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landbouwer vs. boer (nuance, Flemish)

English translation: specifically: crop farmer

10:13 May 4, 2005
Dutch to English translations [PRO]
Social Sciences - Linguistics
Dutch term or phrase: landbouwer vs. boer (nuance, Flemish)
What (if any) is the difference in connotation between 'landbouwer' and 'boer' in Flemish usage, and more particularly, with respect to the status of a landbouwer or boer in mid-19th-century Germany?

This comes from a capsule biography of Raiffeisen, who is described as the son of a 'burgmeester-landbouwer' and sensitive to the problems of the 'boeren'.
Ken Cox
Local time: 02:56
English translation:specifically: crop farmer
Explanation:
If anything, I'd say a 'landbouwer' was specifically a crop farmer. A 'boer' could be engaged in either crop farming or animal husbandry (or both, of course). In most people's minds, however, I'd say that the terms are largely synonymous.

In reference to Raiffeisen's father (Gottfried Friedrich Raiffeisen), 'landbouwer' is probably a translation of the German 'Landwirt', which again refers to a crop farmer as opposed to a livestock farmer.

In your tekst, I'd simply translate 'landbouwer' as farmer and 'boeren' as the farming community or the agricultural community.

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Note added at 1 hr 33 mins (2005-05-04 11:46:39 GMT)
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In this context, \'boeren\' would also translate as \'smallholders\' as that\'s who Raiffeisen was interested in helping. He wasn\'t so concerned with the well-to-do land-owning farmers. It was the smallholders, who had little or no collatoral to get credit elsewhere, who were served by his pioneering credit unions.
Selected response from:

Chris Hopley
Netherlands
Local time: 02:56
Grading comment
Thanks; complete and informative as usual. 'Peasant' sounds like a good choice for a more formal or historical context (I know, the text does refer to an earlier era, but the modern popular undertanding of 'peasant' is someone in a third-world country or, closer to home, a salt-of-the-earth type or a bumpkin).
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +4specifically: crop farmer
Chris Hopley
4 +2...
Gerda Rijsselaere (X)
5geen verschil
Linda Flebus
4farmer vs. peasant
Els Thant, M.A., B.Tr. (X)
2farmer versus crofter / yeoman / ... / ...
Henk Peelen


  

Answers


5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
...


Explanation:
vroeger was landbouwer een wat "deftiger" woord voor boer, dat als iets meer denigrerend werd beschouwd. Nu is dat onderscheid echter verdwenen en spreekt men in het journaal bijvoorbeeld evengoed over de boeren als over de landbouwers (ik heb de indruk dat de laatste term tegenwoordig zelfs minder wordt gebruikt).
volgens mij is er dus geen noemenswaardig verschil

Gerda Rijsselaere (X)
Belgium
Local time: 02:56
Native speaker of: Native in DutchDutch, Native in FlemishFlemish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Deborah do Carmo: think was probably just a class distinction - rich farmers possibly with larger farms vs. smaller more modest farmers
4 mins
agree  Evert DELOOF-SYS
14 mins
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +4
landbouwer
specifically: crop farmer


Explanation:
If anything, I'd say a 'landbouwer' was specifically a crop farmer. A 'boer' could be engaged in either crop farming or animal husbandry (or both, of course). In most people's minds, however, I'd say that the terms are largely synonymous.

In reference to Raiffeisen's father (Gottfried Friedrich Raiffeisen), 'landbouwer' is probably a translation of the German 'Landwirt', which again refers to a crop farmer as opposed to a livestock farmer.

In your tekst, I'd simply translate 'landbouwer' as farmer and 'boeren' as the farming community or the agricultural community.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr 33 mins (2005-05-04 11:46:39 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

In this context, \'boeren\' would also translate as \'smallholders\' as that\'s who Raiffeisen was interested in helping. He wasn\'t so concerned with the well-to-do land-owning farmers. It was the smallholders, who had little or no collatoral to get credit elsewhere, who were served by his pioneering credit unions.


    Reference: http://www.raiffeisen.de/organisation/friedrichraiffeisen/ra...
Chris Hopley
Netherlands
Local time: 02:56
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thanks; complete and informative as usual. 'Peasant' sounds like a good choice for a more formal or historical context (I know, the text does refer to an earlier era, but the modern popular undertanding of 'peasant' is someone in a third-world country or, closer to home, a salt-of-the-earth type or a bumpkin).

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Fred ten Berge: explanation on 'smallholders' vry useful!
31 mins
agree  Deborah do Carmo: good point if not a class distinction
1 hr
agree  bgranger: Agree with the distinction--am now going to get some cheese from the 'kaasboer' here in the Leiden market. :)
1 hr
agree  Francina
5 hrs
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
geen verschil


Explanation:
Zover ik weet, is er geen verschil tussen de twee.

Linda Flebus
Belgium
Local time: 02:56
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in FlemishFlemish, Native in DutchDutch

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Els Thant, M.A., B.Tr. (X): vandaag de dag misschien niet meer, maar vroeger wel
2 hrs
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5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
farmer vs. peasant


Explanation:
- I often translate texts on 19th century animal husbandry history in Europe for a Flemish History Professor and he always uses (or wants me to use) "peasant" for "boer" and "farmer" for "landbouwer"
- There is a similar difference in other languages too (e.g. Spanish: "boer" = "campesino" and "landbouwer" = "agricultor")
- There might not be a real difference today, but apparently there was a difference (not only a social, but also a 'technical' one) in the 19th century

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Note added at 5 hrs 7 mins (2005-05-04 15:21:07 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

in the above-mentioned texts on animal husbandry, \"smallholders\" also appears, but that refers to a \"kleine boer\", a kind of \"small-scale\" farmer

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 hrs 8 mins (2005-05-04 15:21:25 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

erratum: \"smallholder\"

Els Thant, M.A., B.Tr. (X)
Ecuador
Local time: 19:56
Works in field
Native speaker of: Dutch
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5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
farmer versus crofter / yeoman / ... / ...


Explanation:
Voor een Britse tekst is het woord crofter misschien ook nog zinvol. Duitsland kent trouwens momenteel nog relatief veel deeltijdboeren. Dat die er 150 jaar geleden (met name vóór de uitvinding van de kunstmest) ook veel waren, lijkt erg waarschijnlijk.

Even buurtjeleen gespeeld bij het concurrent-vertaalplatform. Vindt Henry wel niet zo leuk, maar ja, hij heeft nou eenmaal meer boeren dan landbouwers op zijn site.

Internetreferentie 1:
ENGLISCH DEUTSCH
2 Treffer
Unmittelbare Treffer
crofter [Brit.] der Kleinbauer
peasant der Kleinbauer

Internetreferentie 2:
\Croft"er\ (-?r), n.
One who rents and tills a small farm or helding; as, the
crofters of Scotland.


    Reference: http://dict.leo.org/?lp=ende&lang=de&searchLoc=0&cmpType=rel...
    Reference: http://www.hyperdictionary.com/search.aspx?define=crofter
Henk Peelen
Netherlands
Local time: 02:56
Native speaker of: Native in DutchDutch
PRO pts in category: 8
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