# Einschwören



## jinxnao

Sie preisen die Vorzüge der Globalisierung um zeitgleich ihre Waehler auf die bevorstehende Wende zum Weniger einzuschwören

Please tell me what does this sentence mean ? Weniger here means "the less"? einschwören (jdn. auf etw. ) means what???
best regards..


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## Cpt.Eureka

jinxnao said:


> Sie preisen die Vorzüge der Globalisierung um zeitgleich ihre Waehler auf die bevorstehende Wende zum Weniger einzuschwören
> 
> Please tell me what does this sentence mean ? Weniger here means "the less"? einschwören (jdn. auf etw. ) means what???
> best regards..



Hi,

"Einschwören" - to toe someone to the (political) line.

They praise the benefits of globalization and at the same time, they  have to toe their voters to a political line of austerity.


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## cardiff1

Hi,

in the context of a keynote speech by Putin mapping out foreign policy to the Russian people...

Putin schwört Russen in Grundsatzrede auf seine Politik ein...

The phrase toeing sb to a political line seems odd to me in English...one does toe the party line..or make sb toe the line...can't think of how to say this in English really...


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## manfy

True! To 'toe the line' does not quite convey the same thing.
"Jemanden einschwören" literally means to swear somebody in, to make him take an oath/vow.

Within this context it means - figuratively - to convince somebody or to talk somebody into something, but not just to the level of "yah, whatever. I believe you...shut up already!" but more to the extent that those who are now (figuratively) 'sworn in' will support you a 100% (against any potential oponents or critics).


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## cardiff1

As in to rally support?


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## manfy

cardiff1 said:


> As in to rally support?


Well...realistically, that's what he's doing. But the expression goes beyond that. It implies that there's no room to disagree. After all, he's already 'swearing them in'.
'To rally support' suggests that you're working on being supported, whereas 'jemanden auf etwas einschwören' conveys more of a feeling of "it's a done deal - (if you don't follow then there's repercussions) _[this afterthought in brackets is not include in 'einschwören', actually!]_". To take an oath normally implies agreement from both sides - but in this case it means they (have to) agree whether they know it or not..."


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## cardiff1

Whether he was in fact rallying support or imposing his will on hapless folk is a political matter...which may involve media bias in the choice of language chosen by the writer.


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## manfy

Agreed! 
But that's exactly what "jemanden auf etwas einschwören" suggests in this context.


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## Schimmelreiter

jinxnao said:


> Sie preisen die Vorzüge der Globalisierung um zeitgleich ihre Waehler auf die bevorstehende Wende zum Weniger einzuschwören



_They are praising the benefits of globalisation while, at the same time, putting their voters in the mood for the imminent shift towards austerity._


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## cardiff1

To attune..in Schimmel's example?


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## manfy

Good word, but not strong enough. Einschwören has much stronger connotations of an expected unwavering support.


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## cardiff1

In the mood and attune are similar though? Are you saying Schimmel's attempt is a little flaccid?


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## Schimmelreiter

cardiff1, let's take a very unflaccid person like Mr Churchill. Being a native speaker, please complete this sentence: _Telling the British people he had nothing to promise them but blood, sweat and tears, Winston Churchill ... them for the defence of Britain.
_


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## manfy

Actually, yes! It's a good and idiomatic translation but it misses the tone set by 'einschwören'.


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## cardiff1

Possibly admonish...transitive Full Definition of *ADMONISH* transitive verb 1 a : to indicate duties or obligations to b : to express warning or disapproval to especially in a gentle, earnest, or ...when you say Churchill was not unflaccid you meant metaphorically? He was quite portly I mean...


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## manfy

cardiff1 said:


> Possibly admonish...


That's still not quite right.
The metaphorical meaning of "jemanden auf etwas einschwören" goes more in the direction of obliging somebody to an unwavering support of something (or to a commitment to something). The word also carries a hint of coercion.

Just like the literal meaning of "einschwören" which always implies an obligation of support for whatever the oath says. And every oath is also coercive in the sense that if you don't agree, thus don't take the oath then you're not granted the benefits this pledge and its resulting status provides.


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## bearded

My suggestion instead of ''putting the voters in the mood for the imminent shift'':

_...inducing the voters to accept the imminent shift...''
_
''Induce to accept'' corresponds to ''einreden, einschwören'' in my opinion.


