Day 57: Interviewing the Skate Shop Owner
In Hannover, Minh (A), a student writing his thesis on youth language, interviews Bernd Steinhoff (B), who runs a skate shop in the Linden district and talks to teenagers all day.
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
Danke, dass Sie mitmachen, Herr Steinhoff. Für meine Abschlussarbeit über Jugendsprache sind Sie Gold wert.
Thank you for taking part, Mr Steinhoff. For my thesis on youth language, you're worth your weight in gold.
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B
Und ob! Ich krieg hier täglich neue Wörter beigebracht, gratis zum Griptape. Schreiben Sie mit: Wer einen Kickflip steht, ist der Babo.
You bet! I get taught new words here every day, free with the grip tape. Write this down: anyone who lands a kickflip is 'der Babo', the boss.
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A
Das notiere ich, aber mit Jahreszahl: „Babo“ war Jugendwort 2013. Da lag Ihre heutige Kundschaft noch im Kinderwagen.
I'll note it down, but with the year: 'Babo' was Youth Word of the Year in 2013. Back then your customers were still in their prams.
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B
Unmöglich, das haben mir die Jungs letzten Samstag noch gesagt. Und „Swag“ und „YOLO“ höre ich hier ständig.
Impossible, the lads were still saying it to me last Saturday. And I hear 'swag' and 'YOLO' here all the time.
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A
Swag ist von 2011, YOLO von 2012. Verkaufte ich das als aktuell, stünde ich im Kolloquium ziemlich blöd da.
Swag is from 2011, YOLO from 2012. If I passed that off as current, I'd look pretty stupid at my viva.
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B
Aber warum reden die Kids dann so mit mir? Die kommen doch nicht jeden Samstag, um einen Mittfünfziger zu veräppeln.
But then why do the kids talk to me like that? They don't come every Saturday to wind up a man in his mid-fifties.
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A
Nicht veräppeln, sich anpassen: Die reden mit Ihnen so, wie Sie sich Jugendsprache vorstellen. In der Soziolinguistik heißt das Akkommodation.
They're not winding you up, they're adapting: they talk to you the way you imagine youth language sounds. In sociolinguistics that's called accommodation.
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B
Ich bekomme also seit Jahren Museumsstücke angedreht und gebe damit auch noch bei meiner Tochter an? Kein Wunder, dass sie immer die Augen verdreht.
So for years I've been palmed off with museum pieces, and I've even been showing off with them in front of my daughter? No wonder she always rolls her eyes.
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A
Tröstlich ist immerhin eins: Unter sich nennen Ihre Stammkunden Sie „den Babo von Linden“, und zwar ohne Ironie.
One thing's some comfort, though: among themselves your regulars call you 'the Babo of Linden', and without any irony.
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B
Das lasse ich mir aufs nächste Deck drucken. Veraltet ist das übrigens nicht, bei Skateboards heißt so was Retro und kostet dreißig Euro mehr.
I'm having that printed on my next deck. And by the way, it isn't out of date: with skateboards, that's called retro, and it costs thirty euros more.
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A
Notiert: „Veraltete Jugendsprache wird als Retroware vermarktet.“ Die beste These meiner Arbeit, und ich bekomme sie hier geschenkt.
Noted: 'Outdated youth language is marketed as retro goods.' The best argument in my whole thesis, and I get it handed to me here for free.
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