# I need to translate german... desperate! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 18, 2001, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-to-translate-german-desperate/82329 "2001-09-18T04:22:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Pessor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pessor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pessor)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-to-translate-german-desperate/82329/1 "2001-09-18T04:22:19Z")
I need to know how to say “cucumbers in sour cream” in German. Help!!! ---
**Author:** ![Rasa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rasa/32/3578_2.png) [@Rasa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rasa)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-to-translate-german-desperate/82329/2 "2001-09-18T04:27:04Z")
Well according to [BabelFish](http://world.altavista.com/), it’s: _Gurken in der sauren Creme_ But I don’t speak German so I can’t vouch for the accuracy of that. ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-to-translate-german-desperate/82329/3 "2001-09-18T04:28:39Z")
My German-speaking sweetheart, **Spiny Norman** (Hi Honey!), will probably laugh at me even answering this, but I cheated and used [babelfish](http://world.altavista.com/). It says, “Gurken in der sauren creme”. Sure sounds right to me, but heck if I can vouch for it. * * * Jeg elsker dig, Thomas ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-to-translate-german-desperate/82329/4 "2001-09-18T04:31:05Z")
Oh My Gawd, **Rasa** , were we having some kind of psychic experience, or _what_? LMAO! [sub][hijack] P.S. How you doing, sweetie? [/hijack] [/sub] ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-to-translate-german-desperate/82329/5 "2001-09-18T04:34:17Z")
Try: die Salatgurke im Sauerrahm or die Salatgurke im Sauerrahmsosse the second is sour cream sauce. For you babelfishers, creme in German means cream, but for desserts. I am assuming that this is not dessert. [sub]Some real German will be along shortly to correct my mistakes [/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Pessor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/439d5e/32.png) [@Pessor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pessor)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-to-translate-german-desperate/82329/6 "2001-09-18T04:39:44Z")
THANK YOU Rasa, Shayna and Shibbo… nope, not dessert but a second course for a beer dinner, Oktoberfest style. I needed that quick and you all helped big. Thanks and MODS… I got what I wanted so zip it if you want if that helps things… otherwise not a very interesting thread! Peter ---
**Author:** ![schplebordnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@schplebordnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/schplebordnik)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-to-translate-german-desperate/82329/7 "2001-09-18T06:25:40Z")
Hmm. I seem to recall “Sahne” as meaning “cream” in German. InterTrans says I’m right. Or is that sweet cream? ---
**Author:** ![DemonSpawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac8455/32.png) [@DemonSpawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonSpawn)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-to-translate-german-desperate/82329/8 "2001-09-18T13:28:02Z")
…the real translation: Gurken in saurer Sahne or Gurken in Sauerrahm I thought I would add this, even if it’s probably too late. Greetings from the rainy Rhine area, Myriam (native German) ---
**Author:** ![TheNerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@TheNerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheNerd)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-to-translate-german-desperate/82329/9 "2001-09-18T13:40:39Z")
Myriam, does “Gurken” apply to non-pickled cucumbers? I am not a native speaker, and I’m pretty sure that they taught us in class that “Gurken” was a pickle. Just trying to clear up my confusion. ---
**Author:** ![TheThill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheThill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheThill)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-to-translate-german-desperate/82329/10 "2001-09-18T13:59:25Z")
“Gurke” actually just refers to a plain old “cucumber”. Pickles, which can be called “saure Gurken”, “eingelegte Gurken”, “Gewürzgurken”, “Essiggurken” or “Salzgurken” (or all kinds of other things depending on the region and style), are often just called “Gurken” too, which may be causing all the confusion. (Yes, I like my pickles!) And leave it to computer translations to come up with something silly! ---
**Author:** ![Aurora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Aurora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aurora)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-to-translate-german-desperate/82329/11 "2001-09-18T14:58:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DemonSpawn \* > \*\*…the real translation: > > Greetings from the rainy Rhine area, > > Myriam > (native German) \*\* Hey DemonSpawn - another German Doper from the Rhine area here!! 🙂 Where are you from? ---
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-to-translate-german-desperate/82329/12 "2001-09-18T16:07:27Z")
First post, and already helpful:)! Welcome aboard, Myriam. (P.S.: I **hate** cucumbers and I’m not particularly fond of sour cream, but that’s a different story…) ---
**Author:** ![Lodrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@Lodrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lodrain)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-to-translate-german-desperate/82329/13 "2001-09-18T22:58:08Z")
What I’m wondering is… Why do you need to translate ‘cucumbers in sour cream’? I laughed as I read the opening post, and had to read it again to ascertain whether or not you were serious. I now have words to add to my ever-growing vocabulary that I’ll probably never use… _Gurken_… Sounds like both the Klingon chancellor and the noise I make when I’m choked violently. {grins} _Salzgurken?_ I may be missing something, but what does salt have to do with pickles? Is salt added to the vinegar to do something during the pickling process, or is it some crazy German cultural quirk (like our ‘sweetbreads’)? _Guten Appetit!_