Oachkatzlschwoaf: My identity crisis growing up mixed race in Austria – BBC REEL

Words are loaded with meaning. Certain ones conjure joyful memories and others remind us of less happy times.

For Nenda Neururer, the word 'oachkatzlschwoaf' invokes a range of emotions. The German word is very hard to pronounce and is synonymous with the Austrian state of Tyrol where locals tease outsiders by asking them to pronounce it.

Despite growing up in Tyrol, Nenda Neururer often felt like an outsider when confronted with this word. But when she moved to London she grew nostalgic for it and it became her little secret.

Found in Translation is a series made as part of the In The Mix project, in partnership with BBC Studios TalentWorks, Black Creators Matter and the Barbican.

Video by Nenda Neururer
Executive Producer: Paul I. Harris

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#bbc #bbcreel #bbcnews

[jonathanbyrdmusic]

Thanks for making art! Loved this approach to the video.

[Gunny]

I need to have my head checked after watching this crazy-ass video.

[curiousworld]

That was very funny, very charming and, a bit melancholic. I love celebrating, or at least, trying to understand, other cultures; I don't understand the suspicions some people carry towards those who look, think, speak, or dress differently, though. How boring a world it would be, should everyone look, speak, etc., the same. And, you're very right: words are loaded with meaning - for good or bad. Thank you, BBC. Nicely done. :)

[SashaFujiwara]

I'm russian who's currently learning German, so Oachkatzlschwoaf is a rookie level for me. Better try ''Изподвыподверта'' - that's what i'm talking about hahahahahaha

[theguyinthesky]

Really cool video, Nenda! You are sending a powerful and important message and some of us back here in Tirol just love to see and hear it! Keep it up, be sure to enjoy the angry comments and greetings von den Kunstschneebedeckten :]

[SKF]

OMG, the little girl in the opening scene is beautiful!

[jsi]

Thank you for this video! it was very touching. I am from Germany and lived here all my life. But now I'll move to Paris in hope to find a new tribe of souls with similar histories.

[andreasvonsinnen]

haha 🤣 geile g'schicht, nenda! ernsthaft: echt gut gemacht, thema perfekt rüber gebracht. und das auch noch mit bbc! respect.

[A_New_Error]

Great video! Coming from an mountain dwelling Austrian

[rchlletters]

When I moved to NZ as a child I did not look like, sound like or behave like everyone else there. I could not “blend in” even when I tried although I was the same “color”. People instinctively and unconsciously look for similarities and differences as it’s a basic human survival skill buried deep in our brains. I could not fault anyone for noting my differences and reacting to that. It’s human nature. I learned to cope with the way I stuck out, suffered it’s indignities and at the same time came to love the people and place that is NZ. Decades later, despite the challenges there I very much miss NZ and am a person of two countries in my heart 🤍

[alexmultimodalpackrafting]

Genial und dringend gebraucht, danke!

[marcoiazzetta]

I now understand, after days of listening "mixed feelings" by nenda that is the author of this video. Mmad

[SuzanaMantovaniCerqueira]

Why this video came with the word “FOREIGN” ?? What does it mean?

[peter_meyer]

Oh, that's easy in high german: Eichhörnchenschwanz.
Oh, btw, great video!

[Enleydo]

I grew up as an immigrant in Austria and properly pronouncing it was considered a rite of passage. Not a particularly good one, as plenty of natives can’t properly pronounce it themselves. 😅

[namenlos]

In Afrika würden sie mich als Weißen wahrscheinlich auch fragen, woher ich komme. Ist doch ganz normal und verständlich.

[bobmnz]

Thank you, your point well delivered charming and amusing. 🙂

Many don't know, we are all from the same stock. Many don't understand the colour of your skin depends on how much sunlight you are going to experience in the part of the world you, or your body was designed for.

Don't be too harsh. It is because we are knowledge-less. (Too dumb to ask the right questions will do.) Until now.

We tend to not question how long things have been as they are today. They seem to have been here forever.

They haven't. Electricity, Cars, Powered flight, computers of the pc kind, TV. All less than 150 years old.

The electrification of households in Europe and North America began in the early 20th century in major cities and in areas served by electric railways and increased rapidly until about 1930 when 70% of households were electrified in the U.S.

When were cars widely used?
Commercial cars became widely available during the 20th century. One of the first cars affordable by the masses was the 1908 Model T, an American car manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. Cars were rapidly adopted in the US, where they replaced horse-drawn carriages.


Again don't be too harsh, Bulk education is only a 143 years old in some places. not all, even now. And the start of that was only a few hours a day.

In my country my parents had a few hours a week then back to the farm. I and my sib's were the first generation of my family to get 9 to 3 schooling. Because we moved into a town.

When did free schooling start in England?
Following continued campaigning by the National Education League, the Elementary Education Act 1880 ("the Mundella Act") required attendance to the age of 10 everywhere in England and Wales, with various exemptions. In 1891, elementary schooling became free in both board and voluntary (church) schools. 1880 to 2023 + 143 years as of today.


So long as we can survive the stupidity of those who are supposedly there to govern us, the politicians and other scum at the top of the pot. We have time.
With time and learning humanity can do anything and everything.

Warning: those who walk through life looking backwards, will trip over everything in their path.
Walk into the future looking in the direction of travel. So you can see the pitfalls and opportunities in front of you.

What has already happened, has already happened, done and dusted. You cannot change it.
Your future, you control.

All we have to do is survive. Long enough. 🙂

England is the last country my ancestors were in before coming here. It is the easiest place for me to ask questions about.
It is also a country that in recent times (the last 400 odd years, ) has been very influential. From my information biased viewpoint.

For more information about your own countries do your own searching. Happy hunting 🙂

Have fun folk's.

Cheers Bob.

[bakerkawesa]

If you think German is hard, try French.

[namenlos]

"Eichhörnchenschweif" ist für Nicht-Deutsch Sprechende viel schwieriger auszusprechen als "Oachkatzlschwoaf".

[samparkerSAM]

It murders tongues, Hello from Narleansa, or Chocolate City, You aren't really from New Orleans... oh guess got go back to Austria-Hungary oh wait....