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Sample translations submitted: 3
German to English: Defying the Conditions
Source text - German Dem Umfeld trotzen
Magnetisch-induktive Durchflussmessgeräte im Einsatz in der Papierindustrie
Faserige Produkte und schnelle Medienwechsel – das Umfeld der Papierindustrie stellt höchste Anforderungen an die Messtechnik und viele Anwendungen fordern spezielle Geräte. Nicht so das magnetisch-induktive Durchflussmesssystem YYY: Dank seiner Robustheit und hohen Zuverlässigkeit meistert bereits die Standardversion selbst kniffelige Messaufgaben.
Trotz Internet, digitaler Kommunikation und Photographie – Papier ist aus unserem privaten und beruflichen Alltag nicht wegzudenken. Nicht nur, dass sich Texte auf dem Papier leichter lesen lassen, Produkte in Papierverpackungen besser zur Geltung kommen, auch die Wiedergabe von Photos in Bezug auf Farbe, Schärfe und Brillanz ist einfach unschlagbar. Dabei haben sich die Rohstoffe seit den Anfängen der maschinellen Papierherstellung vor gut zweihundert Jahren wenig verändert. Die wesentlichen Bestandteile sind nach wie vor Zellstoff und Wasser. In Wasser aufgelöste pflanzliche Faserstoffe verbinden sich bei der Entwässerung auf einem Sieb zu einem zusammenhängenden Faservlies – dem Papier. Was sich allerdings geändert hat, ist die Zugabe von Additiven, die dem Papier den entsprechenden Schliff geben und ihm zu neuem Glanz verhelfen. Damit lassen sich ganz gezielt unterschiedliche Papierqualitäten herstellen. Allein in Deutschland werden rund 3000 verschiedene Papiersorten produziert. Moderne Papiermaschinen meistern die komplexen Vorgänge und liefern die unterschiedlichsten Papierqualitäten in atemberaubender Geschwindigkeit. Dabei spielt die präzise Dosierung der Roh- und Zuschlagstoffe eine besondere Rolle.
Viele Papiermaschinenhersteller setzen heute weltweit unterschiedlichste XXX High-Tech-Lösungen ein, die auf allen Stufen des Herstellungsprozesses zuverlässige Messergebnisse garantieren. Im Mittelpunkt steht dabei das magnetisch-induktive Durchflussmesssystem, bestehend aus dem Messwertaufnehmer YYY und dem Messumformer ###. Das Messsystem wird für verschiedene Durchflussaufgaben in der Papierindustrie eingesetzt, angefangen bei der Steuerung von Bleichmitteln über die Dosierung von Neutralisationslösungen bis zur Zugabe von Farben und Füllstoffen, aber auch die Durchflussmessung von Altpapier-Grobstoff gehört zu seinen Aufgaben.
Ein Gerät für alle Anwendungen
Während andere Messgerätehersteller angesichts der hohen Feststoffanteile, etwa in der Pulpe, ein Spezialgerät vorschlagen, kann sich der Anwender auf XXX-Standardgeräte verlassen. Der YYY deckt mit nur einem Messumformer eine große Bandbreite an Applikationen in dieser Industrie ab. Ergänzt wird der YYY durch den ###, einem neuen innovativen magnetisch-induktiven Durchfluss-Messumformer mit Diagnose-Funktion. Die 3x100% Diagnose des YYY besteht aus drei unterschiedlichen Prüfreihen - die Prüfung der Gerätefunktionen, die Überprüfung auf Einhaltung der Spezifikation (Out-of-Spec-Diagnose) und die Applikations-Prüfung. Bei der Prüfung der Gerätefunktion werden beispielsweise die Mikrocontroller, die Speicher und die Ausgänge kontrolliert. Bei der Out-of-Spec-Prüfung wird online und zyklisch festgestellt, ob sich das Gerät noch innerhalb seiner Spezifikation bzgl. Genauigkeit und Linearität befindet. Für einen reibungslosen Ablauf in der Papierherstellung sind die Informationen, die das Messgerät über den Prozess liefert, sehr aufschlussreich. Mit der Applikations-Prüfung erkennt das Gerät, ob z.B. Rohrleitungen nicht- oder nur teilgefüllt sind. So kann der Betreiber gezielt und vor allem frühzeitig auf Prozessveränderungen eingehen.
Wenn es ein bisschen mehr sein muss
In enger und vertrauensvoller Zusammenarbeit mit der Mannheimer Unternehmensgruppe *** erforscht und entwickelt XXX Durchflussmessgeräte mit Hochleistungskeramik-Auskleidung. Diese High-End-Ausführung gewährleistet durch ein ausgeklügeltes Werkstoffprofil höchste Standfestigkeit auch bei besonders anspruchsvollen Applikationen. Dank der Hochleistungskeramik-Auskleidung werden z. B. abbrasionsbedingt entstehende Risse während des Prozesses verhindert; mechanische Belastungen der Keramik beim Einbau der Flanschgeräte werden durch eine schwimmende Lagerung vermieden. Dabei sorgt seine bewährte Technik für höchster Genauigkeit und Reproduzierbarkeit.
