# 99 Luftballoons: help me finish the translation **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 26, 2004, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-luftballoons-help-me-finish-the-translation/256924 "2004-07-26T12:57:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2004, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-luftballoons-help-me-finish-the-translation/256924/1 "2004-07-26T12:57:33Z")
For all of you who would tell me to just look it up myself- I don’t have a German-English dictionary. [Link to Lyrics](http://www.songlyrics4u.com/nena/99-luftballoons.html) It should be noted that I don’t think the German is all correct in this link. Some of it just doesn’t look right to me. I’m not looking for the English version lyrics. The English version lyrics differ from the German lyrics (e.g. the German balloons aren’t red). What I’m looking for is a literal translation, word for word, of the German lyrics. I want to cover the song but can’t effectively sing it unless I know what I’m singing. My highschool German get’s me through just about all of it. Here are the few points of concern. _Denkst Du vielleicht grad’ an mich_ Do you think \ of me?- What is “grad’” short for and what does it mean? _'ne Fliegerstaffel_ 😕 _Alarm zu geben wenn’s so waer_ \ to give, if \ _Duesenflieger_??? 😕 _gerafft_??? 😕 _schoss_ 😕 ---
**Author:** ![kellner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c2a13f/32.png) [@kellner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellner)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2004, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-luftballoons-help-me-finish-the-translation/256924/2 "2004-07-26T13:11:54Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > _Denkst Du vielleicht grad’ an mich_ > Do you think \ of me?- What is “grad’” short for and what does it mean? _gerade_, in this context “just now” “Are you perhaps thinking of me just now?” > [@](#): > > _'ne Fliegerstaffel_ > 😕 a flying squadron > [@](#): > > _Alarm zu geben wenn’s so waer_ > \ to give, if \ ~ “to raise alarm, if that’s the case” > [@](#): > > _Duesenflieger_??? > 😕 jet plane > [@](#): > > _gerafft_??? > 😕 here: understood, literally: reaped > [@](#): > > _schoss_ > 😕 shot (verb) ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2004, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-luftballoons-help-me-finish-the-translation/256924/3 "2004-07-26T18:29:23Z")
Big Nena fan, I have several of their albums, they have many other fantastic songs as well… Here’s a website with direct translation, as well as a line up against the english rewrite… [http://www.inthe80s.com/redger3.shtml](http://www.inthe80s.com/redger3.shtml) ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2004, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-luftballoons-help-me-finish-the-translation/256924/4 "2004-07-26T20:24:07Z")
in a word, [freetranslation.com](http://freetranslation.com) If used in a llogical manner, it can be great=) If I need something translated, I put it in in clauses rather than sentances because often when putting in a whole sentance it comes out garbled. It is great for doing lyrics or modern poetry, they tend to be done in short enough clauses that things dont get confused=) ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2004, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-luftballoons-help-me-finish-the-translation/256924/5 "2004-07-26T20:49:33Z")
Well, [here’s](http://crydee.sai.msu.ru/public/lyrics/cs-uwp/m/misc.dementia/baboons) one English version . . . ---
**Author:** ![thwartme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@thwartme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thwartme)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2004, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-luftballoons-help-me-finish-the-translation/256924/6 "2004-07-26T20:53:31Z")
**Eve** Ha! I checked this thread out, thinking to myself “I wonder if anyone’s posted the Baboons lyrics yet…” Nice. thwartme ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2004, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-luftballoons-help-me-finish-the-translation/256924/7 "2004-07-26T23:30:17Z")
[Here ya go.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=118331)😃 ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2004, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-luftballoons-help-me-finish-the-translation/256924/8 "2004-07-27T08:15:38Z")
**Earl Snake-Hips Tucker** , what kind of absolute freak starts a Thread topic like _that_??? 😃 **aruvqan** , actually the parts that I didn’t need help with I got from 80% my own knowledge of German and 20% from [freetranslation.com](http://freetranslation.com)! The rest I couldn’t get from that site. I agree: it’s great for what it works for- I use it every now and then. And, you’re right, best to break things down to clauses. **kellner** , Thanks! You rock. (Sie rocken! 😕) ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2004, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-luftballoons-help-me-finish-the-translation/256924/9 "2004-07-27T08:19:37Z")
> [@](#): > > (Sie rocken! 😕) You have to be very careful when you put smilies into parentheses. This should have been: (Sie rocken! 😕 )