Glossary entry (derived from question below)
German term or phrase:
Billionenfalle
English translation:
The multi-billion euro black hole
Added to glossary by
microtranslate
Sep 29, 2016 14:08
7 yrs ago
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German term
Billionenfalle
German to English
Bus/Financial
Economics
Staatsschuldenkrise
finanzielle Schwierigkeiten
Die Billionenfalle bedroht alle - Arbeitnehmer, Rentner, Sparer. Ihre Folgen können drastisch sein, vergleichbar mit einer Hyperinflation oder einer Währungsreform
Book
Target laypersons/seasoned economic experts
finanzielle Schwierigkeiten
Die Billionenfalle bedroht alle - Arbeitnehmer, Rentner, Sparer. Ihre Folgen können drastisch sein, vergleichbar mit einer Hyperinflation oder einer Währungsreform
Book
Target laypersons/seasoned economic experts
Proposed translations
(English)
3 +4 | The billion euro black hole | Lancashireman |
Change log
Sep 29, 2016 14:08: changed "Kudoz queue" from "In queue" to "Public"
Sep 29, 2016 15:00: Paula Durrosier changed "Vetting" from "Needs Vetting" to "Vet OK"
Sep 29, 2016 15:04: Steffen Walter changed "Field (write-in)" from "Economics" to "(none)"
Jan 27, 2018 16:11: Steffen Walter changed "Field" from "Social Sciences" to "Bus/Financial"
Proposed translations
+4
2 hrs
Selected
The billion euro black hole
Falle = trap
But in this context, black hole is the more likely explanation.
https://trid.trb.org/view.aspx?id=901764
The economy is edging closer to a 'black hole'
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/09/23/the-economy-is-edging-closer-...
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Note added at 2 hrs (2016-09-29 16:26:46 GMT)
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or trillion-euro black hole
More likely, as billions are not much to worry about (at national level anyway)
It also looks better with the hyphen.
billion (EN) = Milliarde (DE)
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Note added at 2 hrs (2016-09-29 16:30:01 GMT)
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Government officials mull over plans to plug £1.3trillion public pensions black hole with new fund
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/pensions/article-2055579/...
But in this context, black hole is the more likely explanation.
https://trid.trb.org/view.aspx?id=901764
The economy is edging closer to a 'black hole'
http://www.cnbc.com/2016/09/23/the-economy-is-edging-closer-...
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2016-09-29 16:26:46 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
or trillion-euro black hole
More likely, as billions are not much to worry about (at national level anyway)
It also looks better with the hyphen.
billion (EN) = Milliarde (DE)
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2016-09-29 16:30:01 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Government officials mull over plans to plug £1.3trillion public pensions black hole with new fund
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/pensions/article-2055579/...
Peer comment(s):
agree |
Michael Martin, MA
: Yes, thats a good fit.
52 mins
|
agree |
Thomas Pfann
: Something with gap might work as well (billion euro gap) but I like the 'black hole' best.
20 hrs
|
agree |
Björn Vrooman
: Better hole than gap. In any case, sold.
22 hrs
|
agree |
Ramey Rieger (X)
5 days
|
3 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thanks for your good work.
Its not literally a billion (if only!)
but black hole is spot on"
Discussion
I think Lancashireman has already provided you with a reply here:
"or trillion-euro black hole
More likely, as billions are not much to worry about (at national level anyway)
It also looks better with the hyphen.
billion (EN) = Milliarde (DE)"
And: "actual billion 1x10^12"
Please see below. This is the old scale, which I don't think should be used in a book addressing a global audience in the 21st century.
"or just some large figure which could be rendered by zillion, squillion, gazillion as well"
- Highly unlikely. Even the debt of the U.S. government is a two-digit figure in the trillions (but don't get a heart attack, please: http://www.usdebtclock.org/ ). The German government debt is around two trillion (http://www.nationaldebtclocks.org/debtclock/germany ). Going well over these two figures would make no sense to me.
Best wishes
I have to figure out whether the author means an actual billion 1x10^12 or just some large figure which could be rendered by zillion, squillion, gazillion as well.
@Ramey Rieger - this was early on in the book.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnivorous_plant#Pitfall_trap...
This is what they mean with "trap" here, I imagine: "Falle" in the sense of death trap, by trying to evoke the image of a carnivorous plant.
You can never get out of a black hole. You just get sucked deeper and deeper into it. Before these terrifying natural phenomena were discovered, the term of preference was 'a bottomless pit'.
You're right about the use of billion/trillion in both British and American English.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_holes
http://www.tax.mpg.de/fileadmin/TAX/pdf1/Bucheinband_Komment...
This is about nations going bankrupt (whether or not that's possible is besides the point.)
@Lancashireman
I wonder, though, whether a simple "hole" would be enough:
http://www.economist.com/node/17251840
Like the hole you can't get out of, since you dug yourself in too deep.
https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2015-06-24/abe-s-def...
I have no well-founded reason for that but I just *think* that it is not a black hole. The money is provided/invested by those who are intelligent (?) enough to buy those government securities. That is (normally) not a black hole even in times of financial or budget crisis.
Even the holder's of securities issued by Greece did get something out of their investment. Didn't had to make a full write-off.
That hasn't been true for quite a long time. Whatever dictionary you'll open, they'll show you the use of "billion" for "Billion" is "outdated" or "old-fashioned." Official documents have used the US method of counting zeros since the 1970s:
"The UK government has been using the American meaning of billion since 1974 for the numbers it gives out."
http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/campaigning/past-campaigns/bud...
See also:
https://www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-61...
A literal translation would be "billion trap" (British English) - I believe that is "trillion trap" in US-American. But does that mean anything to anyone?
Given the first word you provided (Staatsschuldenkrise) the term is probably meant to indicate a huge government budget deficit - but this is mere guessing.