Vorsprung durch Technik January 11, 2008

“Vorsprung durch Technik ” is one of the more well known car manufacturing slogans of our time but before I learned the language (i.e. German), I used to think it was the “Four Sprung Duck Technique” such were the velvety gravel tones that the radio announcer used to utter the sentence at the end of each Audi advert.

Nearly as bad as my wife’s ” … in a Chelsea stable …” where she should’ve been singing ” … in Excelsis Deo …” from the hymn Gloria in Excelsis Deo.

Anyway back to the Germanic – “Vorsprung durch Technik” means “advancement through technology” and the phrase doesn’t mention a technique at all … a nasty bit of transliteration there.

Nearly as bad as the time after the Second World War when the British dropped food parcels and medicine over Germany to help the war displaced, complete with the word “GIFT” stamped on the packages ….. Gift, auf Deutsch, of course means …… ?

Poison !