Papier auf Hochglanz getrimmt
Doch nicht nur bei der Papierherstellung auch in der Veredelung kommen XXX-Messgeräte zum Einsatz. Denn um staunende Aha-Effekte beim Betrachten einer Zeitschriftenseite zu erzielen, sind noch weitere Prozessschritte nötig. So werden in Streichmaschinen die Papieroberflächen mit einer Deckschicht aus Weißpigmenten und Bindemitteln versehen. Je nach Körnung der Pigmente lassen sich verschiedene Oberflächeneigenschaften erzielen, etwa hochglänzend, halbmatt, matt, etc. Eine Grundregel lautet: Je feiner die Pigmente, desto höher ist der Glanzeffekt der Oberfläche. Geringste Ungenauigkeiten bei der Dosierung führen zu einer schlechteren Qualität und im schlimmsten Fall zum Verlust einer ganzen Charge. Daher werden zur hochgenauen Dosierung der verschiedenen Bestandteile von führenden Herstellern häufig Coriolis-Masse-Durchflussmesser des Typs XY eingesetzt. Nur einer der Gründe für die Wahl von XY ist seine Zuverlässigkeit bei der Ermittlung von Massedurchfluss, Dichte, Temperatur und der Konzentration von Flüssigkeiten. Der XY besitzt bei der Ermittlung der Masse eine Messwertabweichung von lediglich 0,1 Prozent vom Messwert, bei der Dichte liegt diese bei 0,2 Prozent vom Messwert.
Da die Lösungen in diesem Prozessabschnitt unter anderem Latex, Karbonate und Pigmente enthalten, die für Fouling und Verblockungen in den Komponenten verantwortlich sind, legen Anwender besonderen Wert auf die gute Reinigbarkeit und Leerlauffähigkeit. Beides wird durch das gerade Messrohr des XY aus Edelstahl jederzeit gewährleistet.
Fazit
Beide Messgeräte – YYY mit dem ### und XY – erlauben eine lange problemfreie Funktionalität ohne Betriebsausfallzeiten und sorgen für eine kontinuierliche Produktion mit gleich bleibender Qualität der gewünschten Papiersorte. Nicht ohne Grund liegt daher ihr Marktanteil in einzelnen skandinavischen Ländern bei bis zu 70%. Wie groß das Vertrauen der Papiermaschinenhersteller in diese Technik ist, belegt auch die jüngste Kooperation zwischen XXX Messtechnik und §§§, einer der führenden Partner im Papierprozess. XXX wird exklusiv Produkte für §§§ herstellen. Zudem werden beide Partner gemeinsam spezielle Produktlösungen für die Papier- und Zellstoffindustrie entwickeln.
Translation - English Defying the Conditions
Electro-magnetic Flowmeters used in the Paper Industry
Fibrous products and rapid media changes – the conditions in the paper industry make extreme demands on measuring equipment and many applications require special devices. Not so for the YYY flow measuring system - it is so robust and reliable that even the standard version can handle tricky measuring tasks.
Despite the Internet, digital communication and photography, we couldn't imagine going without paper in our daily life at work or at home. It is not just that text is easier to read on paper, or that products in paper packaging make a better impression - reproductions of photos on paper are simply unbeatable in terms of color, sharpness and brilliance. The raw materials have changed little since mechanized paper production started over two hundred years ago. The most important ingredients have always been cellulose and water. Plant fibers dissolved in water bind together on a screen when the water is removed, to form a cohesive web of fiber – paper. What has changed is the additives, which give the paper the appropriate smoothness and help achieve a new gloss. This makes it possible to produce different paper qualities for precise requirements. Around 3,000 different types of paper are produced in Germany alone. Modern paper machines master the complex processes and deliver a great variety of paper qualities at breathtaking speed. Precise dosing of the raw materials and additives play a particularly important role in this process.
Many paper machine manufacturers across the world now use a wide variety of XXX high tech solutions, which guarantee reliable measuring results at all stages of the manufacturing process. At the heart of this is the electro-magnetic measuring system, consisting of the YYYsensor and the ### signal converter. The measuring system is used for various flow tasks in the paper industry, from controlling bleaching agents to dosing neutralization solutions and adding dyes and fillers, and even flow measurement of waste paper.
One device for all applications
While other manufacturers of measuring equipment recommend a special device in view of the high proportion of solids (in the pulp for example), users can rely on XXX standard devices. The YYYcovers a wide range of applications in this industry with just one signal converter. The YYYis complemented by the ###, a new and innovative electro-magnetic flow signal converter with diagnostic function. The 3x100% diagnostics of the YYYare made up of a series of different tests - it tests the device functions, observance of specifications (out-of-spec diagnostics) and the applications. The device function tests include checks on the microcontroller, the memory and the outputs. The out-of-spec test carries out an online cyclic check to see if the device is still within its specifications for precision and linearity. The information about the process provided by the measuring device is very useful for helping paper production to run smoothly. With the application test, the device detects, for example, if pipes are empty or only partially filled. This allows the operator to make targeted and above all early changes to the process.
