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Glossary entry

German term or phrase:

Es arbeitet in ihm

English translation:

Something is bothering him / He is visibly agitated

Added to glossary by LarawagnerUS
Mar 16, 2017 03:10
7 yrs ago
3 viewers *
German term

Es arbeitet in ihm

German to English Other Psychology
When somebody is visibly agitated...is there an equivalent expression in English that I'm missing?
Proposed translations (English)
2 Something was bothering him
3 +2 it niggles / galls / irks / needles / nettles him
4 It bugs him
4 is welling up inside him
3 It was unsettling/He was unsettled by it
2 he is boiling mad / with anger/rage / he is worked up (upset or excited)

Discussion

Björn Vrooman Mar 25, 2017:
Three other examples... ...to prove my point:
"Rany Mohammed nickt, es arbeitet in ihm, er verengt die Augen. Er nimmt den Zettel mit der Telefonnummer und sagt, er müsse nachdenken."
http://www.abendblatt.de/hamburg/article208295213/Die-Fachkr...

No, he is not bothered or agitated, he is merely contemplating about what to say.

"Man spürte den Stolz, die Freude und den Schmerz und irgendwie hatte ich das Gefühl, er arbeitete wieder auf der Hütte.
Denn es arbeitet in ihm - sein Werk lässt ihn nicht los."
http://www.saarbruecken.de/media/download-5469e74d88168

This is clearly a positive sentiment here and has certainly nothing to do with bothered, agitated or unsettled.

"Der Reporter bohrt weiter, als habe er nichts gehört. Kuranyi räuspert sich, kratzt sich am Ohr, es arbeitet in ihm: Wie umgehen mit dieser Zumutung? Einfach davonlaufen? Unhöflich. Vertrauliches rausposaunen? Unmöglich."
http://www.zvw.de/inhalt.schorndorf-fussball-mediencoach-jue...

He may be agitated, but that isn't the point: He's trying to process[=arbeiten] something. That goes to "the heart of the meaning." Anything else depends on the context.
Björn Vrooman Mar 25, 2017:
@Lara Thanks for the clarification, but I'm rather troubled by the outcome.

"All of these go to the heart of the meaning which has nothing to do with IT."

I thought I had clearly explained below that the term has about four to five different meanings. And, no, they cannot be summed up in one word. This is a pretty typical phenomenon: Unless it's a very simple statement, two phrases, terms or words won't be the same in different languages.

E.g., the first link I posted:
https://lebenwundersam.wordpress.com/2016/01/25/25-01-2016-e...

The baby's trying to process something. Both "agitated" and "bothered" would be off by a mile.

Second link:
http://sz-magazin.sueddeutsche.de/texte/anzeigen/33761/5

I had said "or similar" because this one isn't really about something "bothering" you. He is thinking back to the time when he dreamed of becoming a great soccer player. Maybe a melancholic mood, but not "agitated" either.

More often than not, your glossary entry will produce odd results. Also agree with what Michael said. Usually, you have a feeling something is wrong; it's not clearly "visible."
LarawagnerUS (asker) Mar 25, 2017:
The context here is not as important as claimed Something is bothering him...he is agitated...he is unsettled. All of these go to the heart of the meaning which has nothing to do with IT. "Es arbeitet in ihm" has everything to do with "IHM" rather than "ES"...HE is the salient feature, not it. Everyone who started the translation with "IT" rather missed the point. Thank you though.
Ramey Rieger (X) Mar 21, 2017:
Ach Wendy! We could go on for DAYS!

It put him out of kilter/off balance.
It muddied his waters.
It pissed on his party.
It rattled his cage.
It soured his milk.
It salted his coffee.
It was an itch he couldn't scratch.
Wendy Streitparth Mar 21, 2017:
True. Then how about:
It plagued/pestered him
It preyed on his mind
It drove him up the wall!
Ramey Rieger (X) Mar 21, 2017:
Hi Wendy the trouble I have with irked, in relation to Lara's query, is that it implies being nettled. Nettled/irked is still annoying or irritating, ergo, defines his state of being. All suggestions are attempting to define a state of being of whose source we haven't the foggiest.
Wendy Streitparth Mar 21, 2017:
Or it niggled/irked him that
Ramey Rieger (X) Mar 21, 2017:
Hi Lara! Of course there IS an equivalent in English, equally vague, equallyexpressive, but you have a German context. You know what triggered the agitation, we don't.
It made him think - He was thinking about it
It moved him - He was moved by it
It caused him to reflect - He was reflecting on it
It was unsettling - He was unsettled by it

The last is probably the closest.
Michael Martin, MA Mar 21, 2017:
Churning on the inside has a similar feel to it as the German, in my opinion. It's also non-specific in terms of the emotion involved and is often used to set up a contrast to outwardly calm appearances. Similarly, with “es arbeitet/rumort in ihm, ”the observed direction seems to be inward, not outward. The phrase doesn’t rule out there are visible signs on display but that doesn’t really seem to be its focus.
LarawagnerUS (asker) Mar 21, 2017:
sorry about lack of context - thanks for answers I thought that "he was visibly agitated" provided all the context needed, but clearly not :-) The German could mean many things -- and in this particular source it was purposefully written to be vague...the reader didn't know whether the person "in whom it arbeitet" was mad or glad or sad or whatever....I was just wondering whether there was an English phrase starting with IT (as in ES) that showed more of the generic process of something being worked out, of thoughts and emotions churning inside him, but clearly there isn't anything that is equivalent and as ambivalent and multioptional as the German. As so often is the case! Thanks for your input!
David Hollywood Mar 17, 2017:
well coming back to this, we're no further down the road and as we've all pointed out, no context, no cookie
Björn Vrooman Mar 16, 2017:
Hello Ramey Asking for an exact context-independent translation of a colloquialism is similar to: "It's an animal with red feathers and looks like a hummingbird. Do we have a name for that in English?"

