Pop down to the Market this Christmas and let us take care of your German translation services!
It is that time of year again, where the Christmas decorations are coming out of the attic and the house gets transformed into a wonderland of sparkle and tinsel.
German Translation Services at Christmas
It is interesting to see how traditions from other countries have made it into the UK in recent years and suddenly things that a few years ago were not that normal to see around Christmas are suddenly a very familiar site. Take the Christmas markets for example. A decade ago, people would travel to Germany in the weeks leading up to Christmas to visit one of their famous Christmas markets. In fact, I did the same. Then several special events were organised in the UK for a similar experience. But now, it seems, almost every town centre seems to have a few of the little huts with twinkling lights and promising smells of hot food and drinks as well as some gift stalls.
But there are other things that also happen alongside. A few years ago it was very difficult to find a real ‘stollen’ cake in the UK. A stolen is a cake shaped like a bread loaf which contains raisins and lots of other Christmassy spices, all dusted with a generous helping of icing sugar. This gets sliced and eaten in Germany in the weeks before Christmas and often on Christmas itself. These days you can find ‘stollen’ or ‘stollen pieces’ in any of the major supermarkets and we have barely noticed the change.
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Another one is mulled wine. Mulled wine is traditionally consumed during your visit to a German Christmas market. A hot red wine, infused with citrus fruits, cloves and cinnamon, which is to help you warm up during the seriously cold German winter evenings, as traditionally German Christmas markets are held outside. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, it is almost unthinkable in Germany not to meet up with some friends or family over some Glühwein (mulled wine, literally ‘glowing wine’). Due to its high alcohol content, it not only warms you up, but it makes you very merry, always a good thing!
And while you are at it, why not sing a Christmas carol? Yes, a German Christmas carol. The anthem of the British Labour Party, “The Red Flag”, is actually the melody of one of the best known German Christmas carols, “Oh Tannenbaum” (Oh Christmas Tree). Another German thing that has found its way into British culture without being noticed that much. So while you may not be able to sing the words, you can at least hum the melody. There you go, Merry Christmas!
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If you would like more information about any of our translation services, transcription services, closed captioning services or subtitling services, why not get in touch today? We are available throughout the Christmas period and always happy to help.