When you need a little bit more
XXX is carrying out research and development of flowmeters with high-performance ceramic linings in close co-operation with ***, a Mannheim-based group. With its sophisticated material profile, this high-end design guarantees the highest stability, even for particularly demanding applications. For instance, the high-performance ceramic lining prevents cracks arising from abrasion during the process; mechanical load to the ceramics during installation of flanged devices is avoided using floating mountings. Tried and tested technology ensures the highest level of precision and reproducibility.
Treating paper for a high gloss
XXX measuring devices are not just used in paper production, but also refinement, because further process stages are needed to get the "wow effect" when you look at the pages of a magazine. Paper surfaces are provided with a coating layer of white pigments and binding agents in coating machines. Depending on the grain of the pigment, various surface properties can be achieved, including high gloss, half matt, matt, etc. The basic principle is the finer the pigment, the higher the gloss on the surface. The slightest inaccuracy in dosing leads to poorer quality and in the worst case, you could lose a whole batch. That is why leading manufacturers often use XY coriolis mass flow meters for high-precision dosing of the various ingredients. Its reliable measurement of mass flow, density, temperature and concentration of liquids are just one reason to choose XY. The XY has a measurement deviation of just 0.1 percent of the measurement when measuring mass, or just 0.2 percent of the measurement for density.
As the solutions in this stage of the process include Latex, carbonates and pigments, which can be responsible for fouling and blocking in the components, users appreciate that the equipment is easy to clean and drain. The straight, stainless steel measuring tube of the XY guarantees that this can be done at any time.
Summary
Both measuring devices – YYYwith the ### and XY – allow long periods of smooth operation without down time and ensure continuous production with consistent quality of the desired paper type. It is no co-incidence that their market share in some Scandinavian countries is as high as 70%. The latest collaboration between XXX Messtechnik and §§§ , one of the leading partners in paper processing, shows how much paper machine manufacturers trust this equipment. XXX will produce products exclusively for §§§, and together, they will produce special product solutions for the paper and cellulose industry.
German to English: Enjoyment of Nature as a Product
Source text - German Die Produktion von Naturgenuss
Welche Produkte lassen sich in den Alpen produzieren und im Unterland verkaufen? Eines hat überragende wirtschaftliche Bedeutung: der Naturgenuss. Die neuere Geschichte der Alpen muss daher die Entwicklung des Naturgenusses nachzeichnen. Das heisst der Verbesserung der Erschliessung nachgehen. Eine Spurensuche.
Benedikt Loderer
Lange waren die Alpen ein Hindernis. Sie versperrten den Weg nach Italien. Sie waren der Kropf am Halse Europas, ein Misswuchs der Natur. Was waren die Alpen? Eine Fels-, Firn- und Gletscherwildnis, wüst und leer; unfruchtbar, gefährlich und tot. Wer dort lebte, wusste das. Nichts war hässlicher, bedrohender, bedrückender als die Berge. Sie machten Angst. Arm machten sie auch, denn der naturgegebene ökonomische Zustand der Bergbevölkerung war die Armut. Zusammenfassend: Das ästhetische und das wirtschaftliche Elend wohnten in den Bergen.
Nur Leute, die aus dem Unterland herauf kamen, konnten die Alpen mit Verzückung betrachten. Ein aristokratischer Schwärmer namens Albrecht von Haller und ein proletischer Wirrkopf, Jean Jacques Rousseau mit Namen, haben damit begonnen. Darauf schwoll der Chor der Alpensänger zum mythischen Getöse an. Von Reinheit, Erhabenheit und Unberührtheit sangen sie, doch keiner der Sänger lebte in den Alpen. Alle waren sie Fremde, was heute mit Tourist zu übersetzen ist. Die Einheimischen hatten ganz andere Erfahrungen. Für sie war Reinheit der Mangel an Hygiene, die Erhabenh,eit bedeutete Winterskälte, unberührt meinte die Frist vor der Sodomie und dem Inzest. In den Bergen hatte auch das moralische Elend seine Heimat. Anders herum: die Fremden haben sich ihre Alpen selber erfunden. Sie konstruierten ihr hehres Alpenbild, das nichts mit dem Gebirgszug und seinen Bewohnern zu tun hatte. Während die Älpler auf ihre karge Umwelt als Produktionsmittel angewiesen waren, haben die Fremden sie als ein Konsumgut betrachtet. Dieser fundamentale Unterschied ist bis heute wirksam. Immer wenn über die Alpen gestritten wird, ist es ratsam zu fragen: Produktion oder Konsum?
Landwirtschaft, Gesundheit und Sicherheit.
Produktion hiess ursprünglich in erster Linie Landwirtschaft, ein unterdessen hoffnungsloses Geschäft. Wo sie noch blüht, lebt sie von intelligenter und erfindungsreicher Nischenproduktion und von der in Franken ausbezahlten nationalen Solidarität, der Subvention. Zusammenfassend: Der ökonomische Naturzustand der naturgegebenen Armut wird zum Teil ausgeglichen. Dieser Ausgleich ist heute beides: eidgenössische Hilfe und trotziger Anspruch. Die Hilfe wollte ursprünglich die Milderung der Armut, der Anspruch forderte darauf wirtschaftliche Gleichberechtigung. Das Ganze heisst Regionalpolitik.
