Glossary entry (derived from question below)
German term
hörengesagt
This is a new paragraph coming after Kafka's description of the parades and speeches at the outbreak of war.
Dann sahen die Prager das ungeschminkte Antlitz
dieses "**hörengesagten**, fernsten, unglaublichen Kriegs-Gottes": Kafkas Schwager Josef Pollak war "schreiend, aufgeregt, außer Rand und Band" mit einer Handverletzung vom Kampfeinsatz heimgekehrt und erzählte von seinen Erlebnissen an der Front."
I know that Hörensagen is hearsay, but I can't work out how it should go as an adjective. Something like "fabled", "that they'd heard so much about"?? Thanks for any inspiration!
4 +3 | reputed | Helen Shiner |
4 +3 | vaunted | S P Willcock (X) |
4 | celebrated | Languageman |
3 | legendary/mythological/mythic(al) | Audrey Foster (X) |
3 | hearsaid | Anne Schulz |
2 | heard-of | Lonnie Legg |
Jun 12, 2009 14:08: Helen Shiner Created KOG entry
Non-PRO (1): Helen Shiner
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Proposed translations
reputed
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Note added at 27 mins (2009-06-10 21:03:56 GMT)
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or 'reputed to be' - again depending on sentence structure
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Note added at 28 mins (2009-06-10 21:04:59 GMT)
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In other words based on his reputation - what is whispered abroad about him.
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Note added at 38 mins (2009-06-10 21:15:03 GMT)
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reputedly
by repute; according to general belief; "fish with reputedly poisonous flesh"
http://www.wordreference.com/definition/reputedly
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Note added at 1 day17 hrs (2009-06-12 14:09:12 GMT) Post-grading
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Thanks, Rachel
agree |
GT-Translations
: I like it!!
8 mins
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Thanks, GT-Translations!
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agree |
Ingeborg Gowans (X)
: I also like" what is whispered abroad about him", but it probably would be too long to work into the sentence
18 mins
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Thanks, Ingeborg - yes, it is a bit more poetic, but rather long, as you say.
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agree |
Inge Meinzer
6 hrs
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Thanks, Inge
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neutral |
Lonnie Legg
: Problem with "reputed" is that it also means "widely known, well thought of" (3rd meaning of "reputed", adj./Am.Oxf.Dict.). I agree that the meaning seems along the lines of "claimed" not "famed" (s. my discussion post).
21 hrs
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No, Lonnie, it means whatever follows it. Reputed to be clever or reputed to be evil, in other words it is just like hörengesagt, dependent on what follows it. It does not mean widely known or well thought of.
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heard-of
By association with "unheard of", it has a hint of "beyond the familiar"--only heard of.
legendary/mythological/mythic(al)
legendary
Definition: fictitious
Antonyms: factual, historical, real, true
http://www.answers.com/topic/legendary
mythological: Having to do with legends cherished by a race concerning gods and heroes.
http://www.answers.com/topic/mythological
mythic: based on or told of in traditional stories; lacking factual basis or historical validity
http://www.answers.com/topic/mythic
vaunted
it sounds like a very interesting commission you have there!
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franglish
47 mins
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agree |
Languageman
: Like this one too
2 hrs
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agree |
robin25
9 hrs
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neutral |
Lonnie Legg
: The meaning seems along the lines of "claimed" not "famed" (s. my discussion post).
12 hrs
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celebrated
neutral |
Lonnie Legg
: The meaning seems along the lines of "claimed" not "famed" (s. my discussion post).
10 hrs
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Indeed, but the way I read it (and I guess the 'vaunted' and 'reputed' answerers too) is that they had only heard the stories, but now they see the reality too. It's not a perfect one-to-one translation, but it works here i.m.o.
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hearsaid
IMO, "hörengesagt" goes with "fernsten" and is just the contrast to the experience 'face-to-face' so to speak (as Lonnie Legg has pointed out). It does not say *what* was heard and said ("terrible", "glorious") nor that they had *often* heard and spoken about it (whereas this seems (to me) to be implied in celebrated, reputed, vaunted, legendary...).
neutral |
Helen Shiner
: Just as a pointer - this is not correct EN which is why we have all had to find something else. There is no adjectival form of 'hearsay'.
2 hrs
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Hi Helen - neither is "hörengesagt" a Duden adjective which is why I felt it would be possible to use a 'creative' adjective in English, too. But it seems I have not succeeded in getting that point across ;-(
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Discussion