Glossary entry (derived from question below)
German term or phrase:
Mehrverdienst
English translation:
additional earnings
Added to glossary by
Timoshka
Oct 29, 2023 05:23
6 mos ago
36 viewers *
German term
Mehrverdienst
German to English
Bus/Financial
Business/Commerce (general)
From a 1940 letter, written in Vienna, Austria:
Dr. Ungar ist wegen Nichtbedarfs entlassen worden, ich weiß aber nicht, ob ihn das sehr kränken wird, denn sein Mehrverdienst hat höchstens 55-60 Mark betragen.
My translation: Dr. Ungar was let go because he was no longer needed, but I don’t know whether that will hurt him much, for his Mehrverdienst amounted to 55-60 marks at most.
I've found this word translated as "incentive pay" as well as "wage premium," but not sure what it means in this context.
Dr. Ungar ist wegen Nichtbedarfs entlassen worden, ich weiß aber nicht, ob ihn das sehr kränken wird, denn sein Mehrverdienst hat höchstens 55-60 Mark betragen.
My translation: Dr. Ungar was let go because he was no longer needed, but I don’t know whether that will hurt him much, for his Mehrverdienst amounted to 55-60 marks at most.
I've found this word translated as "incentive pay" as well as "wage premium," but not sure what it means in this context.
Proposed translations
(English)
| 4 +4 | additional earnings |
Kartik Isaac
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| 4 | Sideline |
Andrew Bramhall
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Proposed translations
+4
2 hrs
Kartik Isaac
Switzerland
Switzerland
Native in English
Works in field
Switzerland
The Translating Engineer
Native in: English (Variants: UK, US) 
Works in: German to English, French to English
Related KudoZ points
:
4
Selected
additional earnings
Additional earnings or extra income could work in this conetxt.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Adrian MM.
: extra (private patient) earnings from that job or, if already a pensioner, a pension top-up https://www.oesterreich.gv.at/themen/arbeit_und_pension/pens... //AB - twisting my words - is wrong. Mehrverdienst in AT equates with Zuverdienst
23 mins
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Thanks, Adrian :)
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| neutral |
Andrew Bramhall
: Well yes, it does represent additional earnings, but....
1 hr
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| agree |
philgoddard
5 hrs
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| agree |
AllegroTrans
9 hrs
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| agree |
Anna Wright
: cf. Mehreinkommen; See also: https://context.reverso.net/übersetzung/deutsch-englisch/Meh... & https://www.bis.org/publ/arpdf/archive/ar1944_de.pdf
1 day 2 hrs
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you!"
4 hrs
Andrew Bramhall
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in English
United Kingdom
Flair and accuracy tailored to your text
Native in: English 
Works in: Spanish to English, German to English
Related KudoZ points
:
4
Sideline
in the sense of a ' Nebenverdienst' is my reading;
Discussion
"In addition, all soldier clerks at the War Office receive 6d. a day additional pay."
https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/1940-04-04/debates/836...
But I think it's unnecessary; there are many ways to say this, though I don think that either incentive or premium makes sense in this context (he no longer works there so there isn't even a base salary or wage to speak of).
I'm having more trouble with "let go," which is not only a euphemism, but I'd say (in this meaning) way more recent than the 1940s. Dismiss or similar would work better here, I believe:
https://www.etymonline.com/word/dismiss