Vorsprung durch Technik or what?

English as a Second Language What do you want to talk about?
1

Hi,

It just occurred to me that Audi seems to be using its German slogan “Vorsprung durch Technik” even outside of Germany. To me this looks like a rather bold approach since the phrase must be a nightmare to pronounce. So, is anyone of you familiar with that slogan?

Thanks,
Torsten[YSaerTTEW443543]

TOEIC listening, photographs: Two firemen[YSaerTTEW443543]

2

Hi Torsten,

I´m sorry but I don´t understand why you think off that slogan as being a nightmare to pronounce.

Is it because they say it in German or do you think it were pretty stuck up claiming to have a “Vorsprung duch Technik”?

Puzzled Michael

3

Hi Torsten,

It’s strange how the pronunciation of German slogans and words changes on UK TV. Yes, that mantra for Audi has been used here for some time and is spoken in a very English way and by a very English actor, Geoffrey Palmer. The firm Braun is referred to as if to rhyme with English ‘brawn’ and if you use the correct pronunciation, most sales assistants will look mystified. Likewise ‘Audi’ is pronounced correctly whereas you would logically expect it to follow the ‘Braun/Brawn’ pattern. Strangely the final ‘e’ is not pronounced in ‘Porsche’ but no-one would omit it from the name of the German poet, Goethe.

Alan

4

You can find both Vorsprung durch Technik and fahrvergnügen at the Urban Dictionary. Both expressions have been used by German automakers in English advertising. If the Urban Dictionary is any indication, however, the word “fahrvergnügen” has resulted in a variety of (mis)interpretations. :lol:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vorsprung_durch_Technik
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fahrvergn%C3%BCgen
.

5

Hi Michael,

I was referring the pronunciation rather than the meaning of the phrase. Try to pronounce the three words the way a native English speaker with no knowledge of German would and you’ll see what I mean.[YSaerTTEW443543]

TOEIC listening, photographs: Past due notices[YSaerTTEW443543]

6

Oh yes,Torsten, I´ve tried. Whisperring it, the result was anything like “wörsprang dörk tecnic”. :roll: Whatever that could mean and no matter if it were due to what an English native speaker would make of it. You´re right, sounds quite awful!

7

It also resulted in a lot of bumper stickers that showed the little stick man dancing instead of driving, and the word was changed to “Fünkengrüven”. That bumper sticker came out a few years before the popular one that said, “NO FAT CHICKS”.

8

I was living in Germany when VW first came out with its “fahrvergnügen” ads in the US. Every time I talked to someone back home, I inevitably got the question “What does farfernoogen mean?” :lol: