Are you sure it means "let's drink"? If so, it is really completely incorrect German; why do you want to translate such crap?

I suppose it was to be "trunken machen", which would translate as "to make drunk".

I haven't really heard on in particular. However, you could probably say something like, "Let's make drink(ing)," and it would be understood as broken English for, "let's drink."

It reminds me somewhat of Borat's saying, "Let's make sexy time," which is why I would consider a possibility.

one*

and

consider it*

I really ought to think before I type.

This reminds me of this saying:

One can lead a horse to water, but one can't make a horse drink.

Cheers!! :-)

Werner, no need to get angry!
Let's just say I know people who don't live in Germany, but whose first language I don't understand. That's why we have to speak German with each other, even if their German is bad, because my Romani, etc. is worse.
If I want to convey my experience to an English native speaker then I have to come up with a phrase that would sound "correctly" broken to their ears.
I know what I heard, therefore my German, "trinken machen", is correct, despite what you say.

Thank you Charlie. I like "Let's make drink!".

nick-alias: who do you believe, a native speaker of German or one who is not (not offense here, Charlie!)?

I don't doubt that you have heard the term. That does not mean that it is correct (it isn't), or does it makes sense (it doesn't).

Erinnert Ihr Euch an "Eins, Zwei, Drei" mit Hotte Buchholz? Da sagte der amerikanische Geschäftsführer zu seinen Mitarbeitern, die immer aufstanden, wenn er morgens das Büro betrat, "Sitzen machen" (sprich "hinsetzen/sitzenbleiben) ;-)

I wonder whether they wanted to say "etwas zu trinken machen!" -

Benutz es selbst oft genug: "Wart mal kurz, ich muss mir eben was zu trinken machen!" (-> Vllt sollte ich auch über mein Deutsch mal nachdenken, wenn ich mir den Satz so anschau:-))

Werner, ich glaube, Du mißverstehst das Anliegen von nick-alias. Ihm/ihr ist durchaus bewusst, dass "trinken machen" falsch ist, aber wenn er/sie einem englischsprachigen Menschen diese Gesprächssituation wiedergeben will, in der der Gesprächspartner nur gebrochen deutsch sprach, muss das eben in entsprechend gebrochenem Englisch geschehen. Das ist dasselbe, als wollte man Erkan & Stefan synchronisieren (gut, wer will das schon?), da braucht man dann auch ein entsprechendes Englisch, da für diejenigen, die so etwas lustig finden, der Witz wohl auch und gerade im (in diesem Fall bewusst) falschen/schlechten Deutsch liegt.

Ich kann Dir leider auch nicht weiterhelfen, nick-alias, mir fiele zwar so etwas wie "come make drinking" ein, aber ob irgendwer tatsächlich so spricht? Vielleicht kannst Du Dir Borat im Original anschauen, dessen Englisch könnte eventuell passen.

Werner,

Since I'm looking for an German-English translation, I would almost always trust an English native speaker more, all things being equal. That's why I always take your advice with a grain of salt. Not that your English isn't good, but sometimes being a native speaker is very important.

"Trinken machen" is of course not correct German, but that's the point isn't it? Maybe I should have said equivalently incorrect? I think it was obvious what I was trying to get across, so thanks again Charlie. "Let's make drink(ing)" is perfect.

You can hear this kind of English all the time in places like NYC and Boston, but since I haven't lived in the States in so long, I was hoping for some advice from someone who may be more familiar with low-level broken English, because in German-speaking countries you seldom hear it. Bad English, sure, but not as bad as new immigrants to the US.

Ich habe auch sofort an "Sitzen machen!" gedacht.

"Let's make drinking!" sounds good.

Es dürfte doch wohl kein Problem für jeden Nicht-Native-Speaker sein, auf englisch jede Menge gebrochener Phrasen zu produzieren. Gerade dazu brauchen wir die Native Speakers nun wirklich nicht. Das können wir selber! :-)