disastrous / fatal
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disastrous
Associated with disastrous, catastrophic, or very negative consequences. Describes an action or event that leads to great misfortune or failure.
Es war ein fataler Fehler, die Sicherheitswarnungen zu ignorieren.
It was a disastrous mistake to ignore the safety warnings.
Leading to death; deadly. This meaning is less common than 'tödlich' (deadly), but is used in formal or medical contexts.
Die eingenommene Dosis des Giftes erwies sich als fatal.
The dose of poison that was taken proved to be fatal.
embarrassing
Extremely embarrassing, unpleasant, or unfortunate. In this more colloquial meaning, it describes a very awkward situation.
Mir ist bei der Präsentation vor dem Chef ein fataler Versprecher unterlaufen.
I made an embarrassing slip of the tongue during the presentation in front of the boss.
Careful: 'fatal' in German usually means 'verhängnisvoll' (disastrous) or 'katastrophal' (catastrophic). In English, 'fatal' almost always means 'tödlich' (deadly). Although 'fatal' in German can also mean 'tödlich' (deadly), that is much rarer.
Die Entscheidung, ohne Karte loszugehen, war fatal.
The decision to set off without a map was disastrous.
The meaning depends strongly on the noun. 'Ein fataler Fehler' (a disastrous mistake) is disastrous. 'Eine fatale Verletzung' (a fatal injury) is deadly (formal). 'Ein fataler Versprecher' (an embarrassing slip of the tongue) is extremely embarrassing (colloquial).
Sein Zögern in dieser Situation hatte fatale Folgen.
His hesitation in this situation had disastrous consequences.
In its most common meaning ('verhängnisvoll' — disastrous), 'fatal' is often combined with abstract nouns that describe an action or its result. Typical examples are: 'ein fataler Fehler' (a disastrous mistake), 'eine fatale Entscheidung' (a disastrous decision), or 'fatale Folgen' (disastrous consequences).
Das war ein fataler Irrtum mit weitreichenden Konsequenzen.
That was a disastrous misconception with far-reaching consequences.
The meaning 'tödlich' (deadly/fatal) is rare and is used almost only in very formal, scientific, or medical contexts. You might read it, for example, in a medical report or a scientific study.
Die eingenommene Menge des Medikaments hatte eine fatale Wirkung.
The amount of the medication that was taken had a fatal effect.
When 'fatal' describes a very embarrassing situation, it has a rather colloquial character. It expresses in an exaggerated way how unpleasant something was.
Es war fatal: Mitten in meiner Rede fiel der Strom aus.
It was embarrassing: right in the middle of my speech, the power went out.
deadly
Tödlich and fatal can both express that an injury leads to death. Tödlich is the usual and more general word for this, while fatal is less common in this meaning and sounds more formal or medical. Tödlich is usually the better choice in an ordinary news report, while fatal can be used in a formal report.
Im medizinischen Bericht wurde die Verletzung als fatal bezeichnet.
The injury was described as fatal in the medical report.
Der Arzt stellte fest, dass die Verletzung tödlich war.
The doctor determined that the injury was fatal.
