Day 42: Feedback After a Shaky Presentation
After the ward round at the university hospital in Magdeburg, Sofia Albers (A), a medical student whose presentation of a patient fell apart, is taken aside by Dr Veronika Hartung (B), a senior lecturer and consultant.
How to study this lesson 3 steps
- Read the situation under the title. It says who is talking and how they know each other, which decides how politely they speak.
- Read the dialogue line by line with its translation, until every line makes sense. Point at (or tap) a German word to see what it means.
- Spend at least 30 minutes listening to native German, for example from the Resources page. It doesn't matter if you don't understand it yet.
Dialogue
Audio recordings are on the way. For now, each lesson is the dialogue with its English translation.
Keys: E hide English · ← → previous / next day · point at a word to see its meaning
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A
Frau Dr. Hartung, ich weiß schon, was Sie sagen wollen: Meine Vorstellung eben war ein einziges Desaster.
Dr Hartung, I know what you're going to say: my presentation just now was a complete disaster.
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B
Schönreden will ich es auch nicht, Frau Albers. Hinsichtlich der Struktur gilt: erst Aufnahmegrund, dann Anamnese und Befund, nicht zuerst Hüft-OP und Dackel.
Nor am I going to sugar-coat it, Ms Albers. As far as structure goes, the rule is: reason for admission first, then history and findings, not hip operation and dachshund first.
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A
Der Dackel war ihm wichtig, er hat ständig nach ihm gefragt. Und nach dem dritten „Wie bitte?“ von Herrn Kaminski war der Faden endgültig weg.
The dachshund mattered to him; he kept asking about it. And after Mr Kaminski's third 'Pardon?', I'd lost the thread completely.
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B
Dann die Laborwerte. Erneut unterbrochen, haben Sie CRP und Kreatinin vertauscht, und der Chef hat kurz an ein akutes Nierenversagen geglaubt.
Then the lab results. Interrupted again, you mixed up the CRP and the creatinine, and for a moment the head of department thought it was acute kidney failure.
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A
Das habe ich an seinen Augenbrauen gemerkt. Danach habe ich vermutlich geredet wie ein Auktionator, oder?
I could tell from his eyebrows. After that I probably talked like an auctioneer, didn't I?
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B
Wie ein Auktionator kurz vor Feierabend, und trotzdem hat es sieben Minuten gedauert. Angesichts zwanzig weiterer Patienten gilt beim Chef: zwei Minuten pro Fall.
Like an auctioneer just before closing time, and it still took seven minutes. With twenty more patients to see, the head of department's rule is two minutes per case.
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A
Verstanden: Struktur, zwei Minuten, kein Dackel. Aber warum opfern Sie für so eine Blamage Ihre Mittagspause?
Understood: structure, two minutes, no dachshund. But why are you giving up your lunch break for a fiasco like that?
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B
Weil jetzt noch etwas kommt. Infolge seiner wirren Antworten steht seit fünf Tagen „Verdacht auf beginnende Demenz“ in seiner Akte.
Because there's something else. Because of his confused answers, his notes have said 'suspected early dementia' for five days.
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A
Er antwortet nicht wirr, er hört links fast nichts. Deshalb bin ich mittendrin auf seine rechte Seite gewechselt.
His answers aren't confused; he can hardly hear anything on the left. That's why I moved round to his right side halfway through.
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B
Genau das hat in fünf Tagen keiner von uns gemerkt, ich auch nicht. Morgen stellen Sie ihn noch mal vor: zwei Minuten, Dackel inklusive.
In five days not one of us noticed that, myself included. Tomorrow you'll present him again: two minutes, dachshund included.
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