Not sure how to answer this one either.

Thanks and same to you.
Ramey Rieger (X) Mar 16, 2017:
Hi Björn! "You do realize that asker posed what you'd call a leading question"
We're on the road to nowhere....Good night and good luck!
Björn Vrooman Mar 16, 2017:
@Phil and Ramey You do realize that asker posed what you'd call a leading question?

This is what the German phrase means:
https://lebenwundersam.wordpress.com/2016/01/25/25-01-2016-e...

You're working something out.

Alternative:
http://sz-magazin.sueddeutsche.de/texte/anzeigen/33761/5

+

http://www.augsburger-allgemeine.de/donauwoerth/Terror-Die-S...

Something continues to bother you or similar.

Or this here:
http://www.rp-online.de/nrw/staedte/wesel/bauer-uebt-den-auf...

That's most likely visibly agitated (more like: the eye of the storm before you hit the roof).

None of the suggestions can be used in "90% of possible contexts," not to mention that a glossary entry will be pretty risky unless you include at least four to five different options.

Additionally @Lara, please describe the exact or a similar setting in which the phrase occurs, so that my revered colleagues can help you. Otherwise, this will be an exercise in futility.
phillee Mar 16, 2017:
Correction: "Perfect for 90% of possible contexts"
Ramey Rieger (X) Mar 16, 2017:
Hi Phillee! Perhaps you're right. But from whose perspective? Is this a novel? A report? WHO is making this statement? His therapist, teacher, wife, boss? Also, nowadays, 'es arbeitet in ihm' can refer to a spiritual message, a reprimand, a sexual come-on. The agitation can be on the brink of excitement, of an awakening or revelation, or of an emotional explosion.
phillee Mar 16, 2017:
He was visibly agitated is perfect IMO
Ramey Rieger (X) Mar 16, 2017:
Good morning Lara! It is impossible to say in which direction this is going without the surrounding context. To which degree was he agitated? Most importantly, WHY was he agitated? What was the incoming information/statement/confrontation that led to his agitation?
Did he take it to heart?
Was he embarrassed? hurt? angry? uncomfortable?
Did it rattle his cage? Upset his world view?
PLEASE give some context!
Wendy Streitparth Mar 16, 2017:
As David says: more context needed!

Proposed translations

5 hrs
Selected

Something was bothering him

Just occurred to me
Note from asker:
Yes, this is a lot more helpful. Something is bothering him...he is agitated...he is unsettled. All of these go to the heart of the meaning which has nothing to do with "IT." Es arbeitet in ihm has everything to do with "IHM" rather than "ES"...HE is the subject, not it. Which is why most people failed to properly answer/translate the challenge.
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
1 min

It bugs him

I would say

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Note added at 4 mins (2017-03-16 03:15:01 GMT)
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you have to give more context to get the right equivalent in English

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 mins (2017-03-16 03:16:37 GMT)
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he has ants in his pants

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 mins (2017-03-16 03:17:12 GMT)
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if you don't give us the overall context, it's a guessing game

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 12 mins (2017-03-16 03:22:49 GMT)
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It makes him antsy/nervous

and so on, so no context no way

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 15 mins (2017-03-16 03:26:12 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

It goes to his stomach (in the sense of making him uncomfortable/edgy/nervous)

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 16 mins (2017-03-16 03:27:23 GMT)
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have no more time to help you on this, so good luck
Something went wrong...
1 hr

he is boiling mad / with anger/rage / he is worked up (upset or excited)

Some options
Peer comment(s):
neutral writeaway : with absolutely no context?
5 hrs
Added as an option. One of many other possibilities.
Something went wrong...
+2
3 hrs

it niggles / galls / irks / needles / nettles him

And many more - so what is the context?!
Peer comment(s):
agree franglish : To lack context is irksome.
1 hr
Or galling?! Thanks.
agree writeaway : nice options. I wonder what people think they are gaining by not revealing any context. /true. there are so many ways to go but sans contexte.......
3 hrs
Indeed - I have a niggling feeling probably none of my suggestions are appropriate!
Something went wrong...
9 hrs

is welling up inside him

Anger etc is welling up inside him - he may be fuming (inside).

It should be noted that almost the whole point of the German phrase is to suggest that it may not be readily apparent to other people how agitated this person is...
Something went wrong...
5 days

It was unsettling/He was unsettled by it

For what it's worth.
Something went wrong...
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