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 11 months ago (6 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 45 points 11 months ago (2 children)

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

[–] KoboldCoterie@pawb.social 20 points 11 months 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 4 points 10 months 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 10 months ago (1 children)

Listen here, you little shit.

[–] PlexSheep 4 points 10 months ago

Where are the Listen?

[–] peregrin5@lemm.ee 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

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

[–] idiomaddict@lemmy.world 14 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months 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 11 months ago (1 children)

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

[–] idiomaddict@lemmy.world 7 points 11 months ago (1 children)
[–] idiomaddict@lemmy.world 4 points 11 months 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 10 months ago

Scheintore klingt gut.

[–] Lumidaub@feddit.org 5 points 11 months 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 11 months 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 10 months ago (2 children)

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

[–] ZonenRanslite@feddit.org 2 points 10 months ago
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[–] Lumidaub@feddit.org 2 points 11 months ago

Was er ☝️ sagt.

[–] idiomaddict@lemmy.world 4 points 11 months 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 11 months 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 11 months ago (1 children)

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

[–] Lumidaub@feddit.org 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

It certainly is no laughing matter.

[–] Peter_Arbeitslos@feddit.org 4 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months 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 11 months ago

Ah yes, learn Zangendeutsch for make benefit homeland

[–] protogen420@lemmy.blahaj.zone 12 points 11 months ago

I like having random german posts in my feed

[–] superkret@feddit.org 10 points 11 months ago (1 children)

it would entirely solve this problem

Welches Problem?

[–] Lumidaub@feddit.org 4 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Das Guten Tag, Anschluss "Problem".

[–] Microw@lemm.ee 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Thw post language feature is not even implemented in lots of Lemmy apps

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[–] gerryflap@feddit.nl 25 points 10 months 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.

[–] ZonenRanslite@feddit.org 8 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] FooBarrington@lemmy.world 11 points 10 months ago

Danke Geschwisti, muss los

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[–] Peter_Arbeitslos@feddit.org 19 points 11 months ago (1 children)
[–] Sergio@slrpnk.net 17 points 11 months ago

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

[–] originaltnavn@lemm.ee 8 points 11 months 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 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

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

[–] PalimpsestNavigator@midwest.social 8 points 10 months ago

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

[–] ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 6 points 10 months ago

Sometimes I can still understand them somehow...

[–] tdawg@lemmy.world 4 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Jokes on you it's the morning now

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[–] detun3d@lemm.ee 4 points 10 months ago

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

[–] Kennystillalive@feddit.org 2 points 11 months ago
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