36yearsago.com

Vienna 1971—A Student Journal
A year of music, study, travel, sightseeing & friends.

Day 253 — Ich schreiben Deutsch, heute (badly)
11-April-1972 (Dienstag–Tue.)


TRANSCRIPT

Nach heute, werde ich immer in Deutsch probieren zu schrieben, weil Anjali hat mire geschrieben und sagt daß mann kann in diesem weg gut Deutsch lernen.

Vielleicht werde ich auch die Grammatik richtig, zu machen probieren. (Ich glaube daß vielleicht alle ist noch schlect.)

Heute war ein ordinaire tag. Ein venige von dem klavier gespielt. or geht leichter und auch das horn gespielt. Daß horn wurde heute von mire ziemlich gut gespielt (worden). Nur in diesen letze zwei wochen.

Ein wenig von electronic musik auch.

Am abend habe ich zu die Volksoper gegangen. Porgy and Bess. Diese oper wurde won mir genused voden. Nicht am besten qualität, aber Ich habe sehr viele glück weil sie war auswerfauft aber ich have kostenlos hinein gegangen.

P.S. Ich gluabe das Deutch muß ich mehr studieren. Ja?


REFLECTIONS

Translation. What’s going on with me writing in German in my journal? Was I thinking that 36 years later I would test my memory of the language, or be amazed at how bad my German grammar might have been? I suppose so. So, here goes. I will try to translate, purely by guessing, and not looking up words. Then, if I need to look up words, I’ll write them in red.


ATTEMPTED TRANSLATION

From today, I will always try to write in German because Anjali had written me and said that man can learn German in this way. Perhaps I will also try to study (studie, I wrote probieren) grammar. (I think, perhaps, that it is not all bad.)

Today was an ordinary day. I played a little piano and also played horn. The horn was quite (ziemlich) better today. It was much easier (einfacher— I wrote leichtern) to play. Only in these last two weeks.

A little of electronic music also.

In the evening, I went to the Volksoper to see Porgy and Bess. This opera was known to me (gewusst = known; I wrote genused vorden). But not the best quality. I have very much luck while sold out (auserkauft) but I have ?? went. (I wrote, Dostenlos hinein, hinein = inside)

P.S. I think I must study German more. Yes?

END TRANSLATION


Conclusion. My German sucks. Well, it’s like listening to someone rattle off “key words” that you string together and then try to make some sense of it. Grammar – oh boy. Not good. In 2009, I tried to type in some of the German words into an Internet translator—sometimes nothing in return. Ha. I now have a greater appreciation for ESL (English as a Second Language) students and what they have to go through when in class.

Apparently, I went to see George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. Even though it was sold out, I apparently got in. I could barely understand what I wrote in this paragraph. Whew!

John

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Tags: German, translation, opera, Anjali