Strahlenfutter

English translation: radiation fodder

12:14 Mar 31, 2011

German to English translations [PRO]
Tech/Engineering - Nuclear Eng/Sci / Arguments against nuclear power

German term or phrase: Strahlenfutter

This term is used in inverted commas in the document "100 gute Gründe gegen Atomkraft" (100 good reasons against nuclear power), which is available at http://100-gute-gruende.de/lesen.xhtml (reason #18).

"Strahlenfutter" is a coinage derived from the French "viande à radiations/rems", which is used in reference to (mainly) unskilled labourers (employees of [sub]contractors) doing the "dirty work" at nuclear power plants. Compare http://fr.news.yahoo.com/76/20110322/tbs-dans-les-centrales-...

Here is the original German paragraph:

"# 18 Strahlende Jobs
Tausende Hilfsarbeiter erledigen die Drecksarbeit in den Atomkraftwerken – oft ohne ausreichenden Strahlenschutz.

Sie arbeiten bei Servicefirmen und müssen immer dann ran, wenn es »heiß« wird: Tausende von Hilfsarbeitern verdienen ihr Geld mit Putz-, Dekontaminations- und Reparaturarbeiten in den verstrahltesten Bereichen der Atomkraftwerke. Einer Statistik des Bundesumweltministeriums von 1999 zufolge bekommen diese Springer viermal so hohe Strahlendosen ab wie die Festangestellten des Atomkraftwerks. In Frankreich sagt man: ›Strahlenfutter‹.
Die Arbeiter berichten von aufplatzenden und staubenden Atommüllsäcken, von Kaffeepausen neben strahlenden Tonnen und von Einsätzen ohne Vollschutz mitten im Reaktorkessel. Manche legen vorher ihre Dosimeter ab. Denn wenn sie ihre Maximaldosis erreicht haben, dürfen sie nicht mehr in den Kontrollbereich. Und keiner will schließlich seinen Job verlieren."

Would something like "radiation fodder" be appropriate/understood by a UK audience, or is this too literal? "Radiation victims" might be another option but would partly lose the strong opposition to nuclear power expressed by the German term (in my opinion).

Many thanks in advance for your help.

Steffen Walter KudoZ activity Questions: 108 (none open) (6 closed without grading) Answers: 13327 Germany
Local time: 05:58

English translation:radiation fodder

Explanation:
Since the expression is in inverted commas, I think your suggestion of "radiation fodder" is perfectly acceptable. It is what immediately occurred to me on seeing the expression and in the context the allusion to "cannon fodder" is clear. If you wish to make it more explicit, you might want to add something on the lines of "in combatting radiation" or even "in the war against radiation".

Selected response from:

John Hein-Hartmann
Portugal
Local time: 04:58

Grading comment

Thank you and all other contributors for the (almost) unanimous confirmation of my initial hunch. I also seriously considered the "guinea pig" option but decided against in the end.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

4 +4

radiation fodder

John Hein-Hartmann

radiated/radiation guinea pigs

Ramey Rieger (X)

Summary of reference entries provided

radiation fodder

Norbert Hohl

Jungk - Der Atomstaat (1977)

Alison MacG

Discussion entries: 5

Answers

1 hr confidence:

peer agreement (net): +4

radiation fodder

John Hein-Hartmann
Portugal
Local time: 04:58
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 4

Grading comment

Thank you and all other contributors for the (almost) unanimous confirmation of my initial hunch. I also seriously considered the "guinea pig" option but decided against in the end.

2 hrs confidence:

radiated/radiation guinea pigs

Explanation:
the term "cannon fodder" was used in the Civil War. Here's an option
from the "laboratory" corner

Ramey Rieger (X)
Germany
Local time: 05:58
Native speaker of: English

Reference comments

1 hr

Reference: radiation fodder

Reference information:
New Scientist 23rd July 1981

The article refers to the term being used as early as the 1950s when US soldiers who were exposed to atomic bomb tests charged the government with treating them as „radiation fodder“.

Cannon fodder was my first association when reading the German term.

http://books.google.com.au/books?id=1HlXz0MRdsEC&pg=PA244&lp...

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Note added at 1 hr (2011-03-31 13:53:33 GMT)
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Science, hegemony and violence. A Requiem for Modernity (1988)
Edited by Ashis Nandy, The United Nations University, Tokyo, Japan

Thus all the people beyond the pale of the labour commitment thesis (the third world of inmates from old peoples' homes as in Germany, 'unemployed blacks taken right off the street' as in USA, students looking for holiday jobs as in France, or ordinary seasonal workers closer home) are used for the most dangerous jobs, exposed to radiation hazards far beyond permissible limits. This radiation fodder is sent into contaminated areas to do preliminary work for skilled employees - 'such as closing leaks, setting up entry locks around the leaks, and putting contaminated clothing and radioactive waste into plastic bags for disposal'.

http://unu.edu/unupress/unupbooks/uu05se/uu05se0b.htm

Norbert Hohl
Australia
Native speaker of: German

Note to reference poster

Asker: Thank you, very helpful!

2 hrs

Reference: Jungk - Der Atomstaat (1977)

Reference information:
Apologies if you're already aware of this, but it really supports the "radiation fodder" idea.

In seinem Buch "Atomstaat" nennt Jungk als die Erstbetroffenen die AKW-Mitarbeiter - er spricht von "Strahlenfutter". Fukushima zeigt was damit gemeint ist.
http://derstandard.at/1297820681985/Fremde-Feder-Lebensfeind...

Jungk - Der Atomstaat
Kapitel 1: „Das Strahlenfutter“ – die Mitarbeiter der AKWs als erste Opfer
„Dank der kritischen Gewerkschafter von La Hague habe ich Einblick in eine Arbeitswelt bekommen, wie es sie beängstigender nie zuvor gegeben hat. Hier büßen die Menschen nicht nur ihre Gesundheit ein, sondern auch ihre Sprache und ihr Recht auf Selbstbestimmung. Von sich selbst sprechen sie – den Begriff ´Kanonenfutter´ auf ihre Verhältnisse übertragend – als `Strahlenfutter´“.
http://www.jungk-bibliothek.at/atomstaat.htm#buch1

Alison MacG
United Kingdom
Native speaker of:

English

Note to reference poster

Asker: Thank you for the confirmation, Alison (I did see the Jungk source, though) :-)

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English translation: radiation fodder

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