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German to English translations [PRO] Social Sciences - History / Nazi terminology
German term or phrase:Rentendorf
A Nazi term for villages in occupied Poland to which elderly non-Germans and children were sent to make way for ethnic Germans. According to a German Wikipedia entry, "Rentendörfer wurden die jüdischen Siedlungen genannt, deren Bewohner in die Vernichtungslager transportiert worden waren."
Does anyone know what these were termed in English? No guesses, please (I can do that myself!). References backing up suggested answers would be extremely welcome.
Explanation: This is what I found (see sources). It is obviously a euphemism and should not be described as a deportation camp or ghetto (even though that is what they were). I would add that this is what Nazis used to call them in order to "sell" them to the public. Depends on the context of the text I suppose.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 2 Stunden (2011-03-02 17:28:28 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
To the Nazis, to "retire" them meant to dispose of them or kill them. Like I said, a euphemism.
Many thanks (everyone)! I will definitely use "so-called" in this particular context, though the term still appears to be in use today, albeit with less cynical connotations. 4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer
both my answer and the retirement village option are correct and it will require the use of both to make this clear to the reader. One will need to go in brackets or in a footnote.
Much confusion also caused by conflicts in the context that has been provided: a) Rentendörfer wurden die jüdischen Siedlungen genannt, deren Bewohner in die Vernichtungslager transportiert worden waren b) the Rentendörfer were used simply to resettle the elderly and young children of any (non-germanic) race, where they were simply left to die. What are we to believe?
I think part of the difficulty of answering this is that you've given us an explanation, but no context. The translation may well be something like "Rentendörfer" (cynically named "retirement villages" used as dumping grounds for non-German elderly people and children)." But if you're looking for an "official" English translation, I think you'll look in vain, because it's a specifically German concept.
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Answers
48 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +1
transit camp / deportation camp / ghetto
Explanation: See my refs below.
Helen Shiner United Kingdom Local time: 02:08 Specializes in field Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 65
Explanation: This is what I found (see sources). It is obviously a euphemism and should not be described as a deportation camp or ghetto (even though that is what they were). I would add that this is what Nazis used to call them in order to "sell" them to the public. Depends on the context of the text I suppose.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 2 Stunden (2011-03-02 17:28:28 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
To the Nazis, to "retire" them meant to dispose of them or kill them. Like I said, a euphemism.
Ryan Armbrust Diaz Local time: 03:08 Native speaker of: English, German PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Many thanks (everyone)! I will definitely use "so-called" in this particular context, though the term still appears to be in use today, albeit with less cynical connotations.
Notes to answerer
Asker: I think you've hit the nail on the head there. I'd already found several mentions of pensioners' villages (including those listed by dianau above), but had misgivings about using this term because of its inherent ambiguity. Perhaps the qualifier "so called" is what is needed here. Thanks for your input!
The translation workplace 