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## Schimmelreiter

bearded man said:


> _...inducing the voters to accept the imminent shift..._


may also happen by means of chiefly rational arguments, may it not? _einschwören _is emotional to a large extent, hence my request that a verb be found for my Churchill sentence. (#13)


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## bearded

@ Schimmelreiter
Maybe 'to commit'?
...committing them to the defence of Britain..
...committing the voters to the acceptance of the imminent shift..
??


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## cardiff1

I am not sure we in Britain have the same political values as our continental brethren < ... > so maybe there isn't a Churchillian equivalent that neatly dovetails to einschwören...after all it sounds like a demagogic kind of thing...which is what the equally wretched Western press article IMO was foisting apon us in an "einschwören"  of its own..

....called upon them for the defence of Britain...is how we would say it I think.. < ... >


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## manfy

< ... >



bearded man said:


> @ Schimmelreiter
> Maybe 'to commit'?
> ...committing them to the defence of Britain..
> ...committing the voters to the acceptance of the imminent shift..
> ??



The more I think about it the more I like it. The ultimate meaning of "einschwören" is to oblige or obligate somebody into doing something and following a certain "code". But I don't like it as translation because the German word disguises this ultimate meaning well, hence 'to oblige' seems too blunt and unsuitable. 
However to commit somebody in the sense of making him make a commitment to do and support something (even an unspoken one) has a very similar ring to "einschwören".

"To call upon them" has too much of an undertone of asking someone for something, even when it is done in an authoritative manner.


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## cardiff1

I agree Manfy..I used the phrase call upon...because I am bereft of an English alternative that would actually sound in place in such a context....that waws my problem with the word...is something lost in translation? culturally here? Churchill never used such a strong turn of phrase...Churchill waws a subtler form of demagogue...he brought you round by making you believe it was your own private will to sacrifice for England as opposed to the Rousseau manner of invoking "the general will"...in whicyh true freedom meant submission of the personal to the public...good.


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## cardiff1

In the context of the jingoistic partisan press use of the word under discussion "einschwören" and its relevance, meaning, context, my statement was not all that out of place. The use of the word was IMO used deliberately to depict Putin as a demagogue...there are many that feel there is a trend in Western journalism that strays from objectivity..I was remarking on this in the context of the present continuing political struggle over Ukraine which is of course the background to all this...the Grand Game of Brzinski for example.. < ... >
Having read reports on Putin's speech from various sources it is clear he spoke in a matter-of-fact tone without wild gesticulations or a rousing soundtrack as accompaniment, that in trying to make sense of the meaning and choice of the word itself which is odd in a context of a speech made by a British politician one had to consider the broader framework of political context and possible media bias.


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## Schimmelreiter

bearded man said:


> to commit




Frankly, I wasn't aware the usage of committing somebody to something existed (apart from committing soandso many troops to the war theatre, or committing somebody to prison, for instance).


PS
I've got some nagging doubt, though, as to the idiomaticity of that usage. Might a native speaker care to check, please?

PPS
What about _... while, at the same time, getting their voters committed to the imminent shift towards austerity_?


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## cardiff1

Well to be honest, I probably would not use that structure...it is clear what is meant, but normally commit implies someone wilful assent to this or that.....I will commit to A or I would ask you to commit yourself to discretion here etc...enjoin? 

Full Definition of *ENJOIN* transitive verb 1 : to direct or impose by authoritative order or with urgent admonition <*enjoined* us to be careful> 2 a : forbid, prohibit ...


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## wandle

> Sie preisen die Vorzüge der Globalisierung um zeitgleich ihre Waehler auf die bevorstehende Wende zum Weniger einzuschwören



I would suggest: 'They talk up the benefits of globalisation, the better to win their voters' support for the impending shift towards austerity'.


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## manfy

cardiff1 said:


> Well to be honest, I probably would not use that structure...it is clear what is meant, but normally commit implies someone wilful assent to this or that.....I will commit to A or I would ask you to commit yourself to discretion here etc...enjoin?