Das Kapitel der ursprünglichen Produktion wird anderswo in diesem Bulletin beleuchtet. Immer aber wird Landwirtschaft als Menschen-, genauer Älplerrecht verteidigt. Anders herum: ohne Landwirtschaft keine Alpen. Nicht aus Kellnern oder Skilehrern, nicht aus Zimmermädchen oder Bankfrauen setzt sich die Bevölkerung der Alpen in unserer Vorstellung zusammen, sondern aus Bergbauern.
Zur Produktion noch zwei Fussnoten: Erstens die Produktion von Gesundheit, die Heilung der Tuberkulose, die drei Generationen lang in den Alpen ein blühender Geschäftszweig war, wurde ein Opfer des Fortschritts. Wer durch Medikamente geheilt wird, braucht kein Sanatorium mehr. Zweitens ist auch die Produktion von nationalstaatlicher Sicherheit, die unter der Marke «Reduit» fünfzig Jahre lang Konjunktur hatte, unterdessen zusammen gebrochen. Die Sicherheit wohnt nicht mehr in den Bergen.
Das Prinzip Bequemlichkeit.
Soviel zum Hintergrund, was aber ist mit den Alpen heute? Die Einheimischen sind immer noch Produzenten, doch produzieren sie unterdessen Konsum. Das Stichwort heisst «Tourismus». Produktion von Konsum meint: die Aufbereitung eines Hochgebirgszugs für den Naturgenuss. Nach dem Alkoholismus ist der Naturgenuss die weitverbreiteste Volksseuche in der Schweiz. Die Fremden reisen von weit hierher, um daran teilzunehmen. Die Alpen sind eine der Einrichtungen zur Verabreichung von Naturgenuss, nationalökonomisch betrachtet die bedeutendste.
Der Naturgenuss hat eine lange Geschichte. Vom Standpunkt der Produktion aus gesehen, geht es um seine Mechanisierung und Ausweitung, anders herum, um die schrittweise Intensivierung. Begonnen hatte die Entwicklung mit Maultieren und Tragsesseln, wurde bald durch Bergbahnen beschleunigt, fügte mit der Einführung des Skifahrens die Wintersaison bei, vervielfältigte dieses Skifahren mit Schlepp-, Sessel- und Kabinenlift, baute Strassen, Tunnel, Drehrestaurants, fliegt heute mit Helikoptern auf jeden Gipfel, kurz, die Geschichte des Naturgenusses ist die Steigerung der Zugänglichkeit, eine ständige Verbesserung der Erschliessung. Es gilt das Prinzip Bequemlichkeit, das die fortschreitende Abschaffung jeder Anstrengung fordert. Die alten Mängel des Gebirges wie Frieren, Steigen, Tragen, Hungern und alle andern körperlich anstrengenden Widrigkeiten werden mechanisch beseitigt.
Während sich am Anfang nur die reichen Leute den Naturgenuss leisten konnten, kann man eine zunehmende Demokratisierung feststellen. Waren es am Anfang Herrschaften, erschienen später Herren und Damen, gefolgt von Frauen und Männern und nun kommen Hinz und Kunz. Der Naturgenuss hat sich ungeheuer verbreitet, Volksseuche ist kein zu starkes Wort.
Die Alpen wurden umgebaut. Nicht allein durch die Infrastruktur der Erschliessung, sondern auch durch den Bau der Unterkünfte für die Fremden. Die aristokratischen Gäste logierten im Palasthotel, die mittelständischen im Chalet und heute begnügt sich die breite Masse mit Tagesausflügen, wofür eine Beiz und ein Kiosk genügen.
Eine Erfolgsgeschichte.
Die Produktion von Konsum ist eine Erfolgsgeschichte. Zum ersten Mal in der Geschichte der Alpen konnte der Naturzustand der Armut überwunden werden, Dies geschah nicht durch die Unterstützung der ursprünglichen, landwirtschaftlichen Produktion, sondern durch die Einführung einer neuen. Der Schluss daraus ist: Wer die naturgegebene Armut in den Alpen bekämpfen will, muss nicht die alten Produktionsformen erhalten, sondern neue einführen. War es vor hundert Jahren noch schicksalshaft gegeben und nicht zu ändern, arm zu sein, so sind wir heute überzeugt: Auch die Alpenbewohner haben ein Anrecht auf den Wohlstandskuchen, allen voran die Älpler selber. Dass sie von Natur aus arm sind, haben sie verdrängt und mit ihnen auch die übrigen Schweizer. Die Armut wohnt unterdessen in den Städten.
Trotzdem: Wenn irgendwo das abgenützte Wort Paradigmenwechsel einen Sinn ergibt dann hier. Die Alpen sind ein sozial gleichberechtigtes Gebiet geworden, eine grundsätzliche Abkehr von den natürlichen Gegebenheiten.
