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pembodohan massal

English translation: mass dumbing down

00:17 Jun 22, 2010
Indonesian to English translations [PRO]
Social Sciences - Human Resources / tobacco industry
Indonesian term or phrase: pembodohan massal
In the sentence, "Pembodohan massal, intimidasi, pemasungan kebebasan berserikat, kriminalisasi, pembohongan informasi, PHK sewenang-wenang dan perampasan hak-hak azasi kerapkal dilakukan oleh PT Djarum dan perusahaan PPRK (Persatuan Pengusaha Rokok Kudus) lainnya terhadap para buruh rokok bersistem gajian harian dan borong yang mayoritas 90 % buruh perempuan berpendidikan rendah", please suggest translation(s) of 'pembodohan massal'. I know it means deception/cheating on a massive scale, but wonder if colleagues have a better way of phrasing it.
Catherine Muir
Australia
Local time: 00:28
English translation:mass dumbing down
Explanation:
I notice that 'stupidization' is used, but didn't get any Google hits for 'mass stupidization'. On the other hand, I get 97 hits for "mass dumbing down".

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Note added at 21 hrs (2010-06-22 21:49:28 GMT)
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Hi Cathy. If the writer meant cheating/deception wouldn't the Indonesian have been 'penipuan massal'?
Selected response from:

John Gare (X)
Local time: 00:28
Grading comment
I actually used 'keeping employees ignorant', following on Google references to 'program pembodohan massal' under Suharto's Orde Baru, which aimed to keep the people ignorant and thus controllable.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4mass dumbing down
John Gare (X)
3mass deception
Ikram Mahyuddin


  

Answers


3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
mass deception


Explanation:
19 Mei 2009 ... Ia menyatakan bahwa media telah menjadi republik 'pembodohan massa' (mass deception) dan bersifat anti-pencerahan (anti-enlightenment). ...

et-ee.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=74907704050.

Ikram Mahyuddin
Indonesia
Local time: 21:28
Does not meet criteria
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in IndonesianIndonesian
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks, Ikram. This is technically correct, but I'm leaning more to 'cheating' rather than 'deception', in the sense that the companies have been underpaying workers, i.e., cheating them out of their just wages.

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8 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
mass dumbing down


Explanation:
I notice that 'stupidization' is used, but didn't get any Google hits for 'mass stupidization'. On the other hand, I get 97 hits for "mass dumbing down".

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 21 hrs (2010-06-22 21:49:28 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Hi Cathy. If the writer meant cheating/deception wouldn't the Indonesian have been 'penipuan massal'?

Example sentence(s):
  • 'There's been a mass dumbing down of our society" Rick Steves
John Gare (X)
Local time: 00:28
Does not meet criteria
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
I actually used 'keeping employees ignorant', following on Google references to 'program pembodohan massal' under Suharto's Orde Baru, which aimed to keep the people ignorant and thus controllable.
Notes to answerer
Asker: Hi, John. Thanks for your suggestion. In this context, it is cheating/deception on a massive scale that has been going on for years and years. Although I know 'pembodohan' can mean 'dumbing down', I don't think that's appropriate in this context.

Asker: Hello again, John. The writer in this case has used some quite unusual turns of phrase in this text, so I'm not surprised that he has not used 'penipuan' here. I think he means more than 'dumbing down'; he means that the workers are kept ignorant and then cheated/defrauded out of their just wages and conditions. 'Membodohkan' means not only to consider/regard s.o. as stupid, but also to fool, dupe, deceive, cheat, defraud. Pembodohan, according to Stevens, is 'deceit, cheating, fraud, deception'. I feel that 'pembodohan massal' encapsulates both the sense of treating cigarette workers en masse as though they're stupid and consequently cheating them out of their proper wages and working conditions. Now to put all that into a few English words is the challenge!

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