English US » German | 46 [forty-six] | In the discotheque

46 [sechsundvierzig] In der Diskothek

Is this seat taken?	Ist der Platz hier frei?
May I sit with you?	Darf ich mich zu Ihnen setzen?
Sure.	Gern.
How do you like the music?	Wie finden Sie die Musik?
A little too loud.	Ein bisschen zu laut.
But the band plays very well.	Aber die Band spielt ganz gut.
Do you come here often?	Sind Sie öfter hier?
No, this is the first time.	Nein, das ist das erste Mal.
I’ve never been here before.	Ich war noch nie hier.
Would you like to dance?	Tanzen Sie?
Maybe later.	Später vielleicht.
I can’t dance very well.	Ich kann nicht so gut tanzen.
It’s very easy.	Das ist ganz einfach.
I’ll show you.	Ich zeige es Ihnen.
No, maybe some other time.	Nein, lieber ein anderes Mal.
Are you waiting for someone?	Warten Sie auf jemand?
Yes, for my boyfriend.	Ja, auf meinen Freund.
There he is!	Da hinten kommt er ja!

The language of pictures

A German saying goes: A picture says more than a thousand words. That means that pictures are often understood faster than speech. Pictures can also convey emotions better. Because of this, advertising uses a lot of pictures. Pictures function differently than speech. They show us several things simultaneously and in their totality. That means that the whole image together has a certain effect. With speech, considerably more words are needed. But images and speech go together. We need speech in order to describe a picture. By the same token, many texts are first understood through images. The relationship between images and speech is being studied by linguists. It also raises the question whether pictures are a language in their own right. If something is only filmed, we can look at the images. But the message of the film isn't concrete. If an image is meant to function as speech, it must be concrete. The less it shows, the clearer its message. Pictograms are a good example of this. Pictograms are simple and clear pictorial symbols. They replace verbal language, and as such are a form of visual communication. Everyone knows the pictogram for "no smoking" for example. It shows a cigarette with a line through it. Images are becoming even more important due to globalization. But you also have to study the language of images. It is not understandable worldwide, even though many think so. Because our culture influences our understanding of images. What we see is dependent on many different factors. So some people don't see cigarettes, but only dark lines.