человек-деталь

English translation: a cog in the machine, a human cog

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Russian term or phrase:человек-деталь
English translation:a cog in the machine, a human cog
Entered by: Hasmik Avetyan

09:58 Aug 4, 2013
Russian to English translations [PRO]
Social Sciences - Social Science, Sociology, Ethics, etc.
Russian term or phrase: человек-деталь
Эффективность производства постоянно растет. Рост эффективности требует роста специализации. На пределе специализации, которая характерна для поздних сообществ, человек должен уделить все свои силы специализации, что и превращает его в "человека-деталь".
Hasmik Avetyan
Armenia
Local time: 03:32
a cog in the machine
Explanation:
Буквально "человек-винтик." Думаю, речь об этом.
Selected response from:

Alla Kobkova
Russian Federation
Local time: 06:32
Grading comment
Спасибо!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +5a cog in the machine
Alla Kobkova
3 +3human detail
Susan Welsh
4a human cog
Michael Korovkin
3human-robot or (simply) robot or robotic tool...
Anna_Furman


  

Answers


20 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +5
a cog in the machine


Explanation:
Буквально "человек-винтик." Думаю, речь об этом.

Example sentence(s):
  • ...the performance of each individual worker is mathematically measured, each man becomes a little cog in the machine ... (M. Weber, Bureaucracy)

    Reference: http://www.cf.ac.uk/socsi/undergraduate/introsoc/weber12.htm...
Alla Kobkova
Russian Federation
Local time: 06:32
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Спасибо!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Nadezhda Golubeva
25 mins
  -> Thank you!

agree  Max Deryagin
1 hr
  -> Thank you!

agree  LilianNekipelov: I agree.
2 hrs
  -> Thank you!

agree  VEIKMANE DAIGA: 1318670057-a-cog-in-the-machine-at-occupy-brisbane_874246.jpg
6 hrs
  -> Thank you!

agree  cyhul
1 day 4 mins
  -> Thank you!
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8 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
human-robot or (simply) robot or robotic tool...


Explanation:
Первое, что пришло на ум:)... Извините...

P.S. Ищите "здравое зерно:)"...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2013-08-04 11:41:27 GMT)
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Да..., и human_robot никуда не годится... Уж скорее robotman... (но это уже зарезервировано ((как поняла из сети:)...))

Anna_Furman
Ukraine
Local time: 02:32
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian, Native in UkrainianUkrainian
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
human detail


Explanation:
This is an interesting challenge. Words like automaton, robot, cog in the machine evoke to me more the dehumanization of an earlier age (as portrayed in Charlie Chaplain's Modern Times, where he becomes literally part of the mass-production machine). The person doesn't have to know anything but how to do one repetitive motion over and over again, the whole day.

But the text we are considering is of a different character: the person does know things, even perhaps many things of a highly specialized nature, and uses them in his work, yet it is deeply dehumanizing, because his work does not summon up his fundamental humanity, and he has no conception of the world of which is tiny corner is just one part.

Therefore I tried to think of something that keeps the idea of human/человек in there.

This interesting quote is from the link below (emphasis added, although I don't think "learned ignoramus" is a good translation for your phrase):

[QUOTE]The specialist "knows" very well his own tiny cor­ner of the universe; he is radically ignorant of all the rest…. Previ­ously, men could be divided simply into the learned and the ignorant…. But your specialist cannot be brought in under either of these two cate­gories. He is not learned, for he is formally ignorant of all that does not enter into his specialty; but neither is he ignorant, because he is "a scientist," and "knows" very well his own tiny portion of the universe. We shall have to say that he is a learned ignoramus, which is a very serious matter, as it implies that he is a person who is ignorant, not in the fashion of the ignorant man, but with all the petulance of one who is learned in his own special line.




    Reference: http://www.fee.org/the_freeman/detail/education-in-america-8...
Susan Welsh
United States
Local time: 19:32
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 35

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  MariyaN (X): I think yours is the only correct interpretation of the term.
4 hrs
  -> Thank you, Mariya

agree  Oleksiy Markunin: Perfectly explained!
7 hrs
  -> Thanks, Oleksiy

agree  Veronica Kostenko
14 hrs
  -> Thanks, Veronica
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
a human cog


Explanation:
...

Michael Korovkin
Italy
Local time: 01:32
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in RussianRussian
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