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Sep 4, 2013 11:42
10 yrs ago
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Norwegian term

sovepute

Norwegian to English Other Other General
Example: "Arbeidsledighetstrygd kan bli en sovepute for å sitte og ikke gjøre noenting."

My first thought was 'excuse', but this is too broad a term.
Proposed translations (English)
3 +1 crutch
4 pretext for doing nothing
4 -1 cop-out
4 -1 comfort cushion
3 -1 easy money/free ride

Discussion

Susan Nacey (asker) Sep 4, 2013:
Another example A second example:
Høyre advarer mot å gi bønder sovepute (headline in a newspaper)

Svein Flåtten (H) sier økte landbruksbudsjetter kan bli en sovepute for norske bønder.

Proposed translations

+1
3 days 21 hrs
Selected

crutch

The first thing I thought of was "support pillow", but both that term and the related term "comfort pillow" fail to reflect the fact that the Norwegian term is used in a negative way.
Peer comment(s):
agree Christopher Schröder
23 hrs
Thank you Chris!
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks so much. This works well!"
-1
42 mins

cop-out

unnskyldning, according to ordnett.no
cushy cop-out?
Peer comment(s):
disagree Michael Ellis : I think this is too far from the concept of pute/cushion, and does not quite have the same passive sense as cushion.
21 hrs
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-1
1 hr

easy money/free ride

Your two examples are a little different. The first one might well be translated as "an excuse for (doing nothing)". The second example is better translated as 'easy money" or "a free ride", in my opinion.

In the context of the sloganeering associated with the election at hand in Norway, "easy money" or "free ride" will be better, in my opinion.
Peer comment(s):
disagree Michael Ellis : Both again too far from the concept of puts/cushion.
21 hrs
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-1
22 hrs

comfort cushion

At first,I thought "excuse" was the best answer, and would fit current UK political rhetoric. Then I found the first reference on a US Site and assume that 'comfy cushion' has been adopted and translated into Norwegian (for similar political rhetoric). However, I prefer 'comfort cushion' in parallel with "comfort blanket", because it is slightly more formal and is used more often on US sites.
Example sentence:

Unemployment benefits today provide a comfort cushion rather than a safety net.

Reference:

http://www.myheritage.org/news/todays-unemployment-insurance-provides-a-cushion-not-a-safety-net/

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2010/12/07/good-question-do-benefits-keep-people-from-working/

Peer comment(s):
disagree Charles Ek : I grew up in Minnesota, as did my wife who works in an unemployment office. Neither of us has heard this phrase used this way, and it wasn't actually done in your references. This search shows why it's not a good choice: http://tinyurl.com/k6yox5x
38 mins
Charles, I don't understand, the reference you give contains several uses of unemployment benefit as a comfort cushion. - Michael
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22 hrs

pretext for doing nothing

This is what my dictionaries suggest for the similar term in Danish (sovepude). In your context, it might suffice to say "pretext".
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