German Artists with English Versions

[timwilde]

Hello again,

Got another oddity that I'm having trouble puzzling out. It might just be the bands that I'm listening to, but when I hear English versions of German songs they tend to be more vulgar and harsh in English than they actually are in a direct German translation. Is there a reason for this? Or does this ultimately translate more of just the concept of the song rather than the words?

Some Examples,

Rammstein - Engel/Angel, Du Hast/You Hate Me
Lafee - Virus/Scabies, Heul Doch/Shut Up

If needed/requested I can post lyrics. I figured I'd error on the side of caution as, especially Lafee's English lyrics are quite harsh and vulgar.

[edit] Google works for finding lyrics (oder "songtext") if you're very interested[/edit]

While I'm mentioning it, I cant seem to find a translation for the word Heul, what does it mean?

[Sprachprofi]

"Du hast" is a lot more vulgar in German than it is in English. "Engel" is about the same. You can't expect these to be accurate translations though because those wouldn't rhyme or even have the right rhythm.

"heul" is the imperative of "heulen" (to weep)

[timwilde]

I think I understand. The harshness is more what puzzled me with the Rammstein lyrics, in German they seem more subtle and utilize some clever wordplay. In the English versions, that's gone and tends to lean heavier towards the blunt in-your-face kind of vulgarity.

Same thing with Lafee, although it seems to me that some of the wording and underlying theme is changed altogether.