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Für Sparfüchse, Seebären und Landratten

English translation: smart savers, sea-bears and land-lubber

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:Für Sparfüchse, Seebären und Landratten
English translation:smart savers, sea-bears and land-lubber
Entered by: Nicole Schnell

07:30 May 26, 2006
German to English translations [PRO]
Marketing - Tourism & Travel / Austria
German term or phrase: Für Sparfüchse, Seebären und Landratten
Tourism text describing the 'Bodensee-Erlebnis-Card:' which entitles tourists to various discounts. Help! I can say entitles to great savings - but seebären? landratten? thanks!
Lydia Wazir
Austria
Local time: 03:03
smart savers, sea-bears and land-lubber
Explanation:
"Now, nobody is so heartily despised as a pusillanimous, lazy, good-for-nothing land-lubber; a sailor has no bowels of compassion for him. Yet, useless as such a character may be in many respects, a ship's company is by no means disposed to let him reap any benefit from his deficiencies. Regarded in the light of a mechanical power, whenever there is any plain, hard work to be done, he is put to it like a lever; everyone giving him a pry.

Then, again, he is set about all the vilest work. Is there a heavy job at tarring to be done, he is pitched neck and shoulders into a tar-barrel, and set to work at it. Moreover, he is made to fetch and carry like a dog. Like as not, if the mate sends him after his quadrant, on the way he is met by the captain, who orders him to pick some oakum; and while he is hunting up a bit of rope, a sailor comes along and wants to know what the deuce he's after, and bids him be off to the forecastle.

"Obey the last order," is a precept inviolable at sea. So the land-lubber, afraid to refuse to do anything, rushes about distracted, and does nothing: in the end receiving a shower of kicks and cuffs from all quarters."

....

""What ails that fellow?" here growled an old sea-bear, turning round savagely."

From Herman Melville´s "Omoo" 1847

Selected response from:

Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 18:03
Grading comment
thank you Nicole - I went with this one - agree with the sea-bears comments on Lake Constance, too :-)
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +3smart savers, sea-bears and land-lubber
Nicole Schnell
4 +3for the thrifty, seadogs and landlubbers
ciliegina
4 +2For savvy savers, old tars and landlubbers
Jutta Schandel


Discussion entries: 3





  

Answers


16 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
For savvy savers, old tars and landlubbers


Explanation:
Wenn Du das ganze "colloquial" halten willst, kannst Du den Spruch so übernehmen - ich wohne in England, und das ist nach meiner Erfahrung hier so gebräuchlich (obwohl man es wahrscheinlich nur schwerlich in Lexika so findet)

Jutta Schandel
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:03
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Samira Goth: also Jack Tars
59 mins
agree  Maureen Millington-Brodie
5 hrs
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19 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
smart savers, sea-bears and land-lubber


Explanation:
"Now, nobody is so heartily despised as a pusillanimous, lazy, good-for-nothing land-lubber; a sailor has no bowels of compassion for him. Yet, useless as such a character may be in many respects, a ship's company is by no means disposed to let him reap any benefit from his deficiencies. Regarded in the light of a mechanical power, whenever there is any plain, hard work to be done, he is put to it like a lever; everyone giving him a pry.

Then, again, he is set about all the vilest work. Is there a heavy job at tarring to be done, he is pitched neck and shoulders into a tar-barrel, and set to work at it. Moreover, he is made to fetch and carry like a dog. Like as not, if the mate sends him after his quadrant, on the way he is met by the captain, who orders him to pick some oakum; and while he is hunting up a bit of rope, a sailor comes along and wants to know what the deuce he's after, and bids him be off to the forecastle.

"Obey the last order," is a precept inviolable at sea. So the land-lubber, afraid to refuse to do anything, rushes about distracted, and does nothing: in the end receiving a shower of kicks and cuffs from all quarters."

....

""What ails that fellow?" here growled an old sea-bear, turning round savagely."

From Herman Melville´s "Omoo" 1847




    Reference: http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:K1lri5wCP24J:www.online-...
Nicole Schnell
United States
Local time: 18:03
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 58
Grading comment
thank you Nicole - I went with this one - agree with the sea-bears comments on Lake Constance, too :-)

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  BrigitteHilgner: "Sea-bears" on Lake Constance makes me laugh! (Not your fault - it's the original which is slightly ridiculous.) :-)
12 mins
  -> Hehe! Thanks, Brigitte!
agree  Jeremy Amos: I like the smart savers and landlubbers, but sea-bears is im my opinion archaic and not in current use, unlike the other two suggested translations.
8 hrs
  -> Thanks, Jeremy!
agree  Maurite Fober: Maybe smart-savers, sea-dogs and landlubbers?
1 day 7 hrs
  -> Thanks, Maurite! I've never heard "sea-dog" (Westcoast), but it sounds nice.
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33 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
for the thrifty, seadogs and landlubbers


Explanation:
couldn't think of a good word for Sparfuchs so far but this should get the ball rolling

ciliegina
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:03
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  wolfgang55: maybe penny-wise could be a good word for it
11 mins
  -> Thanks!
agree  Ingeborg Gowans (X): seadogs am Bodensee is hard to imagine, but again, it's the original which is slightly askew
3 hrs
  -> maybe seadogs would have a safer time of it than bears, not too welcome in S. Germany at the moment:-))
agree  Jeremy Amos: Like seadogs from this one.
7 hrs
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