# German translation, bitte (words on a Nazi election poster) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 15, 2014, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-translation-bitte-words-on-a-nazi-election-poster/698584 "2014-09-15T19:17:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2014, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-translation-bitte-words-on-a-nazi-election-poster/698584/1 "2014-09-15T19:17:50Z")
[This photo](http://life.time.com/history/photos-from-box-of-wwii-souvenirs-chart-hitlers-rise-to-power/?iid=lb-gal-viewagn#18) shows an election poster created by the NSDAP (the Nazis). I assume it dates to ca.1930, but the precise year is irrelevant to my question. I am interested in the text on the card being held by the fellow on the lower right. Three ‘words’, in particular, struck me as unusual: Sozlalabbau Koppuption Teppop It seems, for example, that in the last two words there’s been a substitution of ‘p’ for ‘r’. Why is that? Is it to suggest an association with Bolshevism or the Soviets, i.e. with ‘p’ equal in some sense to ‘r’ in Russian (similar to the use of “[faux Cyrillic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faux_Cyrillic)” to give English words the appearance of being Russian, with [the poster for BORAT](http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2900331776/tt0443453) being a nice example of this type of thing). That would certainly be the type of message the Nazis would have wanted. That said, I have no idea what the “Sozlalabbau” is getting at. Any ideas? Any comments in general? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2014, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-translation-bitte-words-on-a-nazi-election-poster/698584/2 "2014-09-15T19:36:09Z")
Can’t help you with the first word, but #2 IS Korruption, and #3 is Terror. If you look at the “p” in the second word, it looks nothing like the "R"s. Old style German printing has stylized doo-dads\* all over their lettering. If I can scope out the first word, I’ll be back. \*Highly technical term. ---
**Author:** ![polar\_bear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ec9cab/32.png) [@polar\_bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/polar_bear)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2014, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-translation-bitte-words-on-a-nazi-election-poster/698584/3 "2014-09-15T19:45:31Z")
First word seems to be _socialabbau_ which would probably refer to social services going down the drain. ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2014, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-translation-bitte-words-on-a-nazi-election-poster/698584/4 "2014-09-15T19:47:57Z")
The letters you read as ‘p’ are unusual 'r’s Man in the upper right, meant to represent the non-Nazi Right: _Versprechungen_: promises _Beamtenabbau_: reduction of civil servants _Arbeitslosigkeit_: unemployment _Notverordnungen § 48_: emergency degrees as per Article 48 of the Weimar constitution (an instrument that the last Chancellors of the Weimar Republic used to bypass a gridlocked parliament). Man in the lower right, meant to represent the Left: _Sozialabbau_: reduction of social benefits _Terror_: terror _Hetze_: spreading hate _Lüge_: lying ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2014, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-translation-bitte-words-on-a-nazi-election-poster/698584/5 "2014-09-15T19:49:48Z")
I am guessing Sozlalabbau is something like “social breakdown” or “destruction of society”. As opposed to the Nazi ideals of _Kinder, Küche, Kirche_ except without the Kirche part. It might be expressed nowadays as “breakdown of traditional values”. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2014, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-translation-bitte-words-on-a-nazi-election-poster/698584/6 "2014-09-15T19:50:51Z")
More: The word is actually “Soz_ **i** _alabbau” and means “social dumping.” [Wiki page](http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sozialabbau). ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2014, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-translation-bitte-words-on-a-nazi-election-poster/698584/7 "2014-09-15T20:30:39Z")
[QUOTE=burpo the wonder mutt] If you look at the “p” in the second word, it looks nothing like the "R"s. [/quote] > [@Mops](#): > > The letters you read as ‘p’ are unusual 'r’s. Now I get it. Thank you. ETA: “Sozialabbau” - wow, that was an ‘i’? ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2014, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-translation-bitte-words-on-a-nazi-election-poster/698584/8 "2014-09-16T04:42:18Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > More: > > The word is actually “Soz_ **i** _alabbau” and means “social dumping.” [Wiki page](http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sozialabbau). I’ve never heard the term “social dumping”, but have heard _Sozialabbau_ used to mean the dismantling or slashing of social welfare programs, and the poster is saying this is what the other parties will do if they get in. The National Socialists are implying that they are against what the “other guys” will do, though they don’t come right out and say they’ll do the opposite. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2014, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-translation-bitte-words-on-a-nazi-election-poster/698584/9 "2014-09-16T05:30:11Z")
> [@Mops](#): > > Man in the upper right, meant to represent the non-Nazi Right:… > > _Notverordnungen § 48_: emergency degrees as per Article 48 of the Weimar constitution (an instrument that the last Chancellors of the Weimar Republic used to bypass a gridlocked parliament). > [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > I’ve never heard the term “social dumping”, but have heard _Sozialabbau_ used to mean the dismantling or slashing of social welfare programs, and the poster is saying this is what the other parties will do if they get in. > > The National Socialists are implying that they are against what the “other guys” will do, though they don’t come right out and say they’ll do the opposite. Well, we know that nice Mr. Hitler would never [misuse Article 48](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichstag_Fire_Decree). ---
**Author:** ![Anaglyph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Anaglyph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaglyph)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2014, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-translation-bitte-words-on-a-nazi-election-poster/698584/10 "2014-09-16T07:25:49Z")
Title: Wir bauen auf (we build, we are constructive) Unsere Bausteine (our building blocks) Arbeit (work, employment) Freiheit (freedom) Brot (bread) Also: Nationalsozialisten, Liste 8 (therfore, national socialists, list 8) Baupläne der anderen (construction plans of the others) Versprechungen (promises) Beamtenabbau (reduction of officials, reduced number of government jobs) Notverordnungen (emergency decrees, see answer by MEBuckner) Sozialabbau ( decreased social aid) Korruption (corruption) Terror (terror) Hetze (agitation, rabble-rousing) Lüge (lies) ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2014, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-translation-bitte-words-on-a-nazi-election-poster/698584/11 "2014-09-16T09:17:54Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > [This photo](http://life.time.com/history/photos-from-box-of-wwii-souvenirs-chart-hitlers-rise-to-power/?iid=lb-gal-viewagn#18) shows an election poster created by the NSDAP (the Nazis). I assume it dates to ca.1930, but the precise year is irrelevant to my question. > > I am interested in the text on the card being held by the fellow on the lower right. Three ‘words’, in particular, struck me as unusual: > > Sozlalabbau > Koppuption > Teppop This is a very interesting find! I would never had guessed that the term _Sozialabbau_ (i. e. cutting back on social benefits, but with a distinctly disapproving connotation) had been used on a Nazi election poster. I was sure that the expression was coined fairly recently. It’s a fighting word which today is used almost exclusively by left-leaning politicians, trade unionists, journalists, church officials, activists etc. whenever aspects of the welfare state are discussed. Don’t you dare mentioning the fact that the expression _Sozialabbau_ was also used by the Nazis some 80 years ago when talking to a German with even a somewhat center-left political leaning. You’d be in a world of hurt. 🆒