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Erlebnis-Lunch
im Falle des Schweigens
Mar 3, 2005 11:18
19 yrs ago
German term

Gesinnungspazifismus

German to English Social Sciences Government / Politics
politics

German foreign policy in the middle east vs. US foreign policy in the Middle East.

"Der Gesinnungspazifismus der Bundesregierung hat handfeste wirtschaftliche Gründe."
Proposed translations (English)
3 +4 pacifist convictions
4 +1 opportunist pacifism
4 principled pacifism
4 having a pacifistic attitude

Discussion

JeffFish (X) Mar 3, 2005:
Would you say the general tone of the article is critical of Germany? This would be very relevant in deciding whether the "opportunist" (which is the first thing that occurred to me, too) is correct or not.

Proposed translations

+4
5 mins
Selected

pacifist convictions

a policy which has been thought through and which they are convinced is right

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Note added at 7 mins (2005-03-03 11:26:06 GMT)
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In WW1 this was known as \'conscientious objections\' and those who refused to fight as \'conscientious objectors\'

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Note added at 7 hrs 16 mins (2005-03-03 18:34:46 GMT)
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Following up on my note (at 7 minutes) you might prefer:
\"The stance of the German government as \'conscientious objector\'...\"
or simply \"The pacifist stance of the German government...\"
Peer comment(s):
agree Jonathan MacKerron : fits nicely
1 min
agree brianstrev
6 mins
agree Francis Lee (X) : great! or "mentality"
25 mins
agree Ian M-H (X) : This fits here - the rest of the sentence (about economic reasons) does the rest of the job, as in the German original
53 mins
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "many thanks!"
+1
11 mins

opportunist pacifism

Particularly when seen against the background of the last general election - and the great desire to deliver weapons of war to China.
Peer comment(s):
neutral Gabrielle Lyons : I think the German is more ambiguous than opportunist allows.
3 mins
Not at all. Please consider ALL of the implications in the last four words of the sentence.
agree JeffFish (X) : This is the first thing I thought of when I read the sentence, too
14 mins
Thankyou Jeff. The sincerity of the current outbreak of pacifism is anything but convincing! Unfortunately, it applies to others also.
neutral Lancashireman : Thanks for livening this up. There's nothing better than a political ding-dong :-)
2 hrs
Thanks, Andrew. Did you read today that China is about to increase it´s military budget? Watch-out Taiwan, particularly with US Forces on full stretch for the foreseeable future!!
Something went wrong...
13 mins

principled pacifism

I prefer this turn of phrase, partly to reflect Collins entries like Gesinnungstäter - person motivated by political/moral convictions, but mostly because I think it makes the meaning of the whole sentece easier to follow.
The text is saying that the German goverment's pacifism (which it acknowledges stems from principles) also has a strong economic basis. It's not the convictions that have an economic basis, but the pacifism.
Peer comment(s):
neutral Lancashireman : This is at the other end of the spectrum from Frosty's suggestion
5 mins
see response to JeffZ
neutral JeffFish (X) : Without knowing the rest of the text, the above sentence appears to suggest ulterior motives, which your take fails to convey
14 mins
I don't think it's a matter of suggesting ulterior motives (although they are not ruled out!) but of saying that the principles and the economics are both pushing the same way. Coincidence or trickery, the text doesn't say - as I read it.
Something went wrong...
5 hrs

having a pacifistic attitude

Eigentlich wollte ich mich gar nicht an dieser Problemlösung beteiligen, weil ich das deutsche Wort schon mal ein Unding finde, da doch Pazifismus eine Gesinnung ist, was in dem Wort dann durch die Dopplung anklingt, ist, dass der Pazifismus als Gesinnungs-Fassade benutzt wird um kriegerische/unpazifistische Taten zu übertünchen, richtig?
My sentence would than be
The pacifistic attitude of the German government has sturdy economic reasons.
Something went wrong...
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