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No, he is not bothered or agitated, he is merely contemplating about what to say.
"Man spürte den Stolz, die Freude und den Schmerz und irgendwie hatte ich das Gefühl, er arbeitete wieder auf der Hütte. Denn es arbeitet in ihm - sein Werk lässt ihn nicht los." http://www.saarbruecken.de/media/download-5469e74d88168
This is clearly a positive sentiment here and has certainly nothing to do with bothered, agitated or unsettled.
"Der Reporter bohrt weiter, als habe er nichts gehört. Kuranyi räuspert sich, kratzt sich am Ohr, es arbeitet in ihm: Wie umgehen mit dieser Zumutung? Einfach davonlaufen? Unhöflich. Vertrauliches rausposaunen? Unmöglich." http://www.zvw.de/inhalt.schorndorf-fussball-mediencoach-jue...
He may be agitated, but that isn't the point: He's trying to process[=arbeiten] something. That goes to "the heart of the meaning." Anything else depends on the context.
Thanks for the clarification, but I'm rather troubled by the outcome.
"All of these go to the heart of the meaning which has nothing to do with IT."
I thought I had clearly explained below that the term has about four to five different meanings. And, no, they cannot be summed up in one word. This is a pretty typical phenomenon: Unless it's a very simple statement, two phrases, terms or words won't be the same in different languages.
I had said "or similar" because this one isn't really about something "bothering" you. He is thinking back to the time when he dreamed of becoming a great soccer player. Maybe a melancholic mood, but not "agitated" either.
More often than not, your glossary entry will produce odd results. Also agree with what Michael said. Usually, you have a feeling something is wrong; it's not clearly "visible."
Something is bothering him...he is agitated...he is unsettled. All of these go to the heart of the meaning which has nothing to do with IT. "Es arbeitet in ihm" has everything to do with "IHM" rather than "ES"...HE is the salient feature, not it. Everyone who started the translation with "IT" rather missed the point. Thank you though.
Ramey Rieger (X)
Germany
Ach Wendy!
08:25 Mar 21, 2017
We could go on for DAYS!
It put him out of kilter/off balance. It muddied his waters. It pissed on his party. It rattled his cage. It soured his milk. It salted his coffee. It was an itch he couldn't scratch.
True. Then how about: It plagued/pestered him It preyed on his mind It drove him up the wall!
Ramey Rieger (X)
Germany
Hi Wendy
08:05 Mar 21, 2017
the trouble I have with irked, in relation to Lara's query, is that it implies being nettled. Nettled/irked is still annoying or irritating, ergo, defines his state of being. All suggestions are attempting to define a state of being of whose source we haven't the foggiest.
Of course there IS an equivalent in English, equally vague, equallyexpressive, but you have a German context. You know what triggered the agitation, we don't. It made him think - He was thinking about it It moved him - He was moved by it It caused him to reflect - He was reflecting on it It was unsettling - He was unsettled by it
has a similar feel to it as the German, in my opinion. It's also non-specific in terms of the emotion involved and is often used to set up a contrast to outwardly calm appearances. Similarly, with “es arbeitet/rumort in ihm, ”the observed direction seems to be inward, not outward. The phrase doesn’t rule out there are visible signs on display but that doesn’t really seem to be its focus.
I thought that "he was visibly agitated" provided all the context needed, but clearly not :-) The German could mean many things -- and in this particular source it was purposefully written to be vague...the reader didn't know whether the person "in whom it arbeitet" was mad or glad or sad or whatever....I was just wondering whether there was an English phrase starting with IT (as in ES) that showed more of the generic process of something being worked out, of thoughts and emotions churning inside him, but clearly there isn't anything that is equivalent and as ambivalent and multioptional as the German. As so often is the case! Thanks for your input!
Asking for an exact context-independent translation of a colloquialism is similar to: "It's an animal with red feathers and looks like a hummingbird. Do we have a name for that in English?"
Not sure how to answer this one either.
Thanks and same to you.
Ramey Rieger (X)
Germany
Hi Björn!
18:51 Mar 16, 2017
"You do realize that asker posed what you'd call a leading question" We're on the road to nowhere....Good night and good luck!
That's most likely visibly agitated (more like: the eye of the storm before you hit the roof).
None of the suggestions can be used in "90% of possible contexts," not to mention that a glossary entry will be pretty risky unless you include at least four to five different options.
Additionally @Lara, please describe the exact or a similar setting in which the phrase occurs, so that my revered colleagues can help you. Otherwise, this will be an exercise in futility.
Perhaps you're right. But from whose perspective? Is this a novel? A report? WHO is making this statement? His therapist, teacher, wife, boss? Also, nowadays, 'es arbeitet in ihm' can refer to a spiritual message, a reprimand, a sexual come-on. The agitation can be on the brink of excitement, of an awakening or revelation, or of an emotional explosion.
It is impossible to say in which direction this is going without the surrounding context. To which degree was he agitated? Most importantly, WHY was he agitated? What was the incoming information/statement/confrontation that led to his agitation? Did he take it to heart? Was he embarrassed? hurt? angry? uncomfortable? Did it rattle his cage? Upset his world view? PLEASE give some context!
Explanation: And many more - so what is the context?!
Wendy Streitparth Germany Local time: 10:41 Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 31
5 hrs confidence:
Something was bothering him
Explanation: Just occurred to me
phillee Local time: 09:41 Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 12
Notes to answerer
Asker: Yes, this is a lot more helpful. Something is bothering him...he is agitated...he is unsettled. All of these go to the heart of the meaning which has nothing to do with "IT." Es arbeitet in ihm has everything to do with "IHM" rather than "ES"...HE is the subject, not it. Which is why most people failed to properly answer/translate the challenge.
Explanation: Anger etc is welling up inside him - he may be fuming (inside).
It should be noted that almost the whole point of the German phrase is to suggest that it may not be readily apparent to other people how agitated this person is...
Michael Martin, MA United States Local time: 04:41 Works in field Native speaker of: German, English PRO pts in category: 116
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