Yes, but that makes it actually quite suitable. Also "einschwören" in its figurative meaning is actually intentionally misused. It does not imply that an actual oath was taken, it does not imply that anybody was forced into anything but it does imply that that was the speaker's figurative goal.

It has to be pointed out that this phrase cannot be used in first person. You'd never hear a speaker say "...und jetzt möchte ich Sie auf die bevorstehende Wende zum Weniger einschwören." That would be way too blunt, everybody would understand "...I'm trying to talk you into something now" / "I'm trying to manipulate you now ...".
I'd say, you only can hear it when somebody speaks about somebody else, e.g. "...und die xxx Partei versucht Sie bereits auf eine Wende zum Weniger
einzuschwören. Wir aber wissen, dies ist der komplett falsche Weg, der nur zur wirtschaftlichen Stagnation und in eine langfristige Krise führen kann ..."

In a general purpose translation I'd happily use any of the suggestions above which convey the idea of 'preparing somebody for something' but if I feel that this finer connotation of "einschwören" is crucial for the overall tone of the report I'd use a different phrasing or word - and 'to commit somebody to something' sounds sufficiently vague and accurate at the same time.


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## wandle

manfy said:


> 'to commit somebody to something' sounds sufficiently vague and accurate at the same time.


'To commit somebody to something', though, definitely means imposing an obligation on the other party.
If a salesman offers a price which the management considers too low, the manager might say, 

_'You've gone too far. You've committed the company to sell at that price. We can't get out of it now. Do that again, and you're fired'._


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## Schimmelreiter

_They are praising the benefits of globalisation while, at the same time, *making their voters embrace* the imminent shift towards austerity._


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## wandle

Two questions:
(1) does not _um ... zu ..._ mean 'in order to'?
(2) how can an elected politician make his or her voters embrace something?

The idea of saying something 'in order to win voters' support' makes good sense.
The idea of saying one thing while at the same time forcing or obliging people to accept a different idea does not sound like realistic politics to me.
I can imagine someone in authority doing that to a subordinate, using euphemism while enforcing a hidden agenda, but not a politician doing it to a national electorate.


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## Schimmelreiter

wandle said:


> Two questions:
> (1) does not _um ... zu ..._ mean 'in order to'?
> (2) how can an elected politician make his or her voters embrace something?
> 
> The idea of saying something 'in order to win voters' support' makes good sense.
> The idea of saying one thing while at the same time forcing or obliging people to accept a different idea does not sound like realistic politics to me.
> I can imagine someone in authority doing that to a subordinate, using euphemism while enforcing a hidden agenda, but not a politician doing it to a national electorate.


This is an adversative, non-purposive _um zu_. There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio.


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## wandle

Granting that _um ... zu ..._ can have an adversative sense, how can it work here?
The semantic problem mentioned in post 30, question (2), seems to me to exclude it.


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## Schimmelreiter

wandle said:


> how can an elected politician make his or her voters embrace something?


Leadership? Charisma, and its ugly sister demagogy?


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## wandle

Schimmelreiter said:


> Leadership? Charisma, and its ugly sister demagogy?


(1) Neither of those can compel people, or commit them to something against their will.
(2) Neither can work by concealment (saying one thing while making people believe something else).


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## Schimmelreiter

Why can't one praise globalisation and at the same time try and win support for austerity? Our, i.e. the politicians' and the voters', common enemy is Big Money, who are to blame for our getting poorer and poorer. Of course you mustn't tell people that were it not for globalisation, Big Money wouldn't even be half as big.


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## wandle

Schimmelreiter said:


> Why can't one praise globalisation and at the same time try and win support for austerity?


That was my suggestion.





wandle said:


> ''They talk up the benefits of globalisation, the better to win their voters' support for the impending shift towards austerity'.


Doing A in order to win people's support for B is not the same as doing A while making people accept B.


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## alaneins

Hi,
  "toeing the line"   you are right on two accounts:
a/ You can "toe the line" or make someone "toe the line."  It basically means  to comply (with something)
e.g  On joining the club, I, like all the other members, had to "toe the line" regarding the rules on dress code.
I hope this helps.
Alan


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## wandle

The trouble with 'toe the line' is that in the present context we would have to say 'make the voters toe the line'.
This again is something that an elected politician cannot do. Therefore this meaning seems to be ruled out by the context.


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