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Übernahmeerfolg
Vorkerneizelle
Apr 22, 2013 21:00
11 yrs ago
1 viewer *
German term

Frauenversteher

German to English Other Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
Frauenversteher als Begriff, mit dem man sich über emanzipirte Männer lustig macht
Proposed translations (English)
3 mangina
3 women whisperer
3 new man
3 woman-explainer
2 softies
3 -1 mansogynist
Change log

Apr 22, 2013 22:01: Cilian O'Tuama changed "Level" from "Non-PRO" to "PRO"

Apr 23, 2013 15:19: Steffen Walter changed "Field (specific)" from "General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters" to "Idioms / Maxims / Sayings"

Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

PRO (3): NGK, Nicole Schnell, Cilian O'Tuama

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Discussion

Eszter Bokor (asker) May 6, 2013:
The article is on the long struggle of modern men who sympathise with women's rights (and women in general), but are often looked down at by other men. It's about the delicate balance between being a Frauenversteher in the positive (emancipated, popular with women) and the negative (softie, wuss. etc) sense. The German term has both connotations. So I have actually been looking for as many terms as possible. My personal favourit is "fempathizer".
Jonathan MacKerron Apr 23, 2013:
mangina = "A male feminist. A man who is overly concerned with women's issues to the point of complacency or contempt for those of his own gender."
Kphred Apr 23, 2013:
Frauenversteher Just use the German "Frauenversteher" and add a note explaining that this is a term used in a derogatory manner in the German language to describe a person who regards women as equal to men.
MiriamT (X) Apr 23, 2013:
women whisperer...,right!
opolt Apr 23, 2013:
I think that ... ... Wendy's would be a "viable" and safe/neutral solution. (Though personally I have never heard the word being used without irony.)

But OTOH I have to agree with Cilian: just "trying to find the right term" doesn't work at all Eszter, in particular with this term, and especially if it's used in a feminist mag, which is the last place where I would expect it. As Bernhard has hinted, there are many shades of grey here, and translating this is fraught with many pitfalls!
philgoddard Apr 23, 2013:
It seems pretty straightforward to me. It means a man who understands women. But if you can't provide any context...
freekfluweel Apr 23, 2013:
nice guy http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term= nice guy

plenty of room to cover the right connotation depending on context (of which hardly any is given here).

(good intention man)

(or be creative: fempathizer (WS), knowman, compreman, graspband) ;-))
Wendy Streitparth Apr 23, 2013:
Female empathiser might do.
Phoebe Indetzki Apr 23, 2013:
womaniser / womanizer might fit in some contexts... especially if he's only "pretending" to understand women just to chat them up
Nicole Schnell Apr 23, 2013:
Addendum: Emanzipierter Mann This describes a man who doesn't need a woman to feed him and to keep his laundry, butt and his house clean to feel superior. An "emanzipierter Mann" prefers a woman with brains by his side. Technically he is the opposite of any macho who thinks that a woman's place is in the kitchen.
Nicole Schnell Apr 23, 2013:
Emanzipierter Mann Eszter, please define your personal interpretation of "emanzipierter Mann". This term originally defines a man who has backbone enough and is man enough to help with raising the kids and/or helping with housework without feeling embarrassed or deprived of any manliness. Precisely the type of man that feminists have been fighting for. Why would they mock them?
Bernhard Sulzer Apr 23, 2013:
... another one, a more extreme a) character, someone who tries hard and thinks he really understands women but women would say "yeah, right, in your dreams." "A soul sister". "One who 'gets' it/women."
Bernhard Sulzer Apr 23, 2013:
@Eszter Is this person seen as a) someone who tries to be a true "male feminist" and gets made fun of or are we to understand him as b) someone who uses this as a trick to get to know women and is therefore made fun of by feminists? I can't be sure. a) true friend to women/ a woman's best buddy/feminista (one of a few urban meanings) b) femanist (see urban dictionary)
another a) a shoulder to cry on
Nicole Schnell Apr 23, 2013:
@ntext Depends on who is using it. Feminist movements in general campaign for womens' rights and equality, such as in contract law, property, and voting – while also promoting bodily integrity, autonomy, and reproductive rights for women. Only very few radical feminist groups are "man haters". That's why we need more of the "classified" context.
NGK Apr 23, 2013:
Frauenversteher can definitely be derogatory. (http://www.weichei.de/docs/weiche_synonyme.txt ; http://www.amazon.com/Bezeichnungen-Weicheier-Frauenverstehe...
Whether that's the case in this article, we don't know, because the context is apparently classified information. :)
Lancashireman Apr 23, 2013:
The Knack? http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3161242112/tt0059362
Nicole Schnell Apr 22, 2013:
Frauenversteher is not a derogatory term. It should not be confused with "Softie" (an overly sensitive and rather wimpy fellow who cries a lot and likes his self-awareness group). Please provide at least the complete sentence where this term occurs. TIA!
Cilian O'Tuama Apr 22, 2013:
Eszter, it's not as simple as that. Oftentimes there's a "right term" in BE and a different "right term" in AE. And your "article in a feminist mag" doesn't really help. Leb wohl, C
Eszter Bokor (asker) Apr 22, 2013:
No matter if BE or AE, i'm just trying to find the right term. I need it for an article in a feminist magazine.
Daniel Gray Apr 22, 2013:
I'm not sure that there is a good translation for this. You would probably have to say something like "a man who understands women" or "a man who knows how to read women". As Cilian says, with more context there may be a solution.
Cilian O'Tuama Apr 22, 2013:
BE or AmE? And can you show us the context? Is it witty, derogatory...? The more context you provide, the easier it is for us to help you (which should be in your interest).

