# Short but probably colloquial German translation? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 14, 2015, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-but-probably-colloquial-german-translation/717682 "2015-04-14T20:59:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2015, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-but-probably-colloquial-german-translation/717682/1 "2015-04-14T20:59:56Z")
“Die Gesetzlosen” - ramble. In English, please. ---
**Author:** ![polar\_bear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ec9cab/32.png) [@polar\_bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/polar_bear)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2015, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-but-probably-colloquial-german-translation/717682/2 "2015-04-14T21:10:12Z")
“The lawless people” I’d think. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2015, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-but-probably-colloquial-german-translation/717682/3 "2015-04-14T21:11:04Z")
“The lawless people” is the literal translation, but if you want one that is similarly idiomatic in English, I guess “the outlaws” would be close. ---
**Author:** ![ALOHA\_HATER](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/76d3ee/32.png) [@ALOHA\_HATER](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ALOHA_HATER)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-but-probably-colloquial-german-translation/717682/4 "2015-04-15T01:01:29Z")
Can you post the phrase in context? ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-but-probably-colloquial-german-translation/717682/5 "2015-04-15T01:22:25Z")
The context wouldn’t help. It’s a translated title in which the key word is an invented (fictional) name and I am trying to figure out which title it might be. I’ve got it now. Google MisTranslate was giving me “The Act Loose,” which was kinda-sorta-vaguely on track. Thanks for the pointers. ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-but-probably-colloquial-german-translation/717682/6 "2015-04-15T07:10:40Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > “Die Gesetzlosen” - ramble. In English, please. IMHO, pretty much the only meaningful translation, colloquial or not, would be: _the outlaws_. _gesetzlos_ literally means: _lawless_, thus _die Gesetzlosen_ (noun) = _the lawless ones_ or the _lawless people_. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-but-probably-colloquial-german-translation/717682/7 "2015-04-15T16:51:32Z")
What kind of context would that be used in? American old west figures? Wartime or disaster looters? Biker gangs? Bank or heist gangs? Or is it a more general term like “outlaw”? Yeah, Google gives “lawless.” That’s almost perfect use for the title I found. thanks. (Not sure why it choked on the reverse translation… it doesn’t now. Maybe we taught it something? 🙂 ) ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-but-probably-colloquial-german-translation/717682/8 "2015-04-15T17:06:36Z")
Strangely enough, whenever I hear the German expression _Gesetzloser_, I think of it as the German translation of _outlaw_ (like in an American western movie, and slightly dated). There also is a rather old society/social club in Berlin called _Gesetzlose Gesellschaft_ (lawless society), but with a totally different meaning: > **[Gesetzlose Gesellschaft zu Berlin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gesetzlose_Gesellschaft_zu_Berlin)** > > The Gesetzlose Gesellschaft zu Berlin (literally, the 'Berlin Lawless Society' because it had no internal rules) is a social society founded in Berlin in 1809 in the aftermath of the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt to press for the reform of Prussian government and society. > Among its prominent members were Ernst von Pfuel, Ernst Heinrich Toelken, Felix von Bendemann, and Ludwig von Wolzogen. ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-but-probably-colloquial-german-translation/717682/9 "2015-04-15T17:20:56Z")
Here’s an interesting observation: The English Wikipedia article “Outlaw” has a much broader scope than the equivalent German version “Gesetzloser”, the latter dealing mostly with outlaws of the old American west. [Outlaw - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outlaw) → [Geächteter – Wikipedia](http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gesetzloser) ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-but-probably-colloquial-german-translation/717682/10 "2015-04-15T17:25:25Z")
ISTM to have some connotation of “outcasts” as well as “outlaws” - people who were outside society in general as well as being lawless. My 2 pfennig worth. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2015, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-but-probably-colloquial-german-translation/717682/11 "2015-04-16T16:26:59Z")
Okay, while I have you all here, could I get a colloquial translation of [this ad](http://www.php-resource.de/forum/attachments/out-of-order/627d1058370887-robert-t-online-spastiker.gif)? Gargle Xlate renders it “They knew I was spastic?” and that… just can’t be right. ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2015, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-but-probably-colloquial-german-translation/717682/12 "2015-04-16T16:50:15Z")
This is nasty … Translation: Did you know that I am a _Spastiker_? I don’t even know the appropriate English translation of _Spastiker_ here, but usually this refers to an individual suffering from cerebral palsy (or a similar condition). This also appears to be a spoof of a [Deutsche Telekom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutsche_Telekom) ad. Very mean spirited and certainly not politically correct (although I don’t understand the context). ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2015, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-but-probably-colloquial-german-translation/717682/13 "2015-04-16T17:00:40Z")
NM Double Post ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2015, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-but-probably-colloquial-german-translation/717682/14 "2015-04-16T17:04:40Z")
> [@Donnerwetter](#): > > This is nasty … > > Translation: Did you know that I am a _Spastiker_? > > I don’t even know the appropriate English translation of _Spastiker_ here, but usually this refers to an individual suffering from cerebral palsy (or a similar condition). This also appears to be a spoof of a [Deutsche Telekom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutsche_Telekom) ad. Very mean spirited and certainly not politically correct (although I don’t understand the context). As far as I know, it’s not a parody, but a real DT ad. But yeah, it’s pretty nasty and that’s why the translation threw me. ETA: I think it might be a net parody (in very poor taste). Never mind (but thanks). ---
**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:** [April 16, 2015, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-but-probably-colloquial-german-translation/717682/15 "2015-04-16T18:10:58Z")
> [@Donnerwetter](#): > > This is nasty … > > Translation: Did you know that I am a _Spastiker_? > > I don’t even know the appropriate English translation of _Spastiker_ here, but usually this refers to an individual suffering from cerebral palsy (or a similar condition). This also appears to be a spoof of a [Deutsche Telekom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutsche_Telekom) ad. Very mean spirited and certainly not politically correct (although I don’t understand the context). The only noun I can think of in English is “spaz,” but the connotation isn’t quite as bad in the U.S.–mostly through ignorance. I think making it the adjective “spastic” conveys it correctly. (I know I had no idea spaz came from spastic back when I was a kid, and I continually meet people who still don’t know–some not even knowing what “spastic” means. I similarly did not know jipped [also spelled gypped] came from “Gypsy” or welched came from “Welsh.”)