So erkennen Sie False Friends
How would you translate this sentence into English? Warning: There are two false friends in the sentence.
„Kannst du den Text der deutschen Nationalhymne?“
The two false friends are Text and Hymne. Both exist in English but they have a different meaning. The English word „text“ is used to talk about the main body in a book, manuscript or newspaper or similar piece of writing as opposed to footnotes, headings etc. It is also the written message you send someone on a mobile phone (in German SMS). When talking about a song, we usually say „words“ or „lyrics“. The English word „hymn“ means „Kirchenlied“. A „Nationalhymne“ is „national anthem“.
So the correct translation is:
„Do you know the words of the German national anthem?“
| English | Deutsch |
| text | Textkörper, SMS |
| lyrics, words | Liedtext |
| national anthem | Nationalhymne |
| hymn | Kirchenlied |
Bildnachweis: WavebreakmediaMicro / stock.adobe.com
