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
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 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 just try to get by/hold on/scrape by; my folks have always lived close to the knuckle; sometimes we even didn’t have enough money to purchase our essentials/necessities
“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
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
laut einem Wirtschaftsexperten sollte man sogenannten Gig Economy Zeitarbeitern großzügig Trinkgeld geben = one finance expert suggests that gig economy workers, such as delivery drivers, should be tipped generously
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
