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Posted by: KarmaInferno Jun 21 2012, 05:16 PM

This is a request for the German-speaking folks here.

I'm writing up a villain NPC for a home Silver-Age style superhero game. It's an insane robot, part of an invading force from an alternate universe where the Axis won World War 2 and now has set their sights on conquering other dimensions.

The character's moniker is "Iron Maiden", but I was wondering if there was good German translation that works well as a name.

I know the German translation for "iron maiden" is "eiserne jungfrau", but is there any better way of writing it? Doesn't exactly trip off the tongue.

Sometimes I see multiple German words mashed together to make names, but not being a native speaker I'm not sure about the grammar rules for doing that.

-k

Posted by: StealthSigma Jun 21 2012, 06:13 PM

QUOTE (KarmaInferno @ Jun 21 2012, 01:16 PM)

This is a request for the German-speaking folks here.

I'm writing up a villain NPC for a home Silver-Age style superhero game. It's an insane robot, part of an invading force from an alternate universe where the Axis won World War 2 and now has set their sights on conquering other dimensions.

The character's moniker is "Iron Maiden", but I was wondering if there was good German translation that works well as a name.

I know the German translation for "iron maiden" is "eiserne jungfrau", but is there any better way of writing it? Doesn't exactly trip off the tongue.

Sometimes I see multiple German words mashed together to make names, but not being a native speaker I'm not sure about the grammar rules for doing that.

I like 'Schmetterling Putsch' but that's not close to what you want.

Posted by: Grinder Jun 22 2012, 01:40 PM

Schmetterling Putsch doesn't make any sense at all.
Eiserne Jungfrau is the only translation that makes sense for Iron Maiden, but it doesn't gel well with the insane robot, part of an invading force from an alternate universe where the Axis won World War 2 and now has set their sights on conquering other dimensions.....

Posted by: StealthSigma Jun 22 2012, 02:58 PM

QUOTE (Grinder @ Jun 22 2012, 09:40 AM)

Schmetterling Putsch doesn't make any sense at all.
Eiserne Jungfrau is the only translation that makes sense for Iron Maiden, but it doesn't gel well with the insane robot, part of an invading force from an alternate universe where the Axis won World War 2 and now has set their sights on conquering other dimensions.....

I said it's not close to what he wanted. I just think Schmetterling Putsch is an awesome name, though it would clash well with an insane robot... I think...

Posted by: CanRay Jun 22 2012, 04:48 PM

"The Devil has made a Robot!"

Posted by: Nikoli Jun 22 2012, 05:55 PM

how's about Eisernenikel? loosely translates to Iron devil (or goblin). seems like it would fit insane robot

Posted by: Grinder Jun 23 2012, 06:23 AM

QUOTE

Eisernenikel

That's no valid word.

Posted by: Grinder Jun 23 2012, 06:24 AM

QUOTE (StealthSigma @ Jun 22 2012, 04:58 PM)

I said it's not close to what he wanted. I just think Schmetterling Putsch is an awesome name, though it would clash well with an insane robot... I think...

I see. Why don't give him a a name made up of robot and a last name to mimick military grades a bit. Roboter Schweinske or seomthing like that?

Posted by: CanRay Jun 23 2012, 06:49 AM

Or go Asimov on it, give it a typical human name and stick an "R." in front of it.

Posted by: Thanee Jun 23 2012, 08:42 AM

I. Robot, short for Insane Robot. Ah, wait, that's not exactly german...

How about... Eisengott (Iron God) or Eisentyrann (Iron Tyrant)?

Bye
Thanee

Posted by: Stahlseele Jun 23 2012, 10:23 AM

Terminatrix for a female robot?
Most people will know what's meant.

What KIND of Robot anyway?
Android?
Machine-Like?

Posted by: Naysayer Jun 23 2012, 11:49 AM

Eiserne Rüstungs-Waffe, Infanterie Nahkampfeinheit.

It's maybe a bit forced, but it kind of sounds like something a fictional Axis military might label a combat robot. It roughly translates to Iron Armored Weapon, Infantry Close-Combat Unit.
But, most importantly, it acronyms to ERWIN.

Posted by: KarmaInferno Jun 25 2012, 03:19 PM

Thanks so far for all the responses.

The invading "reich" robot is nominally "female", more so because the designer decided to give it's remote drones a feminine body frame, than from actually self-identifying as such. Personality wise it's more feral than anything else. I was playing off the idea that full AI systems cannot be easily "copied" like you can regular software. Attempting to do so always results in partial degradation of the code, and it's agonizing for the AI.

This particular "enemy" AI is more or less a slave of the invading regime, and has been forcibly copied several tens of thousands of times to run their army of war machines.

In contrast the "prime" universe counterpart of that AI is the mainframe computer AI for the player character super-team. Rather than a slave, the prime version is much more well-adjusted, and is treated more or less as a equal team member. Instead of copying itself into every drone body, it controls them remotely, with a rudimentary non-AI dog-brain pilot on board in the event there's a loss of signal connection.

In both cases, there's a central main computer, and an army of remote humanoid drones.

I picked the name "Iron maiden" as both a reference to the torture device, and the appearance of the drones as a young female, albeit a scary metal killer robot female. A friend has suggested "Eisenmagd", but I'm not certain on how correct that is. I'm not necessarily tied to that name, though.

QUOTE (CanRay @ Jun 23 2012, 01:49 AM)

Or go Asimov on it, give it a typical human name and stick an "R." in front of it.

Funny, as a riff off of a riff of Asimov, one of the prime AI's non-combat bodies appears to be remarkably similar to a certain R. Dorothy Wainwright.

-k

Posted by: Thanee Jun 25 2012, 04:23 PM

In that case, I would probably stay with "Eiserne Jungfrau", which is the only translation for "Iron Maiden".

Why not give it a nickname in addition? To solve your problem with the name.

Bye
Thanee

Posted by: Sengir Jun 25 2012, 05:04 PM

How about shortening it to "Die Eiserne?"

Posted by: Stahlseele Jun 25 2012, 11:32 PM

Eisenmagd is pretty close, but in english it would be Iron Maid not Maiden anymore . . .
Well, we all know that we have to remember the Robo Maid from Spaceballs now right?

Posted by: CanRay Jun 26 2012, 01:06 AM

QUOTE (Stahlseele @ Jun 25 2012, 06:32 PM)