Glossary entry

German term or phrase:

Ferienlosigkeit

English translation:

dearth of vacation days

Added to glossary by Timoshka
Jul 31, 2023 22:17
10 mos ago
59 viewers *
German term

Ferienlosigkeit

German to English Social Sciences General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
From a 1941 letter, written by a teacher at a home for Jewish boys on Grünentorgasse in Vienna:

"Die Ferienlosigkeit ist keine allgemeine Einführung, doch haben die anderen Lehrer heuer auch bloß 3 Wochen Urlaub, da sie die übrige Zeit in den Kartenstellen beschäftigt sind."

Discussion

AllegroTrans Aug 2, 2023:
Yes Emanuella Similar constructions in German but definitely not in English
Emmanuella Aug 1, 2023:
Arbeitlosigkeit - Ferienlosigkeit
Lancashireman Aug 1, 2023:
allegro the absence of leave of absence
AllegroTrans Aug 1, 2023:
"Deprivation/cancellation/revocation" of the holidays (UK) vacation (US) seems to be along the right lines
Björn Vrooman Aug 1, 2023:
From an article about a school in Vienna in 1941:
"Nach dem Ausbruch des Zweiten Weltkrieges wurden Zimmer von kriegsbedingten Organisationen in Anspruch genommen, so beispielsweise von den Kartenstellen zur Vergabe von Lebensmittelkarten. Seit dem Schul- und Kriegsjahr 1940/1941 dienten vier Lehrzimmer den Zwecken der Heilkräutersammlungen. Zudem konnte der Unterricht ab dem Schuljahr 1943/1944 nicht mehr im eigenen Gebäude stattfinden."
https://www.geschichtewiki.wien.gv.at/VS_Malfattigasse_17

And another:
"Nach dem Ausbruch des Zweiten Weltkrieges wurden Zimmer von kriegsbedingten Organisationen und Körperschaften in Anspruch genommen, so beispielsweise ab dem Schuljahr 1940/1941 von der Kartenstelle 90 zur Vergabe von Lebensmittelkarten. Der Turnsaal wurde zwischendurch als Sammelstelle für Altstoffe benützt."
https://www.geschichtewiki.wien.gv.at/VS_Rothenburgstraße_1

Post-1938, no Jewish students attended either school, but I don't think that matters in this context. In fact, yours is a school for Jewish boys; I doubt they had the teachers (indirectly) work for the military.
Björn Vrooman Aug 1, 2023:
@Timoshka Could be, but I think this here may even be more likely:
"Die von den Kartenstellen ausgegebenen sechs bis zwölf Karten pro Person (inklusive Raucher-, Seifen-, Kleiderkarten und individuelle Bezugsberechtigungen) galten für eine Versorgungsperiode von drei bis vier Wochen."
https://www.geschichtewiki.wien.gv.at/Rationierung
Timoshka (asker) Aug 1, 2023:
@ Björn Vrooman Based on this, then maybe "Kartenstellen" are not "ticket offices" here, but the "mapping detachments" of the German army...
Björn Vrooman Aug 1, 2023:
PS OK, I admit I can't tell exactly whether "die anderen Lehrer" refers to the other teachers who worked at the same school, in the same district, or somewhere in Austria.

But just to back up what I wrote earlier:
"4.6.1941
Erzieherschaft im Sommer.
"Die Salzburger Erzieherschaft wird während der Sommerferien eingesetzt im
Grenzlandeinsatz, auf Lagern und Lehrgängen, sowie in der Erntehilfe und Arbeitsplatzablöse. In seinem Aufruf zum Sommereinsatz nennt Gauamtsleiter
Springenschmid den Gefallenen Ingo Ruetz als Vorbild für den Einsatz."
https://www.stadt-salzburg.at/fileadmin/landingpages/stadtge...

Certainly not a relaxing vacation!
Björn Vrooman Aug 1, 2023:
Please remember, we're talking about 1941.

"Weil im Sommer am meisten auf den Feldern zu tun war, gab es auch dann schulfrei: zum Arbeiten! Und die Sommerferien hießen auch nicht Sommerferien, sondern Getreideferien! Im Herbst gab es keine Herbstferien, sondern Kartoffelferien...Ferien und Urlaub sind also eine relativ neue 'Erfindung.' Seit 1964 ist es in Deutschland festgelegt, dass es pro Schuljahr 75 schulfreie Tage geben muss - das sind etwa 15 Wochen."
https://www.br.de/kinder/ferien-urlaub-wer-hat-die-ferien-er...
Björn Vrooman Aug 1, 2023:
What... ...vacation entitlement?

All of you are right, I believe, so I'm not sure what the issue is.

Example from the US:
"No. Most school districts allot teachers a set number of sick days, but these are not to be deemed as vacation days. Teachers are not provided vacation days in the same manner a traditional job does. Vacations for a teacher are intended to occur during the days off that students also receive."
https://moneywiseteacher.com/do-teachers-get-vacation-days/

In Germany, you do have 30 days of vacation as a teacher (nowadays) but you also need to take them during the summer break or other school breaks throughout the year.

While not implemented nationwide (=allgemeine Einführung), the no-break policy was in effect for some teachers, I suppose--so the only thing they did was work.

From the book "Aus dem Pädagogischen Universitätsseminar zu Jena," published by Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena: "Wäre das Gesagte mein letztes Wort , es enthielte ein zu hartes Urteil über mein liebes Vaterland Österreich und seine Schulzustände. Es gab in jener Zeit auch ferienarme Gebiete und ferienlose Männer im Schulwesen..."

[...]
Timoshka (asker) Aug 1, 2023:
@ Cilian O'Tuama & philgoddard Maybe: "The cancellation of vacations has not been implemented universally (or maybe: hasn't been fully implemented), but the other teachers also have only 3 weeks of vacation this year..." So, although some policy of no vacations hasn't been put fully into effect, the other teachers "only" have 3 weeks of vacation this year, which is presumably less than last year, etc.
philgoddard Aug 1, 2023:
So some teachers are having their vacation entitlement taken away, perhaps by the Nazis, but not the writer's own colleagues?
Cilian O'Tuama Aug 1, 2023:
@Asker My understanding is that your understanding (universal, across the board) is right. Just need to find the right phrase. The "doch" is also interesting. Maybe something with "deprivation"?
Timoshka (asker) Jul 31, 2023:
@ philgoddard Unfortunately, there is no more context. This is apparently an answer to a question posed in a previous letter. (The preceding line is about another topic, and the following line is about yet another topic.) I assumed "ist keine allgemeine Einführung" means something like "hasn't been introduced universally," i.e. hasn't become the status quo across the board.
philgoddard Jul 31, 2023:
Ferien is vacation So Ferienlosigkeit is a lack thereof. But I don't know what 'ist keine allgemeine Einführung' means - more context might help.

Proposed translations

21 hrs
Selected

dearth of vacation days

Seems to fit.

“As a result of their longer work hours and dearth of vacation days..”
https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0vr6b2n3

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day 23 hrs (2023-08-02 21:57:37 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Die Ferienlosigkeit ist keine allgemeine Einführung =
“This dearth of vacation days is not part of a wider scheme.”
Peer comment(s):

neutral Lancashireman : dearth = scarcity. Not the same as -losigkeit. Still, four points is four points...
1 day 5 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you!"
+1
1 day 16 hrs

Having no vacation

Like many German compound nouns it is difficult if not impossible to translate this one with a single word
Peer comment(s):

agree Lancashireman
10 hrs
thank you
Something went wrong...
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