Day 105: The Culprit Was a Jeans Button
At a dermatologist's practice in Wiesbaden, Irina Ebner (A), a young woman with an itchy rash on her stomach, gets the result of her patch test from Dr Holger Wendt (B).
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
Guten Tag, ich bin gespannt auf das Ergebnis. Der Ausschlag am Bauch juckt so, dass ich nachts kaum schlafen kann.
Hello, I'm eager to hear the result. The rash on my stomach itches so much that I can hardly sleep at night.
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B
Das glaube ich Ihnen, Frau Ebner. Der Epikutantest ist eindeutig: Sie haben eine ausgeprägte Kontaktallergie gegen Nickel.
I can believe it, Ms Ebner. The patch test is clear: you have a pronounced contact allergy to nickel.
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A
Nickel? Dann sind es die neuen Ohrringe von letztem Monat, ich hab's geahnt!
Nickel? Then it's the new earrings from last month, I knew it!
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B
Das wäre naheliegend, aber Ihre Ohren sind unauffällig. Genau betrachtet, passt der Ausschlag eher zu etwas, das direkt auf dem Bauch aufliegt.
That would be the obvious answer, but your ears look normal. On closer inspection, the rash points more to something that sits right against your stomach.
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A
Aber am Bauch trage ich doch gar keinen Schmuck, nicht mal ein Piercing.
But I don't wear any jewellery on my stomach, not even a piercing.
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B
Aber vielleicht eine neue Jeans? Metallknöpfe geben oft Nickel ab, und je länger sie auf warmer Haut liegen, desto stärker die Reaktion.
But maybe a new pair of jeans? Metal buttons often release nickel, and the longer they rest on warm skin, the stronger the reaction.
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A
Tatsächlich, die trage ich seit Anfang des Monats fast täglich. Muss ich sie jetzt wegwerfen?
Actually, yes, I've been wearing them almost every day since the start of the month. Do I have to throw them away now?
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B
Nicht unbedingt: Mit klarem Nagellack versiegelt, gibt so ein Knopf erst mal kein Nickel mehr ab. Gegen den Juckreiz bekommen Sie eine Kortisoncreme.
Not necessarily: sealed with clear nail varnish, a button like that stops releasing nickel for a while. For the itching you'll get a cortisone cream.
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A
Dann sind die Ohrringe also rehabilitiert, und meine Jeans bekommt heute Abend eine Maniküre.
So the earrings are cleared, then, and my jeans are getting a manicure tonight.
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