INTERVIEWS & GESPRÄCHE 

Person wird zugeschaltet beim live TV-Bericht = (name of person) joins us from (place) 

alle Kandidaten/Politiker/Polizeichef stellt/en sich der Presse  = all candidates had to field/answer questions from the press/reporters; the police chief had to front a hearing/front up the public; the minister was bombarded with questions about the health of the job market; tonight the prime minister takes questions from the press; “OK, fire away” (i.e. begin asking questions), the politician said to the host 

Comedians sind dafür bekannt, dass sie freche/ironische Antworten geben = comedians have a special penchant for answering questions tongue-in-cheek (i.e. slightly ironical/jocular/facetious)

Moderator/Reporter fühlen Politikern auf den Zahn/nehmen bekannte Politiker in die Zange = this evening the finance minister is scheduled to face a fresh grilling from the press in a podium discussion; the candidates had to front/field/tackle many tough/burning questions from inquisitive/intrusive journalists; the freshly appointed ambassador was peppered/showered with reporters‘ questions; journalists sometimes need to pick someone’s brains about social issues/financial affairs; the mc/comperee/presenter tried to elicit straight answers from him/her with a few pointed/awkward questions; reporters/journalists had a candid Q & A with the health minister over the pandemic; the show host asked the Prime Minister a few hardball questions 

der Moderator/der Journalist/der Politiker legt den Finger auf/in die Wunde bzw. spricht im Einzelgespräch auch kontroverse Themen an = in his face-to-face/one-on-one interview with the prime minister the journalist didn’t hesitate to address the elephant(s) in the room;  with his candid declarations about the political affair the former minister opened a can of worms/Pandora’s box/hit where it hurts; presenters are not afraid to tackle serious issues/to let the sparks fly when necessary; some talk show hosts are known to have a no holds barred debating style; minister puts the finger on the need/urgency to tackle/address/take on hot button/red line issues; the genie was let out of the bottle when she made the bombshell revelations about her secret affair; the journalist hit/touched a nerve when he wrote about some political hot potatoes; reporter lays bare/exposes country’s harrowing social injustices; he was already very upset, but that last infamous remark twisted/turned the knife in the wound;  the host shouldn’t talk about the actor’s divorce as it still is a sore point with him; “I’m going to lay it on the line”, the talk-show host said: “is it true that you have an affair with your secretary?”;  the mc broached the subject of the politician’s marriage (i.e. a very sensitive topic), and he seemed to be quite upset about it

für den amtierenden Ministerpräsidenten ist der bekannte Fernsehmoderator ein Dorn im Auge =  for the incumbent governor the renowned TV host is a nuisance/a major cause of concern;  the journalist is in the minister’s doghouse/bad books/crosshairs 

die Frage hat den Minister/Politiker überrumpelt bzw. hat ihn aus dem Konzept gebracht = the question throws/knocks the minister/ politician for a loop; minister/politician got blindsided/was taken aback by the question

in der Talkshow heute Abend wird die Flüchtlingskrise von Politikern/Journalisten/ Experten aktuell eingeschätzt/eingeordnet =  in tonight’s roundtable/panel discussion politicians/journalists/experts weigh in on/break down/examine/analyze/grade all aspects of the refugees crisis/issue 

“Ich danke Ihnen für die Einordnung der Lage”, sagte der/die Moderator/in = ”thank you for giving your thoughts on the issue/putting the situation/things into perspective”, the host said ;

in einem offenen Gespräch lässt berühmter Popstar/Schauspieler alle Hüllen fallen = in a candid interview famous popstar/actor speaks out/bares (it) all/reveals/shares some intimate details about his private life

das war noch nicht das letzte Wort  (d.h. Enthüllung) vom Sänger/Schauspieler = just wait for more shoes to drop 

etwas wird hinterfragt = we need to follow up on this subject in order to digest/dissect its implications; “let’s dwell a little deeper on this issue”, the talk-show host said; the press is calling the benefits/validity/reason of the minister’s decision into question; the President's political advisers also weighed in on the plan/decision

der Journalist/Moderator bohrt nach = the pesky journalist kept prodding the interviewee to find out more facts on the issue;  the show host/presenter kept firing questions at the interviewee

gestern stand der/die Kanzler/in Rede und Antwort = the prime minister held a Q and A session yesterday

ein Gespräch unter vier Augen führen = president goes one-on-one with host/anchor on channel 10 tonight; mc held a face-to-face/head-to-head/person-to-person/tete-a-tete interview/session; the reporter got some face-time with the minister; the two party leaders discussed the matter eyeball to eyeball

der Reporter, der dem Sänger eine dumme Frage gestellt hat, wird kritisiert = the reporter who asked the singer a ho-hum/silly question/ didn’t state the facts correctly gets called out 