Allerlei Kulturpessimisten beklagen diese wirtschaftliche Erfolgsgeschichte als Verlust der Unberührtheit. Richtig, die Demokratisierung des Naturgenusses hat die Alpen tiefgreifend verändert. Aus Bauerndörfern wurden Freizeitstädte, inklusive kalte und tiefgefrorene Betten. Doch sind die Kulturpessimisten, die das bedauern letztlich gegen den Grundsatz «Naturgenuss für alle» und damit keine Demokraten.
Obergrenze und Stadtpark.
Doch kann sich der Konsum nur durch noch mehr Konsum am Leben erhalten. Darum muss seine Produktion ständig gesteigert werden. Der Gebirgszug muss ständig besser erschlossen und intensiver genutzt werden. Es taucht damit zum ersten Mal die Frage nach der Obergrenze auf. Wieviel Naturgenuss kann aus den Alpen heraus geholt werden, ohne die natürlichen Grundlagen zu zerstören? Anders herum: Was erträgt die Landschaft? Diese Obergrenzen sind noch nirgends durch den Markt gezogen worden. Überall dort, wo sie diskutiert werden, geht es entweder um ästhetische Urteile oder lokalpolitische Interessen: die «unberührte Landschaft» oder die Wohnungsnot der Einheimischen zum Beispiel. Die Produktion von Naturgenuss allerdings beeinflusst die Frage der Obergrenzen nicht. Die Touristen kümmert sie nicht, der Konsum von Naturgenuss nimmt nirgendwo ab.
Eine andere Entwicklung hingegen ist der Diskussion wohl wert. Durch die verbesserte Erschliessung und die ungeheuer gesteigerte Mobilität geraten die Alpen in den direkten Sog des Unterlands. Sie sind wirtschaftlich kein eigenständiges Gebiet mehr, sondern eine Ausweitung des Unterlands. Das neue Stichwort heisst «Freizeit ». Das, was einst Sommerfrische, später Ferien, schliesslich Wochenendausflug hiess, ist heute zur Freizeit geschrumpft. Für sie ist jeder Ort in den Alpen unterdessen so rasch erreichbar, dass er ständig verfügbar ist. Die Alpen entwickeln sich damit zum Stadtpark des Unterlands. Dort entsteht die neue Form der Stadt, das agglomerierte Leopardenfell von Siedlung und offenem Land, in dem unterdessen drei Viertel der Bevölkerung der Schweiz wohnt und arbeitet. Diese Leute sind die Konsumenten, für die die Alpen heute und morgen hergerichtet werden. Die Verflechtungen von oben und unten werden immer enger, am Schluss werden die Alpen zum Bestandteil der Agglomeration.
Die Unterländer verfügen über viel Freizeit und sind überaus mobil. Sie erobern sich ihren Stadtpark und errichten darin die Diktatur des Monopolproduktes Naturgenuss. Was nicht dem Naturgenuss dient, verliert seinen Markt und wird an den Rand gedrängt. Was überlebt, ist Folklore, ist nur noch Dekoration des Konsums. Zusammenfassend: Produktion von Konsum ist besser als Armut.
Benedikt Loderer ist Stadtwanderer, ist Redaktor von Hochparterre und lebt in Zürich. [email protected]
Translation - English Enjoyment of Nature as a Product
Which products can be produced in the Alps and sold in the lowlands? There is one product that is particularly important in economic terms: Enjoyment of nature. For this reason, a recent history of the Alps must trace the development of the appreciation of nature, i.e. the opening up of the region. Benedikt Loderer traces the roots.
For a long time the Alps were an obstacle blocking the way to Italy. They were a superfluous part of Europe, a freak of nature. What were the Alps? A wilderness of rocks, compacted snow and glaciers, empty and desolate; barren, dangerous and dead. Anyone who lived there knew it. Nothing was more ugly, threatening or oppressive than the mountains, and people were afraid of them. They brought poverty as well, because this was the natural economic condition of the mountain population. To summarise, the mountains were the home of aesthetic and economic degradation.
Only people who came up from the lowlands could find intense pleasure in seeing the Alps. An aristocratic enthusiast called Albrecht von Haller and an eccentric proletarian going by the name of Jean Jacques Rousseau started it all off. Then the number of people singing the praises of the Alps grew to mythical proportions. They praised them because they were pure, sublime and untouched, although none of them lived in the Alps. They were all outsiders, and today they would be viewed as tourists. Local people had very different experiences. From their perspective, if it was pure this meant a lack of hygiene, if it was sublime it meant that it was cold in winter, and untouched meant the period before sodomy and incest. The mountains were also the home of moral degradation. To put it another way, the outsiders had discovered their own Alps. They constructed their noble image of the Alps, which had nothing to do with the mountain range and its inhabitants. While the local inhabitants of the Alps saw their meagre environment as a means of production, the outsiders viewed it as a consumer good. This fundamental difference still applies today. Whenever the Alps are discussed, it is worth asking the question: Production or consumption?
