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real eben nicht existiert habenden Sozialismus

English translation: not actually having existed socialism


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11:24 Dec 7, 2011
German to English translations [PRO]
Social Sciences - Government / Politics / GDR
German term or phrase: real eben nicht existiert habenden Sozialismus
This is from a discussion of the fall of the Berlin wall. Obviously I know that this is a play on "real existierenden Sozialismus" but I'm struggling to find a translation that doesn't get excessively long winded. Is anybody feeling inspired?!

"Der 9. November 1989 wurde ein deutsches Datum durch die Aufhebung der fast drei Jahrzehnte andauernden Reisebeschränkungen für DDR-Bürger. Als am Abend bekannt wurde, daß jeder reisen durfte, machten sich Tausende zu Fuß und per Auto auf den Weg nach Westberlin und kehrten im Morgengrauen beschwingt nach Hause zurück. Die Mauer war nur noch ein Loch. Sie bleibt ein Symbol des gescheiterten, **real eben nicht existiert habenden Sozialismus**."

Thank you!
Rachel Ward
Local time: 02:08
English translation:not actually having existed socialism
Explanation:
real existierender Sozialismus is often translated as "actually existing socialism"

http://www.newleftreview.org/?view=1571
Selected response from:

mill
Local time: 03:08
Grading comment
I'm going with this answer as it keeps the jargon phrase, but there are loads of good ideas here and I wish I could split the points! Thanks everyone.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +2The Socialism that (really) wasn't
Ramey Rieger
5 +1It was a symbol of a socialism that never really existed.
Anne-Kathrin Braun
3 +2not actually having existed socialismmill
3infact never really existing socialism
Oliver_F
3it was a symbol of the true socialist system that never wasUsch Pilz
4 -1"real socialism" that never existed
Susan Welsh
4 -2She remains a symbol of failed, in reality not existing socialism.xxxMK01


Discussion entries: 7





  

Answers


12 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): -1
"real socialism" that never existed


Explanation:
... or some rearrangement thereof

Susan Welsh
United States
Local time: 21:08
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Anne-Kathrin Braun: is is not about real socialism here
59 mins
  -> I don't understand your disagreement. Seems to me that it IS about that, and your own answer reflects it.
neutral  Armorel Young: A-K is right - "real" isn't an adjective qualifying "Sozialismus" (it has no adjectival ending) but an adverb qualifying "nicht existiert habend" - not really having existed.
1 hr
  -> I see your grammatical point, but I take it as reference to "really existing socialism" or "real socialism," which means the same thing. Both terms were used in the USSR, I'm not sure about the GDR.
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13 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
The Socialism that (really) wasn't


Explanation:
my suggestion

Ramey Rieger
Local time: 03:08
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  phoeberuth: Good solution - though I'd reword just slightly - 'that never really was'
13 mins
  -> Yes! Fairy tales.............have a good one and thank-you!
agree  Ingeborg Gowans: w/phoebe; that came to my mind as well
1 hr
  -> Thank-you Ingeborg, our minds are whirling....
agree  Wendy Streitparth: Excellent idea; with Phoebe
9 hrs
  -> Thank you Wendy, it's been a while, hope you're well!
disagree  Darrel Knutson: I would have difficulty with placing "failed" (gescheitert) before Socialism. "The failed Socialism that (really) wasn't. What, it didn't fail or it wasn't real?
1 day47 mins
  -> But you WOULD place "failed" on another suggestion? HÄH?// Okay! In native speaking AE, "that never really was" indicates exactly what you're trying to say.
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46 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): -2
She remains a symbol of failed, in reality not existing socialism.


Explanation:
Englisch kann man Zeitlich eben nicht so vergewaltigen wie Deutsch :-) Am besten einfach lassen.

xxxMK01
Local time: 03:08
Native speaker of: Native in CzechCzech

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Armorel Young: Wrong tense, since it is literally "not having existed"; wrong gender too, since walls aren't "she"; and wrong word order.
21 mins
  -> It remains a symbol of a failed socialistic system which has never really existed.
disagree  Anne-Kathrin Braun: "Mauer" usually is "it" in English, for sure.
25 mins
  -> True true, "it" it is.
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
It was a symbol of a socialism that never really existed.


Explanation:
I would use the words above because they exactly render what the writer wants to say, and you have "real" and "exist"... so quite a lot of the wordplay is there.

Anne-Kathrin Braun
Local time: 03:08
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Darrel Knutson: I'd add "failed" before "socialism", but still see this as the best solution.
19 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
it was a symbol of the true socialist system that never was


Explanation:
This would be a version with some artistic freedom and hopefully contains a pinch of irony.

Usch Pilz
Local time: 03:08
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
not actually having existed socialism


Explanation:
real existierender Sozialismus is often translated as "actually existing socialism"

http://www.newleftreview.org/?view=1571

mill
Local time: 03:08
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 24
Grading comment
I'm going with this answer as it keeps the jargon phrase, but there are loads of good ideas here and I wish I could split the points! Thanks everyone.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  kriddl
1 hr
  -> thanks
agree  Richard Nice: retains the standard wording and the awkwardness is offset by the gain here
7 hrs
  -> thanks
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
infact never really existing socialism


Explanation:
would be my suggestion, as it is a play of words referring to the propaganda term:

real existierender Sozialismus

...so the real refers to existing. I would suggest to put less emphasis on the tense as it would somehow spoil the original propaganda term or make it appear less obvious.

Oliver_F
Local time: 03:08
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Richard Nice: the echo of the jargon doesn't come through here to an English naive speaker
7 hrs
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