Glossary entry (derived from question below)
German term or phrase:
Hausler
English translation:
contract agricultural worker; contract farm worker
German term
Poland
Clients appreciate quality
Native in: Polish 
Works in: English to Polish, German to Polish, French to Polish, and 3 more.
Hausler
| 4 | Contract farm worker |
Ann C Sherwin
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| 5 | cottager / cottagers |
karkadee
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| 3 +1 | cottager |
Christian
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Non-PRO (1): Richard Benham
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Proposed translations
Contract farm worker
It's actually a contract farm worker who receives a house and small plot of land on the farm in return for labor and an annual fee (Haberkern/Wallach [HW], Hilfswörterbuch für Historiker cross-references Häusler to Heuerling, and the above is a translation of the definition of Heuerling)
Are the terms plural in your context? I think one person is not likely to be listed as both a Bauer and a Häusler. While Bauer can be rendered as peasant in some contexts, I would not use that here. HW says for Bauer: "i.e.S. in einigen Gegenden Dt. nur der zu vollem Recht im Dorfe Wohnende (sonst auch Dorfgenosse, Gemeindegenosse, Nachbar), im Gegensatz zum Häusler."
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Note added at 1 hr 44 mins (2006-01-06 14:23:06 GMT)
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HW doesn't just cross-reference Häusler (I was copying that remark from another source without checking). It actually has a very long entry, part of which is this: "Dorfbewohner, der zwar ein eigenes kleines Haus...mit Gartenland, auch Vieh u. mehr o. weniger Anteil and er Allmende besitzt, aber keine Hof und kein genügendes Ackerland u. daher i.d.R. als Taglohner arbeitet..." It gives a long list of synonyms, but Kätner, Kötter etc. (cottager) are not among them. Interestingly, Gärtner (but not Häusler) is given as a synonym for Kötter. For Kötter, HW says "Bauer, der nicht Anteil am alten Ackerland, den Gewannen, hat, aber im übrigen nur Landwirtschaft betreibt, ohne gewerblichen Nebenberuf." So it would appear that cottager (the traditional translation of Kötter) would not be quite the same.
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Note added at 1 hr 52 mins (2006-01-06 14:30:33 GMT)
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Incidentally, I don't know if this would work in your situation, but when I find words like this that may not have **exact** English equivalents (even if they do, clients still come back and ask questions rather than looking in an English dictionary), I use the German term (in italics) in the translation and insert a footnote with an explanation. I find Haberkern/Wallach to be an indispensible resource, by the way. I recommend it on my Web site under "Resources for Genealogists."
cottager
| agree |
BrigitteHilgner
: At least in my history books, the most frequently used option.
21 mins
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Thank you, Brigitte, and yes, some context would have been helpful.
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cottager / cottagers
Weavers were among the poorest subjects in most villages and they were almost always serfs. Virtually all of them were "hausler" -- meaning they lived in a small cottage.
Discussion
b) It always makes sense to give at least one full sentence (preferrably more context) and not just throw one word at us as a bone to a dog
c)cottager = cottar = cottier