Proposed translations

19 mins

mangina

I can't think of an English term that quite captures the nuance of Frauenversteher.

The closest you'll probably get are various words for "weak / emasculated man." Mangina is a funny one, and then there's sissy, wuss(y), pussy, softy, etc.

A man who is perceived to be under the control of his woman may be called (pussy-)whipped (adjective).

And then there's "woman whisperer" (as in ghost whisperer, horse whisperer) for someone can understand women, but it's not a well-known expression.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=mangina
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=whipped
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=woman whisper...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs (2013-04-23 00:31:19 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Softy might work, or perhaps wimp or wuss (the latter two being stronger IMO). I don't think any of these terms would be perceived as vulgar. They don't have the subtlety of Frauenversteher, but there may simply not be an equivalent in English.
Note from asker:
I am familiar with all these words, but I am looking for smth less vulgar. Frauenversteher is of course derogatory and even derisive, but it is not abusive. That's why it's so tricky to find an English word for it.
Peer comment(s):
neutral Cilian O'Tuama : hi n, I've no idea what a mangina is but have to disagree (neutral now) - what you're describing is sth. like a Pantoffelheld. Not the same thing IMO.
40 mins
It could be the same thing or not. "Der Frauenversteher: Bei diesem Männertyp handelt es sich im Grunde genommen um ein Weichei, das sich unterbuttern lässt." http://www.t-online.de/lifestyle/partnerschaft/id_44182008
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10 hrs

women whisperer

maybe....
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17 hrs

softies

Though perhaps used more widely in German than in English.
Peer comment(s):
neutral Cilian O'Tuama : (ntext suggested that hours ago.) Interestingly, though, Asker says "That's why it's so tricky to find an English word for it." Pity she doesn't help us help her (e.g. by providing context).
8 hrs
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21 hrs

new man

Although this is considered positive in some cultures, the connotations in German are not, so I agree with Kphred.
Example sentence:

'Are you a man growing a moustache for charity next month? Do you, like one in seven dads, look after the kids? The new man has triumphed...' from The Guardian, 28 October 2011.

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-1
1 day 18 hrs

mansogynist

This word describes a man who believe that he deserves a good treatment such a good advantage that taken mostly by woman
Peer comment(s):
disagree Kim Metzger : How can "Frauenversteher" have anything to do with how men feel about themselves?
1 day 7 hrs
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1 day 20 hrs

woman-explainer

With hyphen.. That's the best I can come up with without reading the actual article. In the quote below, they seem to be using the term the right way (neutral-sounding but with potential for sarcasm, much like the German). Except here, the protagonists "explain" their own sex to the other sex (no pun intended).

"We hashed out each other’s days, we told stories, we unraveled the mysteries of the opposite sex with each other. (I was his woman-explainer; he was my man-explainer."
Reference:

http://thesinglecell.wordpress.com/2011/04/26/ode-to-a-neurotic-friend/

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