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  3. Sports / Fitness / Recreation

"Wir sind dann mal oben"

English translation: "We're in the big league now"/"We're playing in the big league now"

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:"Wir sind dann mal oben"
English translation:"We're in the big league now"/"We're playing in the big league now"
Entered by: Anja Wulf (X)

07:45 Jun 28, 2009
German to English translations [PRO]
Sports / Fitness / Recreation / Football chant
German term or phrase: "Wir sind dann mal oben"
A chant used by the fans of a football team that has just been promoted to the 1. Bundesliga.

Could it be something like "We're on our way up"?

Thanks.
Sarah Naught (X)
Local time: 12:33
"We're in the big league now"/"We're playing in the big league now"
Explanation:
A very common expression in the US, referring not only to the major sports leagues but also to the "top players" in any given profession or field of activity.

580,000,000 google hits for this expression.
Selected response from:

Anja Wulf (X)
Local time: 06:33
Grading comment
Thank you. Sounds like a chant particularly the first one.
3 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +2At the top of our game
Helen Shiner
4 +1"We're in the big league now"/"We're playing in the big league now"
Anja Wulf (X)
3We've reached the Upper League
BrigitteHilgner
3we'll be/we are (playing) in the top league now
Bernhard Sulzer


Discussion entries: 5





  

Answers


1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
We've reached the Upper League


Explanation:
We are at the top

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Note added at 1 hr (2009-06-28 09:28:01 GMT)
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There's a popular book by Hape Kerkeling "Ich bin dann mal weg" - I guess this phrase led to your slogan. A more literal translation would be "For the time being we are tops".

BrigitteHilgner
Austria
Local time: 12:33
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 12
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks Brigitte. However, since it is a chant "We've reached the Upper Leagues" sounds a bit cumbersome. So I've chosen something a little shorter - "We've made it"

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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
At the top of our game


Explanation:
Not a football chant as such, but a sporting analogy that might work in the context you mention.

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Note added at 6 hrs (2009-06-28 14:09:09 GMT)
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or 'At the top of the game'

Helen Shiner
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:33
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 12

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Lancashireman: Now we have the actual context: "...but it's for a company magazine...". This is the appropriate register.
4 hrs
  -> Danke sehr, Andrew
agree  Anne-Marie Grant (X)
10 hrs
  -> Thanks, Anne-Marie
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21 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
we'll be/we are (playing) in the top league now


Explanation:
sorry about my late entry. It's a positive fan chant about one's team (possibly directed towards the loser or even the member teams of the upper league):

we'll be/ we are in the top league now.
we'll be in the top league now

The "dann mal" here is a "filler" expressing a proud feeling - now you (the other guys up there), you've got to play against us, "we're up there now/ we're playing up there now

or to the competitor still in the second league:
(as for us, yes,) we'll be (playing) up there then (in the top league then)

kind of like Thomas' suggestion:
we'll be upstairs from now on

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Note added at 21 hrs (2009-06-29 05:19:43 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

my own suggestions might work for both, a chant and a company magazine. :)

Bernhard Sulzer
United States
Local time: 06:33
Works in field
Native speaker of: German
PRO pts in category: 12
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2 days 9 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
"We're in the big league now"/"We're playing in the big league now"


Explanation:
A very common expression in the US, referring not only to the major sports leagues but also to the "top players" in any given profession or field of activity.

580,000,000 google hits for this expression.

Anja Wulf (X)
Local time: 06:33
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 3
Grading comment
Thank you. Sounds like a chant particularly the first one.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Bernhard Sulzer: I almost posted this myself, I guess it sounded too American to me.:)
1 day 5 hrs
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