1. jazzman

    jazzman Member

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    german translation

    Discussion in 'Character Development' started by jazzman, Dec 11, 2010.

    Does anyone know the german translation for Jack? if there is one xxx also just throwing some german names around, which do you prefer:
    Peter Brandt
    Dietz Brenner
    Xaver (haven't figured a surname)
    Kurt Derrick ????
    or throw one around yourselves xxx
     
  2. Aeschylus

    Aeschylus Member

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    Honestly I don't understand why you need a German translation of a name. When I'm picking a foreign character's name, I don't pick an English name and translate it; I think of the name in the language of the character's name first. This is because I like to pick names based on the sound of the name, or how it looks when it's spelled out. I don't care if "Marco" is the Italian version of "Mark," I just care about how the name sounds; how I see it, they are two entirely different names.
     
  3. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

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    Jack is a nickname for John, so I would probably go for some derivative of Johann.
     
  4. Mallory

    Mallory Contributor Contributor

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    Hey, I used to live in Germany, I can help out.

    Aesch is right though about not trying to translate the name. Johann, as Cogito pointed out, is the closest European form..

    Here's a link to a baby-name site that specifically has German boy names, in case you want to look at it. http://www.babynamescountry.com/origins/german_boy_baby_names9.html

    (Mods, the link is directly relevant to what the OP is asking about).
     
  5. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    what kind of character is this?
     
  6. jazzman

    jazzman Member

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    the character is a german lieutenant in the Wehrmact - a former police detective before the war with a cynical view of the NAZI regime, and only a NAZI himself as a means of survival. I see him as different to the quintessential Aryan.
    I like getting a second opinion on names - especially from other writers who can look at a name and think, 'Yeah I see that', or 'I see this character as this', helps me flesh the character and his personality out xxxx
     

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