Practice Reading German With the Short Story 'Sandskulpturen'

Check the translation and see how much you understood

View Of Sand Sculptures Against Sea At Beach
Manuela Schewe-Behnisch / EyeEm / Getty Images

One of the best ways to study German—or any foreign language for that matter—is to simply wade into a story and try to translate it. So, grab a good German dictionary, a strong Tasse Kaffee (cup of coffee) and a pencil and paper, and situate yourself in a quiet spot, such as your Küchentisch (kitchen table) or a Bibliothek (library). Then try your hand at translating this brief story. First, read this short story in German, about a trip to the beach and sandcastles, and then check your comprehension against the English translation that follows. 

"Sandskulpturen" Story Text

This brief story is from Quizlet, a student-and-teacher online learning community that provides free and fee-based learning tools and information.

"Es war ein super-schwüler Tag. Wir konnten die Hitze kaum ertragen und entschlossen uns deshalb zum Strand zu gehen. Wir haben den richtigen Samstag gewählt, denn es gab ein Sandskulpturen-Wettbewerb bei dem Strand. Was für tolle Kreationen!
Das linke Foto ist eine Sandskulptur von einem Amateur und das rechte von einem Profi. Diese Skulpturen waren so unheimlich detailliert und haben zirka vier Tage gedauert zu bauen. Ich habe auch probiert etwas aus dem Sand zu schaffen, aber anstatt ein Kunstwerk, sah meine Skulptur mehr wie einen Sandberg aus.
Wenn ihr wirklich Sandmeisterwerke sehen wollt, dann besucht diese Webseite, Wenn Profis Sandburgen bauen, die das größte Sandskulpturenfestival in Deutschland beschreibt."

English Translation 

Some of the translation of the above story is not literal. The phrasing has been changed where needed to enhance the flow of these passages.

"It was a super-sultry day. We could barely stand the heat and decided to go to the beach. We chose the right Saturday because there was a sand sculpture contest at the beach. What great creations!
The photo to the left is a sand sculpture made by an amateur and to the right by a professional. These sculptures were so incredibly detailed and took around four days to build. I also tried to make something out of sand but instead of a piece of art, but my sculpture looked like nothing more than a mountain of sand.
If you really want to see sand masterpieces, visit this website, Wenn Profis Sandburgen bauen (When Professionals Build Sandcastles), which describe the largest sand sculpture festival in Germany."
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Your Citation
Bauer, Ingrid. "Practice Reading German With the Short Story 'Sandskulpturen'." ThoughtCo, Aug. 27, 2020, thoughtco.com/german-text-translation-1444675. Bauer, Ingrid. (2020, August 27). Practice Reading German With the Short Story 'Sandskulpturen'. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/german-text-translation-1444675 Bauer, Ingrid. "Practice Reading German With the Short Story 'Sandskulpturen'." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/german-text-translation-1444675 (accessed March 28, 2024).