https://www.proz.com/kudoz/german-to-english/art-literary/119159-polizeikessel.html?

polizeikessel

English translation: Police Encirclement

04:36 Dec 5, 2001
German to English translations [Non-PRO]
Art/Literary
German term or phrase: polizeikessel
at a demonstration in Salzburg, the police cordoned off the demonstrators (about 900) blocking their exit - in austrian this is called a Polizeikessel - i need a one word term if possible for subtitle of a video.
dco
Local time: 23:06
English translation:Police Encirclement
Explanation:
Encirclement actually would be "Einkreisung", but should hit the point. The Term "Polizeikessel" comes from a Wehrmachts Strategy during WWII, called "Kesselschlacht", where the opposing soldiers were lured into a dent inside the German front line, which then was closed up behind them, so they were sitting in a kind of a "cauldron/Kessel". The Soviet army later used the same strategy, a good example is the battle of Stalingrad.
Selected response from:

Rasha Brinkmann-Yahya
Local time: 18:06
Grading comment
thanks, i have chosen to say the police blockade encircling the demonstrators (in some places) and the police encirclement in others.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
5 +1encirclement
Dietrich Herrmann, MD, PhD, MBA
4defensive line
Elinor Thomas
5 -1police dragnet / police roundup / police containment
Alexander Schleber (X)
4Police Encirclement
Rasha Brinkmann-Yahya
4police blockade
zapfsully
4polizeikessel
ninasc (X)
4police cauldron
Uschi (Ursula) Walke
1(police) containment
Dan McCrosky (X)


  

Answers


11 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
defensive line


Explanation:
would be the translation, but maybe you could use surround?
The police surrounded demonstrators.

HTH :-))


    Babylon
Elinor Thomas
Local time: 19:06
Native speaker of: Spanish
PRO pts in pair: 80
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22 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): -1
police dragnet / police roundup / police containment


Explanation:
This is a term used in the USA for police actions in which certain areas are blocked off and combed through, on the search for criminals etc.

790 Google hits: http://www.google.com/search?as_q=&num=10&btnG=Google Search...

"roundup" is translated back as "Verhaftung" by Oxford Duden, but it also includes the sense of the cattle roundup, i.e. surrounding, gathering, collecting, containment.

"police roundup" = 1780 Google hits:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=lang_en&q= "police rou...

"police containment" = 126 Google hits:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=lang_en&q= "police con...

HTH


Alexander Schleber (X)
Belgium
Local time: 23:06
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 2426

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Martin Schmurr: it's not comb through, they just stand there for hours
1 hr
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30 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
encirclement


Explanation:
It is either encirclement or "surround" as in the answer above. Polizeikessel means that the police are deliberately encircling demonstrators and keep them surrounded. It is different from a dragnet ( a police search), roundup ( the police do not arrest anyone necessarily), and a cordon (that is just a blocking line).


    been in one in the US in my wild and wooly days
Dietrich Herrmann, MD, PhD, MBA
Germany
Local time: 23:06
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 370

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Wirbeleit: since the important part of the concept is the surrounding, I'd go with Dietrich.
6 hrs
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44 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
Police Encirclement


Explanation:
Encirclement actually would be "Einkreisung", but should hit the point. The Term "Polizeikessel" comes from a Wehrmachts Strategy during WWII, called "Kesselschlacht", where the opposing soldiers were lured into a dent inside the German front line, which then was closed up behind them, so they were sitting in a kind of a "cauldron/Kessel". The Soviet army later used the same strategy, a good example is the battle of Stalingrad.

Rasha Brinkmann-Yahya
Local time: 18:06
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 39
Grading comment
thanks, i have chosen to say the police blockade encircling the demonstrators (in some places) and the police encirclement in others.
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 1/5Answerer confidence 1/5
(police) containment


Explanation:
Sorry, one word is a little weak in English. Could you accept two? The only term that could be used alone is "containment", but it would also sound better to me as "police containment".

The terms "police" plus the verb "encircled" (+200 Google hits) or the noun "encirclement" (+30 Google hits) or the noun "containment" (+120 Google hits) or the verb "contained" (+200 Google hits) are all quite widely used.

If you look at the text of some of the hits at:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=de&q=" +police +encirclement...

or

http://www.google.com/search?hl=de&q=" +police +encircled"&b...

or

http://www.google.com/search?hl=de&q=" +police +containment"...

or

http://www.google.com/search?hl=de&q=" +police +contained"&b...

you will probably find the meaning corresponds very well to your German text.

HTH

Dan


Dan McCrosky (X)
Local time: 23:06
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 1541
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
police blockade


Explanation:
another possibility, according to my American husband

zapfsully
United States
Local time: 15:06
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in pair: 38
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7 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
polizeikessel


Explanation:
I would call this a police line (American term).


    News media
ninasc (X)
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13 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
police cauldron


Explanation:
a very literal translation which describes the situation precisely.

brings only 2 google-hits, unfortunately,
one from UK, one from (you guessed it) Australia.

HTH

Uschi (Ursula) Walke
Local time: 08:06
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in pair: 492
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