Feb 5, 2020 14:11
4 yrs ago
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Russian term

по графе ширпотреба

Russian to English Art/Literary Poetry & Literature
From a gulag memoir. In this part, her job in the labor camp is to make rope.

Поскольку цех был инвалидный, то и «нормы» с женщин особо не спрашивали, а веревки шли по ка­кой-то графе «ширпотреба».

Discussion

DTSM Feb 6, 2020:
@tatyana000 что-то в этом "инвалидном" цехе было не так с организацией производства, поэтому к его продукции просто не применяли ни строгие нормы по количеству выпускаемых единиц, ни высокие требования к качеству.
Boris Shapiro Feb 6, 2020:
What you're missing here is the pejorative character of the word ширпотреб. Low-grade indeed.
Perhaps, the product was upgraded in significance, since rope is not something one needs every day. So, the author used irony.
tatyana000 (asker) Feb 5, 2020:
Thanks for your answers I basically know what "ширпотреб" is, but I don't really understand its significance in this particular context. So the rope was recorded as a consumer good... Why is this important? What consequence does it have on meeting (or failing to meet) the production quota.

Proposed translations

+2
1 hr
Russian term (edited): шли по графе ширпотреба
Selected

recorded as (low grade) "consumer goods"

Peer comment(s):

agree Valery Lyutov
4 hrs
Спасибо!
agree Boris Shapiro
5 hrs
Спасибо!
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you! I think "low grade" is key here."
4 mins

registered as commodity

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1 hr

were classified as mass consumption products/products for mass consumption

Proposition.
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