ARMUT & REICHTUM
in unserem Land wird die Kluft/Schere zwischen Arm und Reich immer größer bzw. die Reichen immer reicher = inequities become more entrenched in our nation; the gap/gulf between the haves and have-nots keeps widening; country faces growing income inequality as the rich get richer; meanwhile the middle class is being slowly wiped out; in our country there is a yawning disparity between rich and poor
Regierung lässt nichts unversucht, um die Kluft zwischen Arm und Reich zu verringern = the administration is stepping up efforts/leaving no stone unturned to bridge/close the wide yawning chasm/gaping canyon that separates the rich from the poor
die hohen Lebensunterhaltungskosten überlagern/übertünchen die Bemühungen der Regierung, die prekäre finanzielle Lage der Armen zu verbessern = the high cost of living is masking/papering over the government’s bid to improve the poor/dire people`s financial conditions
vermögende/wohlhabende Leute leben wie die Made im Speck/in Saus und Braus/wie Gott in Frankreich = affluent/well-off/well-heeled /wealthy/über(or uber) rich people live on/in Easy Street; my girlfriend grew up in cotton wool; my parents/folks loved to live large; after inheriting a few houses he has been living /eating off/on the hog; since winning the lottery jackpot my former teacher has been living the life of Riley (UK); my uncle is the picture of comfort; my best friend was born with a silver spoon in his mouth; this kid/lad is spoiled (spoilt) rotten; he/she lives the high life after making a mint/a fortune in real estate
er hat genügend Geld = he’s not short of a few bob (AUS)
viele Bürger nagen am Hungertuch/leben von der Hand in den Mund = many citizens live hand in mouth/in poverty/on Struggle Street; many families live/run/manage on a shoestring/face economic hardship; many factory workers struggle with the cost of living; our neighbors are barely managing to eke out/scavenge a decent existence/living; poor people/people at the lowest end of the income ladder/ people of a lower socio-economic status just try to get by/hold on/scrape by; my folks have always lived close to the knuckle/bone; sometimes we even didn’t have enough money to purchase our essentials/necessities; in certain countries too many low-income/ underprivileged citizens are considered economically insecure, meaning they have incomes which are way below the established federal poverty level
“Können Sie es anschreiben? “ früher konnte man beim Becker oder im Tante Emma Laden den Einkauf von Backwaren oder Lebensmitteln anschreiben lassen; auch: auf Pump; diese alten Familienbetriebe/Tante Emma Läden sind praktisch aus den Straßen verschwunden, sie wurden durch Convenience Shops/Läden ersetzt = “Can you put it on my tab?”/Can you put it on the/my slate (AUS/ UK)? - in the past you’d purchase groceries/bakery items, etc at so-called mom/mum and pop shops/businesses, also: on the arm/on the cuff//on tick; those old family businesses have virtually disappeared from the streets, they have been nowadays replaced by convenience shops/stores
Niedrigverdiener hangeln sich von Monat zu Monat durch = low-income people are living paycheck to paycheck/live from one day to the next
sich über Wasser halten/über die Runden kommen = households are struggling to make ends meet/stay afloat; when I was young my family was living hand-to-mouth, but we all survived; financial pain is beginning to hit ordinary citizens; our goal is to battle for a better life; as a student I barely got by on a meager income/parents allowance; when I was a child my folks/parents pretty much lived close to the knuckle (AUS); our family is living/surviving on thin air/on our savings/on a wing and a prayer; we just gotta make do with what we have
für Geringverdiener und sozialschwache Menschen ist das Leben sehr hart = low-income earners/low-wage battlers are society’s most vulnerable/hard-pressed/hardest-hit people/citizens; for people from the wrong side of the tracks life is much tougher than for individuals who live in affluent suburbs/districts; the down-and-outs are having a hard time to cope/to make ends meet; last winter was a testing time for many households because they couldn’t cope with the high energy costs; in the short term there’s more pain to come for stretched households; the federal budget will pour cash into/subsidize households in a bid to soften the blow from soaring energy bills
viele Haushalte sparen Geld für den Notfall = many households save/stash away enough money for a rainy day
sogar die Mittelschicht beschwert sich, dass sie ärmer wird = even the middle class is starting to cry poor
um die Armut zu verringern, darf die Regierung keine Sozialpolitik nach dem Gießkannenprinzip gestalten, vielmehr sollte sie auf die individuellen Bedürfnisse zugeschnitten sein = if the government is really intent on reducing poverty, a standard one-size-fit-all social policy is not the right approach, rather it should be tailored to individual needs
er schlägt sich im Leben gerade so durch = he manages to live by his wits/skills; you need some street smarts if you want to survive/make it in a big city; although he doesn’t have much money, somehow he manages to get along/make do with what he’s got
der Ehemann bleibt zuhause, weil die Ehefrau die Hauptverdienerin ist/die Brötchen verdient = the family's breadwinner is the wife while husband is the stay-at-home dad; in my family my mom is the one who brings home the bacon/comes up with the goods
sie verdient etwas Geld nebenbei = she derives some additional income from her homework
Geringverdiener versuchen stets ihr Gehalt mit Nebentätigkeiten aufzubessern = low-income earners always try to moonlight/have a side hustle; when the cost of living starts to bite more people moonlight to make ends meet; she is a secretary who moonlights as a waitress on weekends
wenn Arbeitnehmer, wie z. B. unabhängige Auftragnehmer, Online-Plattform-Arbeiter, Vertragsarbeiter, Lieferfahrer usw. nicht langfristig in einem Unternehmen angestellt werden, sondern nur für zeitlich befristete Aufträge (Gig-Jobs) beschäftigt, redet man von der Gig Economy = when workers such as independent contractors, online platform workers, contract workers, delivery drivers, etc. are not employed by a company on a permanent basis, but only for temporary assignments (gig jobs), this is referred to as the Gig Economy
bei Finanzkrisen sind Lebensgrundlagen/Existenzminima nicht mehr gewährleistet = the last financial crisis took away our livelihood/ lifeblood/lifeline; as wages are flatlining poverty is entrenching and household debt is rampant; in less developed countries teenagers need some sort of lifeline; the corporation I work for faces an existential threat; for better employment and business opportunities many corporations and qualified workers are nowadays flirting with the idea of relocating to a foreign country
