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apparatives Verfahren (der Beobachtung)
Versandschlachter
Dec 6, 2007 16:52
16 yrs ago
1 viewer *
German term

das öffentliche Leben

German to English Social Sciences Marketing
Hello again,

More from the marketing research doc. This is actually a quote from a wikipedia entry. The sentence reads:

"Es gab zwar deutlich weniger Fernsehgeräte als heutzutage, aber wer kein Gerät hatte, suchte Bekannte oder Kneipen auf. Das öffentliche Leben kam praktisch zum Erliegen."

Obviously "öffentliche Leben" came almost to a standstill - but what's "öffentliche Leben"? "Life" in general? Everybody just stopped everything to watch this programme?

Thanks a lot!
Proposed translations (English)
3 +6 The streets were practically deserted / The (entire) country came to a virtual standstill
3 +2 social life
4 normal daily life
3 public life
Change log

Dec 6, 2007 18:50: Johanna Timm, PhD changed "Term asked" from "öffentliche Leben" to "das öffentliche Leben" , "Field" from "Bus/Financial" to "Social Sciences"

Discussion

Hilary Davies Shelby (asker) Dec 6, 2007:
oh, i see what you mean. I thought it meant that socialising stopped for that one night - but you're probably right.
Francis Lee (X) Dec 6, 2007:
As I said: IF that were a stand-alone sentence, then that's how I'd interpret it, too. BUT the Wiki piece is about a specific TV programme and the reaction to it when broadcast - it's under "record ratings" so it's not about a general trend in society.
Hilary Davies Shelby (asker) Dec 6, 2007:
I thought Kim's answer was a good one - people didn't socialise, they all watched tv! Doesn't that make sense? Thanks for adding that, though!
Francis Lee (X) Dec 6, 2007:
Hilary: I think the previous sentence in that Wiki article is crucial here! "Im Januar 1962 erzielte der Durbridge-Krimi Das Halstuch an den sechs Sendeabenden Quoten bis 89%." If it weren't for this, I'd also have interpreted your sentence like Kim did

Proposed translations

+6
13 mins
German term (edited): öffentliche Leben
Selected

The streets were practically deserted / The (entire) country came to a virtual standstill

I took the liberty of checking out your source and saw that this is about a record-breaking ratings and a certain TV broadcast.
;-).

Sort of akin to Charles & Di or the Moon landings.

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Note added at 30 mins (2007-12-06 17:22:32 GMT)
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Or just:
- life came to a (virtual) halt/standstill ...

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Note added at 45 mins (2007-12-06 17:38:12 GMT)
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Or: "was temporarily suspended"

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Note added at 56 mins (2007-12-06 17:48:37 GMT)
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Sorry to have ignored your original question: IMO yes!

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Note added at 14 hrs (2007-12-07 07:04:57 GMT)
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See here for other examples of "Das öffentliche Leben kam zum Erliegen":

http://www.rp-online.de/public/article/aktuelles/16915
(power cut in the US)

http://www.ekd.de/ausland_oekumene/reader_2002_19.html
(the 1979 blizzards)
Note from asker:
Thanks, Francis - it was the "oeffentlich" I was struggling with - i kept coming up with "public life", which is obviously wrong - is it indeed just "life" in general?
Peer comment(s):
agree Nicholas Krivenko : I would say almost, but otherwise I agree.
10 mins
agree langnet : First suggestion for me."Life in public", i.e. in the streets
58 mins
agree Sabine Akabayov, PhD
2 hrs
agree Cilian O'Tuama : my understanding too, Straßen waren wie leer gefegt
4 hrs
agree Brigitte Albert (X)
5 hrs
agree Steffen Walter : Yep.
15 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks very much, everyone!"
+2
3 mins
German term (edited): öffentliche Leben

social life

Or socialising almost came to a standstill.
Peer comment(s):
agree Derek Ferrari-Frankland (X) : Agree in this case, public life refers more to a person's (or group's) life in society, whereas this refers to all of society's interaction
23 mins
agree Kcda : Yes exactly that is meant. I wonder if "Miller Time" would be the savior and provide for a more colorful social ambience!? :)
33 mins
Something went wrong...
15 mins
German term (edited): öffentliche Leben

public life

I think this refers to more than just social life. It includes work etc.

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Note added at 1 hr (2007-12-06 17:59:21 GMT)
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kam praktisch zum Erliegen suggests that this about special events on TV, like (I remember!) World Championship football in 1974 in Germany. That's why I believe that more than social life "came almost to a standstill" - because on regular days, with regular programming, this certainly didn't happen. In the seventies, people watched less than half the time they are watching now.
I remember the WC football final in 1974 (Germany-The Netherlands 2:1): social life as well as traffic and work came almost to a standstill...
Peer comment(s):
neutral BrigitteHilgner : I don't think so. This refers to spare time activities which at some times were reduced to just watching TV and nothing else. I am old enough to have experienced this.
43 mins
Something went wrong...
2 hrs

normal daily life

"[...] normal daily life almost came to a standstill"

normal daily life stopped because everyone had downed tools to be in front of the television (for a while at least).
Something went wrong...
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