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So kemma ma nia z‘am

English translation: This way we'll never get together...

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:So kemma ma nia z‘am
English translation:This way we'll never get together...
Entered by: Joanne Parker

19:25 Oct 15, 2005
German to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Slang
German term or phrase: So kemma ma nia z‘am
Oh dear. This is going to be fun to explain.

I have a PPT slide from a company specialising in wood and paper. This particular slide is called "Das Hauptproblem (B2B), fehlende Anbindung an die WaWi".

There's then a cartoon showing a snowy ski slope in the background with "Aufi" and an arrow pointing up the slope, and "Obi" with an arrow pointing down. In the foreground of the cartoon is a house. on the top floor is a busty blonde looking out of the window saying "So kemma ma nia z'am" and looking down onto a man who has climbed up a ladder to the floor below. The man is on the window, looking through the window to watch the skiing on the TV.

Underneath the cartoon is the information "Mit Elektronik alleine geht es nicht. Prioritaeten muessen richtig gesetzt werden".

Can anyone help me with what the woman is saying? "So kann man..."?

I hope I've provided enough context - it's difficult to describe a cartoon!
Joanne Parker
Local time: 11:49
This way we'll never get together...
Explanation:
It certainly refers to "fensterln" (visiting your lover by sneaking in through he window, unobserved of course..). The guy is getting distracted on his way and prefers to watch TV instead.

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Note added at 16 mins (2005-10-15 19:41:38 GMT)
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"the" window..
Selected response from:

Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 03:49
Grading comment
Thanks to everyone for your suggestions - this is the answer I chose.

Special mention goes to Andrew's British sense of humour. I was THIS close to using it... :)

4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +9We'll never get together like this
Trudy Peters
3 +6This way we'll never get together...
Nicole Schnell
2 +2But Fritz, you said you had a really long one!
Lancashireman
4Come on Fritz, get your priorities right!
Textklick
4This won't work
Norbert Hermann
4It will never work out between us
Nancy Arrowsmith
3We will never meet again under these circumstances...
------ (X)
3Coming together would be nicer
Stephen Sadie


Discussion entries: 2





  

Answers


4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
So kemma ma nia z‘am
We will never meet again under these circumstances...


Explanation:
So kommen wir niemals wieder zusammen.

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Note added at 5 mins (2005-10-15 19:30:47 GMT)
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No. Like this we will never join each other. That's the meaning.

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Note added at 6 mins (2005-10-15 19:31:15 GMT)
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So kommen wir nie zusammen.

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Note added at 9 mins (2005-10-15 19:34:24 GMT)
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or we will never get together...

------ (X)
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman, Native in SpanishSpanish
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10 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +9
So kemma ma nia z‘am
We'll never get together like this


Explanation:
So kommen wir nie zusammen (no again in there)

Trudy Peters
United States
Local time: 06:49
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman, Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Ralf A. Schumacher: or: "...this way."
7 mins
agree  Lancashireman
16 mins
agree  Brie Vernier: with Ralf
34 mins
agree  pmatos
50 mins
agree  michael10705 (X)
1 hr
agree  Stephen Sadie: with brie and ralf
1 hr
agree  Kathleen: with Ralf
1 hr
agree  Tom Funke
4 hrs
agree  Julia Lipeles: with Ralf
1 day 5 hrs
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14 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +6
So kemma ma nia z‘am
This way we'll never get together...


Explanation:
It certainly refers to "fensterln" (visiting your lover by sneaking in through he window, unobserved of course..). The guy is getting distracted on his way and prefers to watch TV instead.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 16 mins (2005-10-15 19:41:38 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

"the" window..

Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 03:49
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 8
Grading comment
Thanks to everyone for your suggestions - this is the answer I chose.

Special mention goes to Andrew's British sense of humour. I was THIS close to using it... :)

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  kartause777: This is correct. In the alternative ("We'll never get together like this"), it is unclear what the referent of "like this" should be.
18 mins
  -> Thanks, Simon!
agree  heimo: Yeah Simon, I agree
1 hr
  -> Thanks, heimo!
agree  Teresa Reinhardt: Excellent solution that maintains the (grammatical) focus of the German sentence, and hence the emphasis
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Teresa! Have a great weekend!
agree  Sigrid Thorbjørnsrud
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Sigrid! Have a nice weekend, too!
agree  Eckhard Boehle
2 hrs
  -> Thanks, Eckhard! Have a great weekend!
agree  Martina Heintke
1 day 14 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5 peer agreement (net): +2
So kemma ma nia z‘am
But Fritz, you said you had a really long one!


Explanation:


Lancashireman
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:49
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 16

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Ken Cox: Cute. Or in the same spirit, "Well, there goes the species'.
1 hr
agree  Textklick: Ach klar: " fehlende Anbindung an die WaWi" :)
12 hrs
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
So kemma ma nia z‘am
Come on Fritz, get your priorities right!


Explanation:
Not a 'target term' but I think that's what they are trying to put over, given the picture you have painted.

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Note added at 29 mins (2005-10-15 19:54:15 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

"Prioritaeten muessen richtig gesetzt werden"

Textklick
Local time: 11:49
Native speaker of: English
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12 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
So kemma ma nia z‘am
Coming together would be nicer


Explanation:
Just a "shot" in the dark!(tried no to be too literal)...and it should meet the sense reasonably whilst maintaining the overtones

Stephen Sadie
Germany
Local time: 12:49
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4
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15 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
So kemma ma nia z‘am
This won't work


Explanation:
meaning can be extented to everything that's going on here :-))

Norbert Hermann
Local time: 11:49
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in GermanGerman
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20 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
So kemma ma nia z‘am
It will never work out between us


Explanation:
if you get sidetracked. (Get your priorities straight, Buster!)

This is a play on men's supposed one-track mind.

The non-Austrian German is: So kommen wir niemals zusammen (we'll never be a couple, never get together)

Nancy Arrowsmith
Local time: 04:49
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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