Agriculture, Health and Security
Originally production referred primarily to agriculture, a hopeless business at the time. Where it still flourishes it relies on intelligent and innovative niche production and on national solidarity paid in Francs - subsidies. To summarise, the natural economic condition of natural poverty is partly balanced out. The balance today is made up of both federal assistance and defiant claims. The assistance was initially intended to mitigate poverty; the claims then demanded economic equality. Put together it makes up regional politics.
The stage of original production will be examined elsewhere in this piece. However agriculture is always defended as a human right, or more specifically a right of the local inhabitants of the Alps. To put it another way, without agriculture there could be no Alps. We do not imagine the population of the Alps as waiters or ski instructors, chambermaids or bank tellers, but as farmers.
There are two points to note on the subject of production. Firstly, the production of health, curing tuberculosis, which was a flourishing business sector in the Alps for three generations, was a victim of progress. If you are cured by medicine, you no longer need a sanatorium. Secondly the production of national security, which lasted for fifty years, known as "Réduit", has since collapsed. The mountains are no longer the home of security.
The Principle of Convenience
So much for the background, what about the Alps today? The locals are still producers, but they now produce consumption. The key word is "Tourism". Production of consumption means preparing an area of high mountains for people to enjoy nature. After alcoholism, enjoyment of nature is the most widespread epidemic in Switzerland. Outsiders travel from far away to take part. The Alps are one of the institutions for providing enjoyment of nature, and the most important one for the national economy.
Enjoyment of nature has a long history. As regards production, it is a question of mechanisation and expansion; otherwise it is a process of intensification. Development started with mules and donkeys, it was soon hastened by mountain railways, the winter season was added with the introduction of skiing, skiing was made hugely more popular by drag lifts, chair lifts and gondola lifts, then roads, tunnels and rotating restaurants were built, helicopters now fly to every peak: in short, the history of the enjoyment of nature is that of increased accessibility, a constant opening up of the region. The principle of convenience applies, and requires that anything that demands effort is removed. The old hardships of the mountains, like having to endure the cold, to climb, to carry things, to go hungry, and any other obstacles involving physically exertion have been dealt with mechanically.
While initially only rich people could afford to enjoy nature, an increasing democratisation can be observed. If it was lords and ladies in the beginning, later it was ladies and gentlemen, followed by men and women and now every Tom, Dick and Harry. Enjoyment of nature has spread so much that now it is no exaggeration to call it an epidemic.
The Alps are being transformed, not just by the infrastructure that is opening them up, but also by the construction of accommodation for outsiders. The aristocratic guests lodged in the Palace Hotel, the middle-class guests in a chalet and now the masses are content with daytrips, where a pub and a kiosk are enough.
A Success Story
The production of consumption is a success story. For the first time in the history of the Alps, the natural state of poverty could be overcome. This was not achieved through support for the original, agricultural production, but through the introduction of a new form of production. The conclusion to be drawn is that if you want to combat the natural poverty in the Alps, you should not maintain the old forms of production, but introduce new ones. If a hundred years ago poverty was a question of fate that could not be changed, by now we are convinced: the inhabitants of the Alps also have a right to a piece of the pie, particularly the local inhabitants. They have rid themselves of the notion that they are poor by nature, and convinced the rest of Switzerland as well. Cities are now the home of poverty.
However, if the over-used expression, paradigm shift, ever has any meaning, it is here. The Alps have become an area with equal social rights, a clear departure from the natural order.
All sorts of cultural pessimists complain that this economic success story represents a loss of its untouched quality. It is true that the democratisation of the enjoyment of nature has brought about deep-seated changes to the Alps. Farming villages have become leisure cities, some of which are left empty much of the time or virtually always. However the cultural pessimists who have recently bemoaned this development are going against the principle of "enjoyment of nature for all", and are not democratic.
Upper Limits and the City Park
However consumption can only be maintained by still more consumption. This means that consumption must constantly be increased. The mountain range must be opened up more and more and used more intensively. The question of the upper limit surfaces for the first time. How much is it possible to enjoy the nature of the Alps without destroying it? To put it a different way, how much can the landscape endure? So far these upper limits have not been set by the market anywhere. Wherever it is discussed, it is either decided on the basis of aesthetic judgements or local political interests: the "untouched landscape" or the serious housing shortage for locals, for example. However producing enjoyment of nature does not influence the question of upper limits. It does not bother the tourists, and the consumption of enjoyment of nature is not dropping anywhere.
However it is also worth discussing another development. With the opening up of the region and vastly improved mobility, the Alps are being absorbed by the lowlands. They are no longer an economically independent region, but rather an extension of the lowlands. The key word is now "leisure time". What used to be known as summer holidays, then holidays, and finally weekend breaks, has now been condensed to "leisure time". Every part of the Alps is now so quickly accessible for leisure time that it is constantly available. This means that the Alps have become the city park of the lowlands. This is where the new form of city appears, the agglomerated leopard skin of settlement and open land, which is now home to three quarters of the population of Switzerland. These people are the consumers, for whom the Alps are now being prepared and will be in the future. The connection from above and below is becoming closer and closer, and in the end the Alps will become part of the agglomeration.
