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Radspeicher-Phänomen
RÜCKSTELLUNGEN FÜR ABSCHLUSS U PF
Apr 19, 2013 11:20
11 yrs ago
2 viewers *
German term

Entlastung

German to English Social Sciences Social Science, Sociology, Ethics, etc.
This word comes up many times in the document, which is a discussion of "sustainable diet" and the issues surrounding this and how it effects/needs to effect consumers, the food system, etc.

Several example sentences are below:

Nachhaltige Ernährung braucht die Entlastung der Verbraucher, genussreiche und nachhaltige Lebensmittel und Raum für gemeinsames Genießen.

Das zentrale Element muss deshalb die Entlastung der KonsumentInnen sein

Notwendige Bedingung dafür sind die Entlastung und Unterstützung der Konsumenten

It seems to have the same meaning throughout. There are obviously many possible meaning to Entlastung, and at the moment I'm inclined to think the best translation may be "relief". But as this is a bit vague, any clarification of a more precise meaning in this context or translation would be helpful. Thanks!
Proposed translations (English)
3 +5 easing the burden/strain on consumers
3 +4 relief of the stress OR to take the load off the consumer
3 1. interest/assistence 2. easment 3. benefit
3 the consumer must be free from anything that puts stress on his body, such as e.g.
3 lessen consumer impact(s)

Discussion

Jo27 (asker) Apr 19, 2013:
Thanks everyone! I think I'll be going for a variety of "reducing the burden on" "relieving the burden of", because I think it suggests the idea of the consumer being currently the main agent responsible for maintaining a sustainable diet, yet can still be quite vague!
Ramey Rieger (X) Apr 19, 2013:
@Brigitte Telepathic translating, how else? Take care, you.
BrigitteHilgner Apr 19, 2013:
reduced choice is meant to make life easier? This is my last contribution to this issue - I have no patience with clients who do not know what they are having translated. How are translators supposed to read the mind of unknown authors?
784512 (X) Apr 19, 2013:
back to square one ;) With Alexandra Reuer. So relief of stress. I think we'd add "of stress" or something similar.
Alexandra Reuer Apr 19, 2013:
Aha! So in the sense of reduced mental anguish due to choice overload. A simpler and more satisfying life, that kind of thing...
Ellen Kraus Apr 19, 2013:
sorry my entry went off too soon. wanted to say: <for a diet to be sustainable, it is necessary for the consumer to be free from any Kind of stress, e.g. due to low carbohydrate intake which, as is known, puts stress on the body; or free from any Kind of chronic disease.
Jo27 (asker) Apr 19, 2013:
I'm afraid I've already asked the client! No luck there. I think the end client also has no direct involvement with the text.
Jo27 (asker) Apr 19, 2013:
Couple of other examples... that might clarify the meaning more.

Verzicht, so deuten es die Studien an, wird als probates Mittel zur Selbstverwirklichung und Entlastung erlebt.

Insgesamt werden die VerbraucherInnen durch die neuen Angebote bezüglich ihrer regionalen und nachhaltigen Präferenzen entlastet, da sie an ihren gewohnten Einkaufsstätten zur Verfügung gestellt werden.
Ramey Rieger (X) Apr 19, 2013:
@Ellen now you've got me curious!
Ramey Rieger (X) Apr 19, 2013:
So let's see how this develops. Questions to Jo27:

Who is writing the article?
Who is the target audience?
Is it advising? informing?
Ellen Kraus Apr 19, 2013:
another solution might be <for a diet to be sustainable, it is important for the consumer to be free of stress, due, e.g.,to a low carbohydrate intake which is known to put stress on the body, and: the consumer must not suffer from a chronic disease.
784512 (X) Apr 19, 2013:
Ask the client I think I would ask the client here. I think the German is badly written and what they mean is the consumers reducing the burden they create, not the other way around. I'd definitely get them to check with the end client if there is an intermediary there. It is the option that makes the most sense.
784512 (X) Apr 19, 2013:
I would... ...go with the financial interpretation.
784512 (X) Apr 19, 2013:
@Ramey I think Entlastung is meant in a financial context, as Alexandra said.

...incidentally, almost all such texts agree that a reduction in demand on the part of the consumer is necessary. Where opinions differ is how that would be achieved:

1) everyone moderates their consumption of certain products
2) everyone goes vegan
3) everyone goes local (which is terrible imho, because this approach usually ignores feed and non-local parts of their diet and lifestyle)

All of the above would mean some kind of Entlastung, but the degree and beliefs about how this could be achieved differ.
Jo27 (asker) Apr 19, 2013:
@ Brigitte - Yes this is what I was hoping the article might suggest at some point, but it doesn't at all! Every time Entlastung is used, no further qualification is provided about the way in which the consumer needs to have their burden removed, whether it be to do with money, time or anything else. And the client also didn't know!
Ramey Rieger (X) Apr 19, 2013:
I don't see where downsizing is mentioned, but I could be reading it wrong. It reads, to me, more like advocating sustainable eating habits, but more from the consumer slant. Of course, the more we concentrated on regionally grown, organic foods, the less they will cost and the healthier we all will be, including the planet.
Ramey Rieger (X) Apr 19, 2013:
@Brigitte I'd opt for the guilt! But it's only the first case that seems weird. Of course consumers will benefit from a sustainable diet - not to mention the PLANET - and that the first priority must be the benefits: health, resources, lower costs, better world, etc.
784512 (X) Apr 19, 2013:
@Ramey - agreed, I think it's a little badly written. I *think* it should be interpreted as a reduction in consumer demand, regardless how weird it is formulated.

