Informationen sind der *Rettungsschirm* der Demokratie

22:00 Feb 15 

It's always interesting to see how long it takes until people show their true turkey wanker faces. :) But I thank you for your suggestion: safeguard.

21:08 Feb 15 

Björn, chill out. The source is totally wanna sound important, when it´s utter bullshit. It totally makes no sense literally - even in German. If this is a serious entry and existing text to be translated for some headline wherever the best thing to do here is to maintain the propaganda aspect and find something as shallow sounding in English. I mean Rettungschirm - wtf !!! Come on... Oh Lord, let it rain brains! ;) 🤣🤣🤣🤣

20:58 Feb 15 

Why don´t you post safeguard Arne you chicken?!

17:46 Feb 15 

That's, of course, a very American perspective on things. However, I think it's worth mentioning because without any qualifiers, a statement such as "information is..." is open to misinterpretation (something which you've tried to rectify by adding "reliable" etc.). Across continental Europe, at least, more information mostly means...more fact-checking.

But, as I only later realized, we have a much bigger problem. I believe Allegro is right that "the German metaphor itself is remote from anything we would say in English"; I just think that on top of this, if the asker's explanation of the paragraph is anything to go by, the heading is simply inaccurate.

Even outside the usual context, a "Rettungsschirm" does relate to requests for more funding. Examples:
https://www.maecenata.eu/ueber-uns/das-institut/ein-rettungs...
> "Krise aus finanziellen und anderen Gründen"

https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/ich-fordere-einen-rettun...
> "Demokratieförderungsgesetz"/"Nothilfefonds"

...and so on. Which means, in short, this Q isn't really going to get us a translation of the term.

Best

17:34 Feb 15 

You wrote "...'freedom of information' and a 'free press' are often referred to as the 'oxygen' or 'lifeblood' of democracy."

And in your comment on Phil's answer, you said: "if the concept is that citizens of a functioning democracy require free and fair access to trustworthy information and sources."

Free speech purists, who believe in the marketplace of ideas, might not be able to reconcile these two statements of yours, as the First Amendment rests on the idea that "the truth will emerge from the competition of ideas in free, transparent public discourse and concludes that ideas and ideologies will be culled according to their superiority or inferiority and widespread acceptance among the population."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marketplace_of_ideas

So "the more information, the better", *without* limitations:
https://slate.com/technology/2020/10/first-amendment-neil-ri...

[...]

21:13 Feb 13 

@AllegroTrans Absolutely! Always the same story with the elected...

18:10 Feb 13 

As Phil Goddard proposes, abstact ideas of 'freedom of information' and a 'free press' are often referred to as the 'oxygen' or 'lifeblood' of democracy, vital elements sustaining and protecting it from disinformation threats.

You could also refer to 'informed citizens' or 'citizens having access to reliable information sources' in more concrete terms as the 'bulwark', 'cornerstone', 'mainstay' of a democractic society, since access to trustworthy information underpins citizens' knowledge and participation.

Refs:
'lifeblood of democracy': https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/jul/05/a...
'cornerstone': https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/05/1091132
'informed particpants' in ACCESS TO INFORMATION: A KEY TO DEMOCRACY available here: https://www.cartercenter.org/documents/1272.pdf

17:00 Feb 13 

bedrock
foundation
cornerstone
Have a look for synonyms of these

16:12 Feb 13 

Thanks for confirming.

15:24 Feb 13 

@Marion Nothing, just wanted to confirm your finding and explanation relating to umbrella and protection (Schirm = Schutz). All good. :) Although you must question the people behind the creation of the word "Rettungsschirm" (Rettungsschutz??!).

12:48 Feb 13 

It's an excellent reference. Unfortunately, it doesn't tell you what ENS do call the ESM - a bailout fund (at least in the US; not sure about the UK).

Might I therefore suggest something such as (just giving it a try here):

You need a lot of money to bail out a country--but better education if you want to bail out democracy.

Even found a reference along those lines:
"The Wall Street protesters are not seeking a bailout for themselves; they are working to bail out democracy."
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/wall-street-protests-whic_b_9...

I also think "Information" is a misnomer here, in both languages ("Desinformation" is also "Information," just not the kind you want unless, of course, you believe even the worst insult can be an asset to those fighting for democracy).

Cf. https://truthout.org/articles/education-will-be-critical-in-...
https://www.km.bayern.de/eltern/erziehung-und-bildung/politi...

Best

12:27 Feb 13 

@Marion: Magst du eine Antwort eingeben?
Bitte nicht erschrecken, wenn ich die Frage bis Freitag offen lasse. Ich möchte mir ein bisschen Zeit für die Wahl des richtigen Begriffs nehmen. Sind unglaublich viele Sprachbilder :-)

11:07 Feb 13 

A wonderful explanation. Well found!

10:56 Feb 13 

10:53 Feb 13 

Ich würde es einfach mit "safeguard" übersetzen... Aber du könntest auch "anchor" oder irgendein anderes Wort benutzen, das eine Art Absicherung oder Verifizierung für demokratische Prozesse umschreibt...