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This question was closed without grading. Reason: No acceptable answer
English to German translations [PRO] Social Sciences - Environment & Ecology
English term or phrase:imploding population bomb
This sentence is from a short chapter in a book about the development of humanity:
"Early warnings of an **imploding population bomb** driving global famine missed how agricultural innovations, education, urbanization, family planning, and better health care could sustain human progress while slowing growth in numbers."
I would understand the sentence if it said "exploding" but like this, it seems contradictory to me. Would "imploding" not mean that the population declines?
I have now translated this awkward phrase as "drohende Bevölkerungsexplosion". As the discussion was very helpful (thanks to all of you) but the given answers actually were not, I will have to close the question without grading. Sorry about that.
Thank you very much for analyzing those three possibilities. Actually, it was your posting that helped me most, especially the hint to "impending". I wished you had entered this as an answer.
Nun habe ich meinen Beitrag gelöscht, bevor ich Eure Reaktionen gesehen hatte. Das war mindestens genauso dumm von mir wie mein erster Gedanke, dass "ausbleibende Bevölkerungsexplosion" eine sinngemäße Übersetzung wäre. Das hatte ich so gegen 19:10 gepostet.
Wenn man den ganzen Satzteil betrachtet, dann geht es doch hier um die Warnung vor der "Bevölkerungsbombe". Darum, dass die Warnung möglicherweise unberechtigt war, geht es erst im zweiten Satzteil. Deshalb kann das "imploding" im Sinne von "verpufft" eigentlich nicht stimmen, und ich würde auch zum Schreibfehler für "impending" tendieren. (Für die "impending population bomb" könnte man im Deutschen einfach "Zeitbombe Bevölkerungsentwicklung" nehmen)
I have now asked the editor for clarification and whether it might be a typo. As it is Friday evening, I guess I won't get an answer before Monday at the earliest.
1. "imploding-population bomb" [note the inserted hyphen] imploding-population ~ collapsing number of citizens/residents bomb ~ catastrophe "imploding-population bomb" ~ catastrophe that causes/comprises a drastic reduction in the population
2. Misprint for "impending population bomb" impending ~ upcoming/looming population bomb ~ drastic increase in number of citizens/residents impending population bomb ~ upcoming drastic increase in population
Der Autor geht nicht genauer auf die Zeit ein, es handelt sich eigentlich um die Gegenwart. Der Text gehört zu einer kurzen Einleitung zu einem Kapitel, das aus vielen schönen und interessanten Bildern zum Thema Landwirtschaft und Ernte besteht.
@ASKER: Welches Jahrzehnt beschreibt denn der Text
11:26 Sep 27, 2019
Das klingt für mich irgendwie nach einem historischen Bericht zur Entwicklung von Düngern, Kunstdüngern bzw. zu Getreidesorten höheren Flächenertrags oder so.
Und dann die Verschiebung der Arbeitnehmerzahlen von Primärindustrie nach....
Deshalb wäre ein Hinweis auf das Jahrzehnt nett :-)
1) The author uses "imploding" because the rise in human population will lead to a famine, which in turn will lead to a decline of population, so the bomb "implodes". But that would be a questionable analogy since the bomb would have to first explode and then implode, so to speak. Also the bomb supposedly "drives" a famine, so it would have to implode before the population contracts. 2) The author isn't aware of the difference between imploding and exploding. 3) It's a typo, the author meant "exploding" or "impending".
Does the author describe the population bomb elsewhere?
Automatic update in 00:
Answers
22 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +1
in sich zusammenbrechende Bevölkerungsbombe
Explanation: Die Bevölkerungsbombe ist verpufft - Die Lunte gelegt hatte „Die Bevölkerungsbombe“, ein 1968 erschienener Bestseller des Stanford-Professors Paul Ehrlich und seiner Frau Anne. Die Ehrlichs sagten Hungersnöte für die 1970er und -80er Jahre voraus und gaben keinen Pfifferling mehr auf die Zukunft der Menschheit.
gofink Austria Local time: 22:59 Native speaker of: German PRO pts in category: 4
Notes to answerer
Asker: Dann könnte ich ja auch gleich "implodierende Bevölkerungsbombe" schreiben, soweit war ich auch schon, aber das Bild ist inhaltlich trotzem völlig schief und ergibt keinen Sinn.
5 hrs confidence:
impending population bomb
bevorstehende Bevölkerungsbombe (for "impending population bomb")
Explanation: I'm not convinced that "imploding" was truly intended. It sounds very strange to me. Here I give one option for an 'amended' translation based upon reading "imploding" as "impending".
Explanation: gemeint: die Bevoelkerung steigt rapide, was zu verheerenden Hungersnoeten fuehrt, welche die Bevoelkerung dezimieren (Irland). Hier am besten das Fremdwort verwenden und die Verantwortung fuer Unverstaendlichkeit dem Autor ueberlassen.
Wolfgang Hager Italy Local time: 22:59 Specializes in field Native speaker of: German
Explanation: Since a bomb can only explode but never implode unless you want to refer to a specific design of nuclear bomb http://hydrogen.physik.uni-wuppertal.de/hyperphysics/hyperph... I would simply avoid this unfortunate allegory and replace it with just the phenomenon which would not cause any confusion at all since it is clear. To add the initially intended drama of "bomb" to my suggestion, you could add threatening, desastrous effects of, horrendous etc.. take your pick :))
thefastshow Germany Local time: 22:59 Specializes in field Native speaker of: German
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