@Brigitte and Alexandra - also agreed. That's why I think a reduction in consumer demand would be a better interpretation.
784512 (X) Apr 19, 2013:
Okay... The reason I ask is because I know a little about this field, but from my own perspective. I'm a vegan for animal rights, environmental and human rights reasons. I know a fair bit about it from this perspective and have read a lot of research in the field. Bill Gates's blog outlines his latest project in the field which would be helpful for anyone less familiar with it.
Ramey Rieger (X) Apr 19, 2013:
The first instance is rather odd, since Entlastung is what the consumer needs and not the other way around. But I infer that consumer must have an interest in a sustainable diet in order for it be adopted and consistently carried out.
BrigitteHilgner Apr 19, 2013:
Entlastung wovon? On their own, these sentences do not make much sense. What is the article (if it is an article) trying to say? Consumers have to do less shopping / spend less time cooking /spend less money / feel less guilty?
Alexandra Reuer Apr 19, 2013:
Depending on what the overall context is... ... it might also mean "Entlastung" in the sense of "finanzielle Entlastung", as in: when consumers feel less financial and other pressures, they are more likely to feel that they can afford quality food. It might also entail a sense of "enhancing quality of life for consumers generally", as in more social time, less work stresses etc...
Jo27 (asker) Apr 19, 2013:
It's a discussion of all the different approaches considered by various academics to date. And contains no overall answer, except that industry, politicians and consumers must all be responsible.

I think Entlastung is meant to convey the idea of making it easier for consumers to adopt a sustainable diet, but I'm not completely sure!
784512 (X) Apr 19, 2013:
p.s. Relief is what immediately springs to my mind with Entlastung, too, but relieving the consumers doesn't make much sense to me. Do they mean a "decrease in consumer demand"?
784512 (X) Apr 19, 2013:
What is the general message of the article? How do they suppose to achieve this "sustainable diet"? I ask because there are many different attitudes and this may influence which is the best word choice.

Proposed translations

+5
11 mins
Selected

easing the burden/strain on consumers

Seeing that there's no real context given with the word "Entlastung", it could be virtually anything, so why not try and go with something suitably vague...

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Note added at 22 mins (2013-04-19 11:42:35 GMT)
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So e. g. you could say "easing the financial strain" on consumers if you end up going with the financial interpretation; however, because that's not what it says explicitly, I would keep it vague and leave everyone to draw their own conclusions.

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Note added at 34 mins (2013-04-19 11:55:18 GMT)
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I think this would still work if we're talking about mental stress, so something like "easing the mental strain"... hmmm... or perhaps something different like "reducing the stress consumers face"...
Peer comment(s):
agree 784512 (X)
8 mins
It's a valid point Rose and it would make sense, but not sure we can assume that this is actually the case.
agree Wendy Streitparth : I think this is adequately vague as to cover most possibilities.
7 hrs
Thanks Wendy!
agree anasta12
20 hrs
Thank you!
agree mill2
23 hrs
Thank you!
agree Lancashireman
4 days
Something went wrong...
3 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks very much. Confirmed what I thought it had to be, and similar to what I used in the end!"
6 mins

1. interest/assistence 2. easment 3. benefit

I would choose three different terms although the second and third are synonyms. In the first case, the verb "needs" caught me off guard for a moment, but I think "assistance" or even "interest"
Peer comment(s):
neutral 784512 (X) : Sorry, those are really weird English and I don't think reflect the meaning of the term.
12 mins
okay, Rose.
Something went wrong...
+4
15 mins

relief of the stress OR to take the load off the consumer

It could be that they mean the above mentioned looking at the context, which could surely fit the sentences: Notwendige Bedingung dafür sind die Entlastung und Unterstützung der Konsumenten/ Das zentrale Element muss deshalb die Entlastung der KonsumentInnen sein.
The sentence: Nachhaltige Ernährung braucht die Entlastung der Verbraucher, genussreiche und nachhaltige Lebensmittel und Raum für gemeinsames Genießen, could also fit, for as such the consumer is no longer required to go the extra mile .....
Peer comment(s):
agree Alexandra Reuer : though I would phrase it slightly differently, e. g. "relieving the stress..."
20 mins
Thank you Alexandra
agree 784512 (X) : missed this. see discussion. it's correct.
21 mins
Thank you Rose
agree BrigitteHilgner : "take the load of the consumer" is sufficiently vague to fit most purposes - given the information provided by the asker (i.e. nobody seems to know), I consider this the most suitable solution.
38 mins
Thank you Brigitte
agree Harald Moelzer (medical-translator)
1 day 4 hrs
Thank you Harald
Something went wrong...
35 mins

the consumer must be free from anything that puts stress on his body, such as e.g.

the stress produced by a low carbohydrate intake, or chronic diseases.
I wanted to submit my comments in the discussion column, but strangely enough, didnt manage.
Something went wrong...
3 hrs

lessen consumer impact(s)

The German term is intentionally all- encompassing to include monetary costs but also other effects and burdens associated with non-sustainable diets. I think the term I am proposing is sufficiently vague to be used the same way

"Lawmakers challenged to cap carbon emissions, lessen consumer impact"

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Note added at 3 hrs (2013-04-19 14:29:56 GMT)
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If this sounds too ambiguous to some, I can always change it to "lessen impact on consumers"

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs (2013-04-19 14:40:32 GMT)
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" Economists and climate scientists have been pushing for a carbon tax with consumer rebate to shift the cost curve in favor of clean energy while reducing the impact on consumers."
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/02/10/835813/-Come-Hell-o...

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Note added at 3 hrs (2013-04-19 14:53:42 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

This is how I would do one of the sentences above:

"The key, therefore, is to reduce impact on consumers."
Reference:

http://tbo.com/news/business/lawmakers-challenged-to-cap-carbon-emissions-lessen-consumer-impact-97504

Something went wrong...
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