> In the UK (and America, too), plenty of people tackle
> jobs that they're not qualified to do.
Yes, its called the "Peter" principle and I'm sure there are plenty of
those people throughout the world so don't just claim 'em all for the UK
and US! (just kidding, but out of context that is a rather amusing statement)
> This seems to be unusual in Germany.
Not at all. In fact there are a lot of Bastler - at least in my circle
of family and friends.
> Some years ago I used to build lutes (lauten) and was
> pretty much self-taught. I once sold a lute to a
> German musician, and he was pleased with it. He asked
> me who I had been apprenticed to. I told him I had
> taught myself and wasn't a member of any guild or
> trade organisation. He was shocked!
What a compliment to your excellent craftsmanship!
> So I suppose that the German culture must regard
> people who have developed competency without going
> through trade school as very different from those who
> have progressed through the 'normal' route. Hence a
> special word is needed to describe the competent
> amateur craftsman. It's not regarded as unusual in
> the UK, so no special word is needed for such
> presumptious individuals (like most of us!). ;-)
I dunno about that. You effectively used "amateur craftsman" as a
translation for Bastler, though I think hobbyist, tinkerer or perhaps
even layman (layperson to be PC) would do just fine.
Notwithstanding the whole "nopsing" explanation, perhaps we should just
adopt "Bastler" into the English language if "Hobbyist" really won't do.
I mean, German has absorbed so many English words over the past 50
years that this would be one small step toward evening-out the balance! ;-)
Cheers,
Barry
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