Können Sie etwas lauter reden? = Can you speak up, please?

ihre unüberlegten Kommentare waren aus dem Stegreif = her glib comments were off the cuff 

das ist/war eine Fangfrage = this is/was a “gotcha” question; "this seems to be a pop quiz-style questioning by reporters". the politician said

der Bürgermeister/er wollte sich nicht darüber äußern = the city mayor declined to comment/refused to be drawn on the sticky issue; he seemed not to be in a sharing mood at all during the interview

ich denke, dass die Frage, ob ich wieder kandidiere, viel zu früh kommt = “I think you are getting way ahead of yourself”, the politician replied, when asked whether he would stand for election again; Will I run for office again? „I’ll cross the bridge when I come to it”, he answered with a smile   

Journalist ergattert ein Exklusivinterview mit dem zurückgezogenen Milliardär= journalist scores a bombshell interview with the secluded billionaire   

manche TV-Moderatoren/innen sind mit einigen Promis/Politikern auf Du und Du = some TV hosts/presenters are on a first-name basis with certain celebrities and politicians   

infolge des Verdachts der Bestechlichkeit macht er reinen Tisch = "I wish to set the record straight about the bribing allegations", he said; he decided to come clean on the scandalous affair; now we have a chance to wipe the slate clean on the corruption affair; he’ll be glad to get this mess over with

Wie ist Ihre Einschätzung? Wie ordnen Sie diese Situation ein? (Frage des/der Moderators/in) =  reporter breaks down issue for us (i.e. for the TV host/viewers); What do you make of it/this new situation? What is your take/are your thoughts on that? Can you give/offer your thoughts on this issue? How do you assess this situation? What are your first impressions on the issue?; reporter weighs in on the issue

der Journalist/wir ordnen das Thema/die Angelegenheit ein   = the journalist/reporter breaks down the implications of a wider Middle-East conflict; we have to set the record straight on this issue; things have to be put in/into perspective; the matter/situation needs to be evaluated/weighed (up) accordingly 

Was waren die wichtigsten Erkenntnisse aus dem Gespräch? =  What were the key/main takeaways from the interview? 

ich muss noch darüber ein wenig nachdenken =  I still have to figure it/this out; I still need to ponder the matter 

das war eine sehr moderate Meinung über dieses umstrittene Thema = that was a very tame take on this controversial subject

ich freue mich auf Sie; Danke für Ihre Einschätzung/Einordnung = nice to have you on the show/on board; good to see you this morning/ this afternoon; thank you for being with us/joining us/coming on the show today/tonight; we appreciate your sparing the time to speak with us this morning; thank you/thanks for your company; thank you for/I appreciate your input/assessment/analysis/insights; thanks for breaking down/analyzing this complex issue into more detailed parts/elements 

aus Sicht der zugeschalteten Person = thank you/thanks for having me (on the show tonight)   

mir macht es Spaß, kurze Zitate aus Reden/Gesprächen von Politikern anzuhören  = I enjoy listening to sound bites from politicians’ s  interviews/speeches

“es bleibt/wird spannend” (kurzer Satz, der manchmal am Ende einer TV- Sendung vorkommt)= let’s see how this/it plays out/pans out/ turns out; stay tuned/connected for more news; it’s going to be challenging; these are challenging times; it’s a hot issue; it promises to be an interesting week; well let’s get ready for some thrilling action/real excitement

“bleiben Sie dran”(sagt der Fernsehmoderator am Ende einer Sendung) = “stick around”; “stay with us”; "stay in the know" (said by announcer at the end of a TV program) 

ich zitiere/er zitiert jemanden = I’m quoting/paraphrasing the author of a romance; “Are you listening (name of person)? “George Orwell, where are you?; “Hello (name of absent person)” (words said when using/quoting a line from an absent person)  

die große Frage bleibt noch offen = the big/burning question is still left dangling/pending; the key question is still being bandied about

Antwort vom Sprecher, dem gerade ins Wort gefallen wird = Don’t cut me short/off! Let me finish! I’m not through yet!

wir reden später darüber = I’ll get back to you later on this issue

er redet zu viel/vor sich hin = he keeps rambling/raving on and on about the same subject

man soll nicht in die Privatsphäre eindringen = privacy is a “no-go area” for questions

auf diese Frage gibt es keine schlichte Antwort = there is no black-and-white answer for the big unknown; this open question has no simple reply 

der Gast konnte Fragen zu heiklen Themen gut parieren/abschmettern = the interviewee did a good job of batting down/batting away/ skirting/sidestepping questions about/on controversial/delicate topics; the minister shot down/brushes off questions/queries over/on the refugee issue

