An Official Lingua Franca?

Robert Rojas · Post by **Robert Rojas** » Fri Mar 03, 2006 9:37 am

Greetings to Chairman Pipes, his august lieutenants and the community as a whole. Well folks, old Uncle Bob was wondering if the forum had an officially designated language for the neighborhood's collective ability to communicate. At the present time, I am assuming that the English Language is THE defacto tongue of common discourse. With that said, I have noticed a variety of threads that have been posted in a language which is other than the English Language. What is REALLY annoying about some of these threads is that they lack any companion English Language translation. A clarification on policy would be greatly appreciated. Well, that's my initial two cents worth on this not so mundane topic - for now anyway. As always, I would like to bid you an especially copacetic day down in Baghdad-By-The-Bay.

Nordwest · Post by **Nordwest** » Fri Mar 03, 2006 11:00 am

Robert, first Language at Feldgrau Forum is english/american English.

I would like to see a Thread in french-, and another Thread in german Language, perhaps at the so called "Soldatenheim", but I am very sure, 99% of the Users here will disagree to this...?

Michael

Brian38 · Post by **Brian38** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 5:24 am

I think you should not wonder to find sometimes a German posting because feldgrau is a forum for German "Wehrmacht" and "Waffen-SS" and so my point of view is, that German could not be "wrong" for thes.
But for sure ENGLISH is the "official" language here and - as Norwest says - 99% (or more) of the postings are in English.
Sometimes I also use German or French language: German if I have a discussion with a German speaking person where the details are so complicate, that my English is not good enough

and French if somebody is asking for something and his English is worser then my French

John W. Howard · Post by **John W. Howard** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 1:16 pm

Hello Robert:
On occasion we get a post or two in French, Spanish, German, Dutch, etc. The thirst for information is not limited to English speakers, as you know, so we try to be as helpful as possible. For the most part, our foreign friends have exceptional English skills and do their utmost to post in English, a task I do not envy them. If you see a post in a foreign language which looks interesting, ask for a translation; there is no shame in that, and someone will do their best to help out. Best wishes.

Jan-Hendrik · Post by **Jan-Hendrik** » Sun Apr 16, 2006 2:00 am

Not to forget that some german sentences are nearly "untranslateable" into english language

And I am sorry that I sometimes fell back into german , but thats in the "Eifer des Gefechts"

By the way , what may be a fitting english term for "Im Eifer des Gefechts" ?

Jan-Hendrik

Lorenz · Post by **Lorenz** » Sun Apr 16, 2006 5:38 am

By the way , what may be a fitting english term for "Im Eifer des Gefechts" ?

"Price of the effort", I would say. In other words, you try like hell to come up with a valid translation of a word or phrase, but finally have to give up because nothing seems quite right. The cost of further effort exceeds the frustration of giving up.

Nichts war?

--Lorenz

M.H. · Post by **M.H.** » Sun Apr 16, 2006 6:03 am

By the way , what may be a fitting english term for "Im Eifer des Gefechts" ?

"In the heat of the battle!" ?

Nichts war?

I think you mean "Nicht wahr?"

Jan-Hendrik · Post by **Jan-Hendrik** » Sun Apr 16, 2006 6:36 am

Dear Lorenz , absolutly right !

Jan-Hendrik

Jason Pipes · Post by **Jason Pipes** » Sun Apr 16, 2006 11:58 am

English is our main "offical" language - I'm English, I live in the US, most posts here are in English, therefore it makes most sense. That being said we don't frown upon posts in other languages, especially German for obvious reasons! A translation is always handy, but not required as long as the posts aren't excessive in nature.