Sarah H, <BR>Strange that your souvenir is in German! I would expect Flemish or French. "This ticket is not a ticket" is reminiscent of the early Rene Magritte painting of a briar pipe with the caption "This is not a pipe". Of course it wasn't; it was a painting of a pipe. Somewhat existential I think.

Hi, Bob! <BR> <BR>For once I do agree, although perhaps 'der Ausweis' would be better. <BR> <BR>The document in question may be a replica of a ticket, or might appear to be a multi-purpose ticket for, say, a zoo entry with free travel on a little train around the grounds, which it is not. <BR> <BR>Harzer

It rained in Athens! <BR>I looked again in my Schoeffler-Weiss dictionary, with its very small print, and actually what I must have seen was the word Die Ausweiskarte. which is feminine. I simply did not pick up on the fine print. When I looked with a magnifying glass, I could see that Ausweis is marked with a tiny "m". <BR>I need a dictionary with larger print. <BR>Does anybody know if the Oxford-Duden dictionary has large print? I cannot find one to inspect. I have the pocket version, but it is really tiny. <BR>

Hi Bob! <BR> <BR>If you are in the market for a new dictionary, the absolutely superb 1999 edition of the Pons-Collins Grosswoerterbuch is now on the market, an investment for a lifetime. It costs around $65 and is a desktop model, weighing in at something like four lbs. I have mine next to my keyboard and am constantly referring to it, even when I know the answer. The only omission I have found so far is that it doesn't give the German for 'computer-literate'. <BR>But it does have 'whited sepulchre', a term I had never heard of before, and am unlikely to ever see again. <BR> <BR>Harzer

Harzer, take up Bible reading. See St. Matthew Chapter 23, verse 27, for the reference to whited sepulchres.