“Ihre Redezeit ist gleich zu Ende”, sagte die Talkshow-Moderatorin = “your time is running short”, the roundtable/talk show host/ presenter said 

wenn man unvorbereitet erwischt wird, sucht man nach Wörtern = when you’re caught off guard you kind of start fumbling for an answer/response

manchmal ist ein Politiker bereits mit vorbereiteten – sprich “leichten” - Fragen vertraut, die von seinen Anhängern im Publikum gestellt werden = sometimes a politician is already familiar with prepared-in-advance (softball) questions posed/lobbed by his/her supporters in the audience  

die Diskussionsteilnehmer beantworten die Fragen, die das  Publikum stellt =  on tonight’s Q&A session panelists answer questions posed /framed by the studio audience

am Rande des Treffens haben sich beide Diplomaten über verschiedene Themen kurz ausgetauscht =  on the sidelines/in the wings of the conference both diplomats shared their views/had a brief exchange/talk about various subjects   

Diplomaten leiten manchmal Geheiminformation über inoffizielle Kanäle weiter = diplomats sometimes pass/convey/share classified information through back-channels

ein Reporter braucht ein gutes Gedächtnis = memory is the cornerstone of a reporter’s armory

wenn ich mich nicht täusche  = if my memory doesn’t fail (me)/serves me right

mein Gedächtnis lässt nach = my memory is fading/straining 

er hat Gedächtnislücken/einen Filmriss erlitten und kann sich an nichts erinnern = he’s just had a memory lapse/blackout and can’t remember anything 

plötzlich saß/stand Minister regungslos mitten in der Pressekonferenz =  minister suddenly froze during press conference, he may have experienced a small seizure

dies ist mir gerade entgangen = it/this just slipped away from me

ich muss tief/weit ausholen = let me elaborate on the subject; I have to tap my memory bank/to wrack my mind for more details; I have to delve/dig a little deeper into the matter; it’s worth delving deeper

insbesondere hochkarätige Gespräche zwischen Staatschefs bieten nach Abschluss der Veranstaltung einen weiten Spielraum für Analysen, wenn Experten für Körpersprache beginnen, das nonverbale Verhalten der an den Treffen beteiligten Personen zu zerlegen = especially high-stakes interviews between heads of state may provide a wide scope for analysis after the event has concluded when body language experts start breaking down the non-verbal behavior of the people involved in the meetings

normalerweise beginnt die Runde mit vielen aufrichtigen Lächeln und vielen Handklatschen (die eine gewisse Überlegenheit zeigen sollen) = usually the round begins with lots of genine smiles and many hand-pats (meant to show a certain dominance) 

während der Verhandlungsphase sitzen die Personen aufrecht und strahlen Selbstvertrauen aus oder eher zusammengesunken und in sich gekehrt =  during the negotiating phase the persons sit either upright and ooze confidence or somehow crumpled and turned inwards  das Ergebnis des Treffens hängt von den Erfolgen ab: wenn keine Einigung/kein Deal erzielt wurde, wird eine der Personen ihre Verachtung zum Ausdruck bringen und “not amused” sein, gleichzeitig werden sich verräterische Anzeichen von Unzufriedenheit in ihrem Gesicht zeigen, und sie wird versuchen, den Blick ihres Gegenübers zu vermeiden = the outcome of the meeting will depend on its achievements: if no agreement/deal has been reached one of the persons will evidence his/her disdain and show dissatisfaction; at the same time tell-tale signs of discontent will appear on his/her face, and he/she will attempt to avoid  the counterpart’s gaze 

und bevor sie sich trennen, wird sich ein „Gewinner“ herauskristallisiert haben, und derjenige, der die Oberhand hat, möchte vielleicht auch seinen Gegenüber noch einmal berühren (pat) =  and before they part a “winner” will have emerged, so the one who has the upper hand may also want to have the last touch (pat) 

werfen Sie mal einen Blick auf die Agenda unserer Pressekonferenz = here is what you can expect tonight; our press conference features (name of person) as the keynote speaker

er hatte keine Einladung = he simply crashed (and sort of disrupted) the press conference

Nachrichtensprecher/in lesen den Text vom Bildschirm/Spickzettel ab = TV announcers read the news from a cue card/screen 

Aufzählung einiger Nachrichtensendungen: Tagesschau; Tagesthemen; Heute, usw. = list of a few news programs: News at Noon; News hosted by (name of mc/anchor); Analysis of the day’s news; Detailed coverage of the day’s events; News: takes a look at today’s top stories, etc 

es ist immer lustig zu beobachten, wie Teilnehmer eines Meetings ihre Augen im Raum schweifen lassen = it’s always fun to watch how people present at the meeting pan across/pan up/sweep/survey/scan the room/the scene