this post was submitted on 11 May 2025
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A collection of some classic Lemmy memes for your enjoyment

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[–] KoboldCoterie@pawb.social 31 points 1 year ago (8 children)

If everyone made use of the post language feature, it would entirely solve this problem. Unfortunately (at least to my knowledge) it's not possible to set a default post language, so most content is just posted as Undetermined.

[–] Khanzarate@lemmy.world 46 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Its no problem, just learn German by translating the memes.

[–] KoboldCoterie@pawb.social 20 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I do, admittedly, find it fun to try and work out the meaning through context despite not being able to read German.

[–] PlexSheep@infosec.pub 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If you can read English, you can read (most of) German. The problem is likely more in understanding it.

[–] KoboldCoterie@pawb.social 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Listen here, you little shit.

[–] PlexSheep@infosec.pub 4 points 1 year ago

Where are the Listen?

[–] peregrin5@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I am highly curious about the context of this particular one.

[–] idiomaddict@lemmy.world 14 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (9 children)

In many German Reddit meme communities, there’s a ban on using English enforced by the community through an all caps ouiji style comment chain, telling the offender “sprich deutsch, du hurensohn,” which means “speak German, you bastard [literally:son of a whore].” ~~In response to~~ (edit: Probably separately from but working well with) that, people began trying to avoid the use of germanized English words and wound up creating basically a pidgin in which things that don’t literally translate are translated literally, completely muddling things for English speakers learning German. My favorite example is a company that used to be run by bill gates, winzigweich, which makes kraftpunkt, Mannschaften, und überbiete, in addition to Fenster.

Edit: the pidgin is called Zangendeutsch (tongs German)

[–] Peter_Arbeitslos@feddit.org 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Who is this "Bill Gates"? Do you mean Gesetzesentwurf Bogen?

[–] idiomaddict@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] idiomaddict@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Side note: the translation you chose for bill was not one of the two I was thinking of (Schein as in currency and Rechnung), which reminded me of when my student asked why there were two words for receipt and I listed off five and just had to apologize

[–] d_k_bo@feddit.org 3 points 1 year ago

Scheintore klingt gut.

[–] Lumidaub@feddit.org 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

My memory isn't what it was and it's been at least 100 years, back when Krautchan was ~~good~~ existent, but I do think Zangendeutsch came before we started enforcing it by declaring offenders Hurensöhne. If there are/were ever people who seriously wanted to ban English (and allow only German exclusively), they were a tiny minority and the point of Zangendeutsch went right over their head.

[–] Peter_Arbeitslos@feddit.org 7 points 1 year ago (2 children)

One could even see it as a parody of people who really want to ban any non-German influence on the German language. Zangendeutsch shows how ridiculous it would be to vanish all words of a language that haven't been part of that language for more than –let's say– a hundred years.

[–] albert180@piefed.social 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Tbh I just find the "Translations" really funny. Sometimes I also use them in real life as well

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[–] idiomaddict@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

To be fair, it’s a common source of comedy for speakers of any language with a lot of loan words to treat them like calques for the purpose of momentary confusion. People refer to little mules or little asses when discussing Mexican food in English, for example. I also didn’t even start learning German until 2009, so I definitely wasn’t there when it started.

[–] Lumidaub@feddit.org 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Nothing could be further from me than claiming we're being very original. Only 1 Pimmel would do that. I just thought your Pfosten might make people think there may be OTHER, very uniquely German reasons for this nonsense. Ü

[–] idiomaddict@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I mean, Zangendeutsch really takes it to another level with the absolute commitment though

[–] Lumidaub@feddit.org 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It certainly is no laughing matter.

[–] Peter_Arbeitslos@feddit.org 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

What do you expect? It's ~~German stuff~~ stuff some weird selfish 2000s internet nerd basement kids invented. And I think it's beautiful.

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[–] boonhet@lemm.ee 7 points 1 year ago

Ah yes, learn Zangendeutsch for make benefit homeland

[–] protogen420@lemmy.blahaj.zone 12 points 1 year ago

I like having random german posts in my feed

[–] superkret@feddit.org 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

it would entirely solve this problem

Welches Problem?

[–] Lumidaub@feddit.org 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Das Guten Tag, Anschluss "Problem".

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[–] gerryflap@feddit.nl 25 points 1 year ago (2 children)

This is what my German teacher meant when he said that I'd "need it someday".

Supertoll. Danke schön. Ich hätte auch gerne ein Pedalo.

[–] PlexSheep@infosec.pub 2 points 1 year ago

Pedalo für jedermann

[–] Peter_Arbeitslos@feddit.org 19 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] Sergio@slrpnk.net 17 points 1 year ago

Oh hey I understand that! It says "Speak German to Spez".

[–] originaltnavn@lemm.ee 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Men hvorfor i all videste verden holde seg til tysk når kontinentet har så mange andre språk også? Det er like mye kveld her nordpå som der nede, om noen ikke kan samtlige språk er det vel det britene kaller "skill issue".

[–] Peter_Arbeitslos@feddit.org 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Ik spreek ook een beetje Nederlands en italiaans, maar het is grappig om spreken Zangendeutsch. Wij zijn rare mensen. Taalse zijn leuk.

I asked ChatGPT to translate a meme and now GPT talks to me like:

[–] ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

Sometimes I can still understand them somehow...

[–] tdawg@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Jokes on you it's the morning now

[–] PlexSheep@infosec.pub 2 points 1 year ago

Witz auf dich, wir Deitschen sind auch manchmal nachtaktiv

[–] detun3d@lemm.ee 4 points 1 year ago

Aquí faltan memes en español. Si queremos confundirles debemos usar más idiomas.

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