The people from the lowlands have a lot of leisure time and are highly mobile. They are conquering their city park and establishing the dictatorship of the monopoly product, enjoyment of nature. Anything that does not serve the enjoyment of nature loses its market and is marginalised. What survives is folklore, just decoration of consumption. In the end, production of consumption is better than poverty.
Benedikt Loderer is an urban rambler and Editor of Hochparterre, and lives in Zurich.
Portuguese to English: Accessibility Report (part 2) General field: Other Detailed field: International Org/Dev/Coop
Source text - Portuguese PARTE 2 – Sugestões adicionais para implementação da acessibilidade nas Ilhas Maldivas, com base em várias experiências de promoção da acessibilidade pelo mundo.
Estamos acrescentando nesta parte outras sugestões baseadas na experiência da Vida Brasil e no seu trabalho de promoção da participação das associações de pessoas com deficiência nas instâncias e políticas públicas para a garantia de seus direitos. Neste sentido, listamos a seguir algumas orientações:
1- Realização de encontros e/ou seminários,
2 - Formação sobre acessibilidade e direito das pessoas com deficiência,
3 - Sensibilização da sociedade sobre a questão da acessibilidade.
4- Incentivo à criação de um grupo ou comissão para discutir acessibilidade e direitos da pessoa com deficiência, formada majoritariamente por pessoas com deficiência em toda sua diversidade.
5 - Incentivo a participação das pessoas com deficiência nas instâncias onde são tomadas decisões pelos poderes públicos.
6 – Realização de diagnósticos, estudos populacionais, pesquisas e censos
1- Realização de encontros e/ou seminários
Uma das formas mais eficientes de aglutinar diferentes pessoas para trabalhos em conjunto é a realização de eventos para discutir pontos de interesse coletivo, que tenham grande importância para a vida das pessoas. Neste caso a discussão sobre acessibilidade assume o papel de articulação dos interesses em torno da temática comum.
Os seminários se constituem em momentos importantes de diálogo entre os poderes públicos e a sociedade civil. É um importante meio de disseminar informações e trocar experiências. Deve-se incentivar a participação das pessoas com deficiência na organização desses eventos, bem como, nas explanações a serem feitas sobre as temáticas escolhidas. Experiências locais e externas sobre as temáticas das pessoas com deficiência e da acessibilidade devem ser valorizadas. A organização do evento junto com os parceiros deve garantir a acessibilidade do local e dos materiais distribuídos no evento. Outro ponto importante é a divulgação nos meios de comunicação locais, a mídia local é um importante aliado que contribui para a formação de opiniões e disseminação da informação para a sociedade.
2 - Formação sobre acessibilidade e direito das pessoas com deficiência,
O conhecimento e a vivência da pessoa com deficiência são de fundamental importância para a elaboração e construção de conhecimento sobre acessibilidade. A participação qualificada no processo só pode acontecer se houver obtenção de conhecimento sobre a legislação e sobre os instrumentos de normalização da acessibilidade física por parte das pessoas com deficiência e das suas organizações representativas. Em outras palavras, a formação dessas pessoas e das organizações, é condição básica para o êxito do processo.
As formações podem ser dadas de acordo com as prioridades estabelecidas junto com as associações e baseadas em estudos e diagnósticos que indiquem os principais problemas enfrentados.
No processo das formações, é importante contemplar as associações e a diversidade humana. Nesse sentido, um esforço por parte dos organizadores deve ser feito para que o local de formação, as metodologias e materiais utilizados sejam acessíveis para todas as pessoas, tais como: salas que permitam a utilização por parte de pessoas em cadeira de rodas; documentos em Braille, áudio ou meio digital para as pessoas cegas; documentos com fonte ampliada para pessoas com baixa visão etc;
3 - Sensibilização da sociedade sobre a questão da acessibilidade.
A sensibilização da opinião pública é um elemento fundamental dentro de todo o processo, pois a força da sociedade funciona como uma alavanca que pouco a pouco muda o rumo da história.
A sensibilização deve passar pela implementação de uma estratégia de comunicação, contemplando diversos públicos (mídia; empresários; profissionais, trabalhadores do sistema de transporte público e privado, etc) e ações voltadas para todos, com criação de suportes de comunicação diversificados.
4- Incentivo à criação de um grupo ou comissão para discutir acessibilidade e direitos da pessoa com deficiência, formada majoritariamente por pessoas com deficiência em toda sua diversidade.
A experiência da Vida Brasil com A Cocas (Comissão Civil de Acessibilidade de Salvador- rede composta por 16 associações “de” e “para” pessoas com deficiência e de direitos humanos) nos mostra que as representações das pessoas com deficiência devem ser subsidiados pelas idéias e reivindicações representativas das diversas deficiências. A decisão do grupo formado por associações de pessoas com diferentes tipos de deficiência é importante no sentido de consensuar e orientar políticas onde a necessidade da coletividade tenha prioridade sobre a de grupos homogêneos ou indivíduos.
