# roustabout



## Marek14

Hi, I have a question about Czech translation of the word "roustabout". The usual meaning of the word is a dock worker, or unskilled laborer in general, but I'm currently translating a book which contains parts on Australian sheep farms, and here the word "roustabout" seems to be used in a specific sense of someone who takes fleece shorn from sheep and puts it away. Is there a good one-word translation? I'll probably just use some general descriptor...


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## Enquiring Mind

Hi Marek, yes, the sense is as described here (source: weblearneng.com): _(roustabout (in Australia & New Zealand; also called ‘rouseabout’ or ‘rousabout’) an unskilled worker at a sheep shearing shed. _Obviously you and your fellow native-speakers are better placed than me to know of a suitable word here, but as it's specific to that part of the world (not generally understood or used in the UK, for example) I suspect you may have to settle for something like _part'ák_, though of course we (out here in WordReferenceLand) can't see how the word is being used in a sentence.


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## Marek14

No, "parťák" is not an appropriate word here, I think. "Parťák" has a connotation of equality, it could be used for translation of "mate" (another common Australian word), but here, it's a specific position.
I'll show the key paragraph (profanities edited out -- there's a LOT of profanities in this book):

"Just after midday Alan comes in and when he sees me flinging a fleece onto the table he goes apeshit. ‘Why in filthy b***** f*** are you doing that?’ I stiffen and feel my eyes stretching wide. But the shouting’s not for me. He turns to Clare and points at him. ‘You, you useless f***, until further notice, you’re b***** roustabout, not Jake.’ Clare’s mouth is open. ‘I’m not losing a prime shearer just because you can’t look after your own s***.’ I don’t know where to look or what to do. No one moves. ‘Jake, where’s your b***** kit?’"

From this paragraph, it seems clear that a "roustabout" is meant to be a specific job here, probably the fleece-flinging, and the context also makes it clear that it's a dangerous job that you don't really want to do if you have an option to shear sheep instead. I was thinking of "předák" originally, but that doesn't fit either because this is not a leadership or prestige job.


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## Enquiring Mind

Yes, you're right. Now, of course, you've provided context that there is no notion of "being part of the gang". That was crucial to the sense, but it wasn't in your original post.  The "until further notice" means the guy has been demoted, he now has to do the dirtiest or least skilled work, he is now the lowest in the pecking order, instead of Jake. I wouldn't say the word refers to a specific skill (no skill involved in collecting up fleeces, but it's dirty/smelly work), it refers to the person's status - like general dogsbody - in the social group.
As I said,  





> though of course we (out here in WordReferenceLand) can't see how the word is being used in a sentence


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## Marek14

The way I understand it is that the "table" in the paragraph is part of a machine that cuts the fleece into manageable pieces (apparently, wool on sheep normally forms a single solid piece, even after you shear it off). So being a roustabout and throwing the fleece there is dangerous because you are close to the machine with its sharp blades and high power. This interpretation is supported by what happened in the story previously -- Clare made a younger guy in the group sharpen his shears on a grinder, despite having no right to demand that. That younger guy made a mistake and lost his hand to the grinder. So Clare is put to the roustabout position, where he runs a real risk of injuring or losing his own hands.


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## Marek14

Update: in the end, I found a word that works here: "pohůnek". It means "farm hand", but has a connotation of menial labor that's perfect here. It's also a word that is not commonly used, mirroring the rarely-used roustabout.


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