Jan 25, 2009 03:45
15 yrs ago
Swedish term

a-lagare

Swedish to English Social Sciences Social Science, Sociology, Ethics, etc.
Passagerarna påminner mer om a-lagare än vanliga utflyktsresenärer och de plockas upp på resan i samband med tullpasseringen.

Discussion

Katarina Lindve Jan 26, 2009:
clarification... ...it is ironic because they sure do not play in any A-team...
Katarina Lindve Jan 26, 2009:
Reference (ironic) to the A-team Sometimes, in smaller cities..it is actually used a bit affectionate, it is a bit sarcastically used for people belonging to the A-team (A-lag in Swedish), because they sit on the bench.
Ulf Norlinger Jan 26, 2009:
Slang In this case, "A-lagare" is slang as it is used in ordinary Swedish, but not in common Swedish. (Check the marking in a Swedish dictionary).
Thomas Johansson Jan 25, 2009:
not slang "A-lagare" is not slang in the sense of limited to a particular social group, age group or subculture. It's used by everyone.

Proposed translations

+3
9 hrs
Selected

wino

as 'a-lagare' is slang, why not translate with a slang equivalent?
Peer comment(s):

agree Madelen Neikter
5 hrs
agree Ulf Norlinger : Slang should be translated into slang, as you say.
7 hrs
agree Paul Lambert : My thoughts exactly.
8 hrs
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
12 mins

drunken bum(s)

An "A-lagare" is the kind of drunk who sits in public parks and squares, which is what I'm trying to convey with "bum." Perhaps not spot-on, but as close as I can get, I think.
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-1
3 hrs

dishevelled drunks

Another way of portraying those drunks on parkbenches, drinking out of brown paper bags...
Example sentence:

He tries the patience of not only Sharky, but Richard's old pals, Ivan and Nicky, two other first-class disheveled drunks down on their luck.

Peer comment(s):

disagree Katarina Lindve : I think "drunk" in uitself says it all, after all "a-lagare" is more a synonym with "fyllo"
1 day 5 hrs
And I beg to disagree with your statement. I have yet to see an A-lagare who was not dishevelled, but I have seen quite a few well-dressed drunks in my day.
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-1
5 hrs

drunks sleeping rough

A-lagare are drunks who spend their time drinking in public, found on park benches, at train stations etc. This is an alternative to Anna´s dishevelled.
Peer comment(s):

disagree Katarina Lindve : where I grew up they sometimes still lived in nice homes- but spent their days on a park bench smelling of alcohol. sleeping rough is too much
1 day 3 hrs
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9 hrs

alchie

another slang expression common in UK English
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8 hrs

dropouts

To the point.

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Note added at 9 hrs (2009-01-25 12:46:06 GMT)
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Not necessarily alcohol related.

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Note added at 10 hrs (2009-01-25 14:12:18 GMT)
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Perhaps: social dropouts
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17 hrs

heavy alcoholics

What first came to mind.
A somewhat neutral, but accurate, term.

It's difficult to find a good English term that conveys exactly the same associations as the Swedish term.

I'll note that it is possible to be a heavy alcoholic without being an a-lagare, but it is probably not possible to be an a-lagare without being a heavy alcoholic.

A-lagare are heavy alcoholics who characteristically:
- sit around on squares and other public spaces drinking together in groups, with their (likewise alcoholic) friends, usually at a regular spot.
- are badly dressed, often dirty, smell alcohol, sometimes are noisy, often behave drunk.
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