German language
Mar 24, 2017, 5:17 am
#16
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Again: the question is not about the wish; the wish is understood. The question is how to translate this German phrase into natural English. If you're in the pub with your mates and someone leaves (and you know he lives across the road and 100 metres down), you're not going to say 'have a safe trip home' unless you're taking the p!ss. Does the German Heimweg carry any sense of irony here? I didn't think so.
It depends on where you are located. Here in New York it would be *Take care* in this situation
Mar 24, 2017, 5:24 am
#17
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Mar 24, 2017, 8:13 am
#18
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It's exactly what I would say and do as well. That, or "you'd better not've stuck us with your drink bill!".
The German Heimweg in this case carries no irony, sarcasm, or double entendre that I can detect here. It just fills the space on the point-of-sale receipt by sprinkling an ounce of sunshine-at-night onto a patron who contributed to keeping the place in business.
Obviously, the question is not how to translate this German phrase into natural English. The question is whether any of us can help you figure out what you should say to your mate in idiomatic English next time he leaves a pub to walk home. I'm afraid I've tried and failed.
Again: the question is not about the wish; the wish is understood. The question is how to translate this German phrase into natural English. If you're in the pub with your mates and someone leaves (and you know he lives across the road and 100 metres down), you're not going to say 'have a safe trip home' unless you're taking the p!ss. Does the German Heimweg carry any sense of irony here? I didn't think so.
Obviously, the question is not how to translate this German phrase into natural English. The question is whether any of us can help you figure out what you should say to your mate in idiomatic English next time he leaves a pub to walk home. I'm afraid I've tried and failed.
Mar 24, 2017, 8:15 am
#19
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Again: the question is not about the wish; the wish is understood. The question is how to translate this German phrase into natural English. If you're in the pub with your mates and someone leaves (and you know he lives across the road and 100 metres down), you're not going to say 'have a safe trip home' unless you're taking the p!ss. Does the German Heimweg carry any sense of irony here? I didn't think so.
Still don´t understand your probelm. It´s like: How to translate "How are you today?" Common greeting in the US, not so in Germany. Nearly no one in Germany would say it if you enter a shop. Simply a cultural difference.
+1. Don´t say it all the time but it´s absolutely common. So you are not a Freak or taking some whatever if you say it to someone who leaves. Even if it´s only a few meters.
Mar 24, 2017, 10:05 am
#21
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Mar 24, 2017, 10:47 am
#22
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oh yeah!
You always have have to consider environment (location , age , education, ....) into account.
translate into English ? In London that would be different from New York from Alabama from Australia ......(trust me as a German living in the US but speaking/emailing with people in AU/UK I run into this all the time
You always have have to consider environment (location , age , education, ....) into account.
translate into English ? In London that would be different from New York from Alabama from Australia ......(trust me as a German living in the US but speaking/emailing with people in AU/UK I run into this all the time
Mar 24, 2017, 4:32 pm
#23
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This evening my daughters' school had their final evening drama production. At the end of the performance there were the usual last-night thank-yous. At the end the headmistress said "...and have a safe journey home."
Made me think of this thread.
Made me think of this thread.
Mar 24, 2017, 5:14 pm
#24
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Mar 27, 2017, 3:21 am
#25
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I had to chuckle when I looked at the receipt I got at a German brew-pub recently. They had a little tag-line at the bottom which said 'Vielen Dank und einen guten Heimweg'. I get the idea well enough -- and it's a nice thought 
-- but how does one render that second part in idiomatic English?!?
-- but how does one render that second part in idiomatic English?!?"safe journey" or "safe travels"
Mar 30, 2017, 2:26 am
#26
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Heimweg is simply the way home, a general term with no indication how near or far it is or which means of transport is used, be it car, bike, public transport or one's own feet. Trust a native speaker of German.
Apr 12, 2017, 4:42 am
#27
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"Safe Trip Home!"
"Have a good trip home"
"We wish you a pleasant journey home"
"Take care on your way home"
"Enjoy your way home"
all dependent on context, ie friendly farewell, corporate message, and whether the journey is expected to require care or merely enjoyment.
"Have a good trip home"
"We wish you a pleasant journey home"
"Take care on your way home"
"Enjoy your way home"
all dependent on context, ie friendly farewell, corporate message, and whether the journey is expected to require care or merely enjoyment.