Looking for some good German tunes to practice your language skills while rocking out? Check out these playlists from students in German 305 (spring 2025)! Warning: you're likely to catch an Ohrwurm!
In this course on the theory and practice of translation, we practiced German by listening to and talking about music. Much of the course material was chosen by students, as they discovered and shared German songs they love. We learned about the cultural impact of popular music and musicians, from Schlager to Diskursrock, from Kinderlieder to German Rap. The song lyrics we discussed gave us a way to practice the science and art of translation.
You can get a taste of some of the songs we discussed and student translations on the class website: LIEDERCIRCUS '25. Some highlights:
- Class translation (literal and verse) of the Cabaret hit, "Kiss the Fascists" (Kurt Tucholsky, 1931)
- Mechanics of translation: "Crocodile Gena's Birthday Song" (Russian: 1967, German: 1987, English: 2025)
- Class translation of Tiefblau mit Wolken's new release: "In Deiner Hand" (2024)
We were graced by a visit from Berlin-based Liedermacher Wolfgang Müller-Molenar, who zoomed in from Germany to chat with students. He played us some of his songs and discussed the lyrics with the class. He even gave an impromptu performance of the students' translation of his new song, "In Deiner Hand."