# Is it correct to translate "über mensch" as superman **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 11, 2017, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-translate-uber-mensch-as-superman/798541 "2017-10-11T04:06:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2017, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-translate-uber-mensch-as-superman/798541/1 "2017-10-11T04:06:11Z")
(Regarding Nitche) It is popularly done so but I’ve just read a article by a philosophy populiser which claims that superman is not a correct interpretation. What say the minions? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2017, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-translate-uber-mensch-as-superman/798541/2 "2017-10-11T04:11:13Z")
“Superman” is, at least, a misleading translation if it makes you think of the superhero. (Nietzsche, of course, predates the comic book character.) Was this the writer’s point? Did he/she suggest a better translation? ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2017, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-translate-uber-mensch-as-superman/798541/3 "2017-10-11T04:32:21Z")
Over man. ---
**Author:** ![dstarfire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dstarfire/32/5762_2.png) [@dstarfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dstarfire)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2017, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-translate-uber-mensch-as-superman/798541/4 "2017-10-11T05:06:19Z")
I always thought “mencsh” had connotations of simple, common, everyday. In other words; an ordinary, everyday person. Of course, that could just be due to a fantasy series I read as a kid. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2017, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-translate-uber-mensch-as-superman/798541/5 "2017-10-11T07:09:19Z")
> [@dstarfire](#): > > I always thought “mencsh” had connotations of simple, common, everyday. In other words; an ordinary, everyday person. That, I suspect, comes from the Yiddish usage. In High German, “Mensch” is just the generic for “human being” (hence, perhaps, the shift of emphasis you refer to). So you could alternatively translate Übermensch as “superhuman”. I have no idea if Nietzsche entertained the notion that his Übermensch could be female as well as male, but “superhuman” implies something rather different from “superman” - even without the cartoon image. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2017, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-translate-uber-mensch-as-superman/798541/6 "2017-10-11T08:17:45Z")
Superman to me implies he is above man. But the word _über_ in the contexts I’ve heard it means more like “ultimate version of.” And, yes, the term is likely genderless. So I’d think a better translation would be “ultimate human.” ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2017, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-translate-uber-mensch-as-superman/798541/7 "2017-10-11T08:54:56Z")
In the sense that it’s used by Nietzsche, “Superior Person” or “Higher Person” would be a better translation than “Superman” for modern readers. Makes me wonder how many people have landed up in the[GB Shaw](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_and_Superman)play expecting something … different. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2017, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-translate-uber-mensch-as-superman/798541/8 "2017-10-11T22:34:14Z")
It seems the [official German name](http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Superman-und-Batman-Juli-July-1968-Rare-German-Language-Comic-Book-Fine-/311553632297?hash=item488a0b2829:g:Cr0AAOSwG-1WzN16) for the comic character Superman is “Superman.” Which leaves “uber mensch” free to mean something completely different. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2017, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-translate-uber-mensch-as-superman/798541/9 "2017-10-11T22:39:59Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > It seems the [official German name](http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Superman-und-Batman-Juli-July-1968-Rare-German-Language-Comic-Book-Fine-/311553632297?hash=item488a0b2829:g:Cr0AAOSwG-1WzN16) for the comic character Superman is “Superman.” > > Which leaves “uber mensch” free to mean something completely different. Interesting because Superman is not actually a man, or a mensch. Well, in the Yiddish sense I guess he’d be kind of a mensch if he was actually a man. ETA: Also that play really disappointed me when I was kid. Not at all what I expected. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2017, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-translate-uber-mensch-as-superman/798541/10 "2017-10-11T23:15:08Z")
Now that the OP is answered, time for [Übermann](https://vimeo.com/30954731)… ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-translate-uber-mensch-as-superman/798541/11 "2017-10-12T01:16:41Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > (Regarding Nitche) It is popularly done so but I’ve just read a article by a philosophy populiser which claims that superman is not a correct interpretation. What say the minions? I’d say that reading a philosophy populiser is much more rewarding than reading Nitche (in translation) Even apart from the obvious translation issue, everything Nitche wrote was opaque to me… If it hadn’t been for the introduction, whatever Mitche meant would have been completely lost on me. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-translate-uber-mensch-as-superman/798541/12 "2017-10-12T01:49:59Z")
Almost nothing really translates between languages. Shades of meaning are impossible to translate in complex writing. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-translate-uber-mensch-as-superman/798541/13 "2017-10-12T17:34:49Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Makes me wonder how many people have landed up in the[GB Shaw](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_and_Superman)play expecting something … different. I seem to recall a _Cheers_ episode in which Sam heard something about Shaw’s _Man and Superman_, and said to himself, “I wonder if that’s the one where he fights the Mole People?” ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-translate-uber-mensch-as-superman/798541/14 "2017-10-12T17:45:50Z")
> [@dstarfire](#): > > I always thought “mencsh” had connotations of simple, common, everyday. In other words; an ordinary, everyday person. > [@PatrickLondon](#): > > That, I suspect, comes from the Yiddish usage. “Mensch” in Yiddish means “an honorable person,” “a person of integrity.” If you want to compliment someone, you might say “He’s a real _mensch_.” In other words, a superior person\*.🙂 \*However, it does not denote that someone is smart, or strong, or physically superior, just that they’re morally ethical. ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_blistering_barnacle/32/3386_2.png) [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Blistering_Barnacle)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-translate-uber-mensch-as-superman/798541/15 "2017-10-12T17:46:24Z")
You don’t tug on UberMensch’s cape! ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-translate-uber-mensch-as-superman/798541/16 "2017-10-12T20:02:56Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > “Mensch” in Yiddish means “an honorable person,” “a person of integrity.” If you want to compliment someone, you might say “He’s a real _mensch_.” > > In other words, a superior person\*.🙂 > > \*However, it does not denote that someone is smart, or strong, or physically superior, just that they’re morally ethical. Also in some context would mean the guy is sucker. He might be taken in by trusting in the decency of others. Yet not someone who would be scammed by entering into an illicit agreement either, just the someone who believes that guy is actually stuck at the highway rest stop and needs a few bucks to buy gas. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-translate-uber-mensch-as-superman/798541/17 "2017-10-12T20:09:03Z")
> [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](#): > > You don’t tug on UberMensch’s cape! And you don’t mess around with Friedrich. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-translate-uber-mensch-as-superman/798541/18 "2017-10-12T20:40:42Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Also in some context would mean the guy is sucker. He might be taken in by trusting in the decency of others. Can you provide a cite for it being used this way? I’ve never heard it except in the sense I gave. _Freier_ is the word used for “sucker” in Yiddish. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-translate-uber-mensch-as-superman/798541/19 "2017-10-12T22:30:03Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Can you provide a cite for it being used this way? I’ve never heard it except in the sense I gave. _Freier_ is the word used for “sucker” in Yiddish. I can’t drag my relatives back from grave, but sucker is too strong of a word. A mensch is not a schlemiel, but he is someone who may take a hit trying to do the right thing. It’s Yiddish, it’s all in how you say it. ---
**Author:** ![igor\_frankensteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/839c29/32.png) [@igor\_frankensteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/igor_frankensteen)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2017, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-correct-to-translate-uber-mensch-as-superman/798541/20 "2017-10-12T23:09:33Z")
Ubermensch clearly means SUPERIOR MAN, in the context of Nietzsche. And it means superior as in unquestionable natural authority, not as in “having higher skills,” or as in “nicer than the average bear.”