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  3. Poetry & Literature

Fleißarbeit

English translation: to busy myself

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:Fleißarbeit
English translation:to busy myself
Entered by: Katy62

15:36 Oct 12, 2004
German to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature
German term or phrase: Fleißarbeit
Excerpt from a letter in which a Swiss man talks about his new project, the adaptation of a theatre play:
"Ich habe mir was Schweres ausgesucht, als Fleissarbeit."

Target: British-English
Katy62
Local time: 13:19
to busy myself
Explanation:
Home. Advice Wanted Please. Contact us: Member 001. I wasn't alone on that first visit to Mum's grave, as I was escorted there by my new-found half-sister. ... I continued laying there for quite some time until I felt I needed to busy myself with transforming the site. ...
www.bereavement-network.org/member_001.htm

This month I decided to busy myself with play and learning to crawl and sit. I really grasp for things now and stick them straight into my mouth of course - you never know, they might be tasty!
www.vangelre.com/Gwenna/month_5.htm
Selected response from:

Norbert Hermann
Local time: 12:19
Grading comment
Thanks for your help!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +3to busy myself
Norbert Hermann
3 +3labour of love
Michele Johnson
4 +2challenge
Terry Gilman
5look here
Russ
2drudge work
Olaf Reibedanz


  

Answers


2 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
Fleißarbeit
drudge work


Explanation:
Perhaps?

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Note added at 13 mins (2004-10-12 15:49:57 GMT)
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Other options: \"drudgery\" or \"toil\"

Olaf Reibedanz
Colombia
Local time: 06:19
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 12
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16 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
Fleißarbeit
to busy myself


Explanation:
Home. Advice Wanted Please. Contact us: Member 001. I wasn't alone on that first visit to Mum's grave, as I was escorted there by my new-found half-sister. ... I continued laying there for quite some time until I felt I needed to busy myself with transforming the site. ...
www.bereavement-network.org/member_001.htm

This month I decided to busy myself with play and learning to crawl and sit. I really grasp for things now and stick them straight into my mouth of course - you never know, they might be tasty!
www.vangelre.com/Gwenna/month_5.htm

Norbert Hermann
Local time: 12:19
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 8
Grading comment
Thanks for your help!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Cilian O'Tuama: could be - as in 'to keep me/myself out of mischief'
5 mins
  -> Thanks Cilian
agree  Kim Metzger: Yes, I like this one. We can't be absolutely sure what the author had in mind, of course.
13 mins
  -> Thanks Kim, put that crystal ball on your Christmas list ;-))
agree  sonja29 (X)
33 mins
  -> Thanks Sonja
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16 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
Fleißarbeit
look here


Explanation:
Check it out!

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 18 mins (2004-10-12 15:54:49 GMT)
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sorry, it\'s \"fleissarbeit\"...I missed the initial \"f\"...H.T.H.


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Note added at 22 mins (2004-10-12 15:58:50 GMT)
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http://forum.leo.org/archiv/f/fleissarbeit.html
There are various definitions there...Good luck!

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Note added at 27 mins (2004-10-12 16:03:36 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

*hard slog* UK English



    Reference: http://forum.leo.org/archiv/f/leissarbeit.html
Russ
Local time: 08:19
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
Fleißarbeit
labour of love


Explanation:
Yes, it's hard work, but I think we may be missing the point: it's something he wants to do, a challenging new project, and I assume he has a certain amount of enthusiasm about it.

To make an analogy: knitting a sweater by hand is Fleissarbeit, but it's certainly (well usually) a labor of love. Or think about restoring a vintage car: challenging, hard work, but certainly rewarding.

Michele Johnson
Germany
Local time: 13:19
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Terry Gilman: or, as you say, "...as a challenge"; to me, labour of love would be something to say after the fact (it was a lol), which might fit the context // agree, it reads tongue in cheek to me; challenge might be too boastful. A disciplinary measure?
11 mins
agree  Renate FitzRoy
11 mins
disagree  Edhild: s. Duden: work that needs a lot of effort, but is NOT very rewarding or inspiring
2 hrs
  -> Thanks, yes; however I do feel he is using the phrase tongue in cheek and am trying to reflect that irony in my suggestion.
agree  Nicole Tata: with Terry - but your explanation is certainly spot on ;-)
2 hrs
agree  Mario Marcolin
16 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
Fleißarbeit
challenge


Explanation:
I picked / wanted to take on something difficult, as a challenge. (Michele's idea)

Terry Gilman
Germany
Local time: 13:19
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Nicole Tata: yes, for the fun of it
2 hrs
  -> this sounds natural and has more spark with "difficult"
agree  Mario Marcolin
16 hrs
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