Nesse sentido seria importante a criação de uma comissão ou grupo formado majoritariamente por pessoas com deficiência e suas entidades como forma de legitimação e priorização das decisões sobre acessibilidade.
5 - Incentivo a participação das pessoas com deficiência nas instâncias onde são tomadas decisões pelos poderes públicos. Como exemplo, podemos sugerir a participação de pessoas com deficiência e organizações representativas no Grupo de desenvolvimento da Construção das ilhas Maldivas.
A experiência adquirida pela VIDA BRASIL durante esses anos em programas de acessibilidade no Brasil e no mundo nos mostra que é de fundamental importância desenvolver projetos com a participação das pessoas como protagonistas do seu próprio desenvolvimento, garantindo assim a legitimidade e a eficácia das ações empreendidas durante todo o percurso do projeto.
6 – Realização de diagnósticos, estudos populacionais, pesquisas e censos sobre as pessoas com deficiência: quem são, onde e como vivem, suas condições econômicas, principais dificuldades encontradas no seu acesso aos direitos..
Translation - English PART 2 - Additional suggestions for implementing accessibility in the Maldives based on various experiences of promoting accessibility around the world.
In this section we have added further suggestions based on the experience of Vida Brasil and its work in promoting participation, by associations of people with disabilities, in public bodies and policy-making to guarantee their rights. The following is a list of our suggestions:
1. Conduct conferences and seminars.
2. Provide training on accessibility and disabled rights.
3. Raise public awareness of the issue of accessibility.
4. Create a group or commission to discuss accessibility and the rights of people with disabilities, with a majority of members being people with disabilities of all kinds.
5. Encourage participation by people with disabilities in the places where decisions are made by public bodies.
6. Carry out diagnostic studies, population studies, surveys and censuses.
1- Conduct conferences and seminars
One of the most efficient ways of bringing different people together to work jointly is by staging events to discuss points of shared interest that are important to the people involved. In this case, discussing accessibility brings their interests together around a central theme.
Seminars are important moments of dialogue between government and civil society. They are an important means of disseminating information and exchanging experiences. As well as presenting on selected subjects, people with disabilities should be encouraged to participate in the organisation of these events. All experiences, whether from the local area or elsewhere, that are relevant to people with disabilities and the question of accessibility, should be valued. When organising events with partners, the venue and materials distributed at the events should be guaranteed to be accessible. Another important consideration is publicity in the local media - an important ally – which can help form opinions and disseminate information to the community.
2 - Provide training on accessibility and disabled rights
The knowledge and life experiences of people with disabilities are of fundamental importance for shaping and building knowledge of accessibility issues. There can only be competent participation in the process if people with disabilities and the organisations that represent them know about legislation and other instruments for making physical accessibility mainstream. This means that training these people and organisations is a basic condition for the success of the process.
Training can be implemented observing the priorities established by the associations and on the basis of studies and diagnostic reports that identify the main problems that are faced.
In the training process it is important to consider the links between participants and their diverse needs. In this regard, the organisers should strive to ensure that the training venue, the methodologies and materials used are accessible to everyone, including: rooms that can be used by people in wheelchairs; documents in Braille, audio or digital formats for blind people; documents in large print for visually impaired people etc.
3 - Raise public awareness on the issue of accessibility
Raising public awareness is a basic element within the entire process, as pressure from society works as a lever to change history little by little.
Awareness can be raised by implementing a communication strategy, considering various sections of the public (the media; businesspeople; professionals, workers in the public and private transport system etc.) and actions to reach all of them, creating a diverse range of communication channels.
4 - Create a group or commission to discuss accessibility and the rights of people with disabilities with a majority of members being with disabilities of all kinds
Vida Brasil’s experience with Cocas (The Civil Commission for Accessibility in Salvador – a network of 16 associations “of” and “for” people with disabilities and for human rights) has shown us that representation of people with disabilities should be supported by advocacy from people with different disabilities. The conclusions of the group, which includes associations of people with different types of disability, are important, because they provide consensus and orient policies where the need for a collective decision takes priority over the needs of particular homogeneous groups or individuals.
In this regard it is important to create a commission or group composed mainly of people with disabilities and their representative bodies as a way of legitimising and prioritising decisions about accessibility.
5 – Encourage participation by people with disabilities in the places where decisions are made by public bodies
For example, we recommend that people with disabilities and their representative organisations should participate in the group for development of construction in the Maldives.
VIDA BRASIL’s experience, from years of involvement with accessibility programs in Brazil and around the world, has shown us the fundamental importance of developing projects with the participation of people as protagonists in their own development, thus guaranteeing the legitimacy and effectiveness of the actions carried out throughout the project.
6 – Carry out diagnostic studies, population studies, surveys and censuses
Focusing on people with disabilities: who they are, where and how they live, their economic circumstances, principal difficulties encountered in accessing their rights.
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Years of experience: 23. Registered at ProZ.com: May 2009.
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