3

I came across this graffiti which says:

"Nazis find ich persönlich ja doch eher uncool"

The way I would translate this in English would be:

Personally I still think Nazis are uncool.

Is this correct and are there any nuances in this sentence by using "ja doch eher" ?

2 Answers 2

5

Each of these words adds a little to the whole sentence:

  • find is colloquial, especially when combined as find ich, which is often pronounced as findich
  • persönlich just emphasizes the non-objective nature
  • ja typically means as I (and maybe you) already knew before; in many other cases it weakens the argument
  • doch makes the sentence sound unsure, as in na gut, ich komme doch mit, du hast mich überredet
  • eher makes the argument even weaker, it's approximately at 60%, so very close to the middle
  • doch eher is very close to I'm totally unsure, but I tend to this direction
  • uncool is a lot weaker than doof, schlecht, which nicely matches the ja doch eher

Altogether, the sentence sounds like not a big thing, personal opinion, unsure. Until you get the irony.

A simple still doesn't provide all this heavy bag of connotation, so you need some more words.

5
  • 1
    Maybe like this? "Personally I still think Nazis are, um, y'know, uncool." Jan 31, 2017 at 22:09
  • 2
    Ich finde, das doch wirkt bekräftigend. Eher uncool drückt einen gewissen Zweifel aus - das doch bekräftigt aber, dass eine Entscheidung gefallen ist. Feb 1, 2017 at 4:28
  • Das doch könnte auch auf eine neue Erkenntnis hindeuten. Wie bekräftigend auch immer es sein mag, es rennt voll in die von eher aufgestellte Mauer und wird von dieser abgebremst. Feb 1, 2017 at 6:45
  • Was wollte, mit anderen Worten, dieser Satz vermitteln ? Feb 5, 2017 at 7:27
  • Die Kernaussage ist: Nazis sind doof. Die ganzen abschwächenden Formen könnten bedeuten: 1. Aber ich traue mich nicht, das so direkt zu sagen. 2. Aber ich will nicht plump erscheinen. 3. Ich kann meine Meinung differenziert ausdrücken (also keine Schwarz-Weiß-Meinung). 4. (Es gibt bestimmt noch mehr …) Feb 5, 2017 at 8:31
-2

In your example "ja doch eher" is a stylistic device. It is irony and in this case you make fun of people who like Nazis. It is hard to translate a stylistic device and you would most likely change the meaning of the sentence.

2
  • I see, it is so unsure that it is basically an endorsement Jan 31, 2017 at 22:13
  • If it is hard to translate, you could try to explain it instead.
    – Carsten S
    Jan 31, 2017 at 23:12

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.