Glossary entry

Polish term or phrase:

Szmalcownik

English translation:

blackmailer/extortionist (of hiding Jews or Poles hiding them during WWII)

Added to glossary by Frank Szmulowicz, Ph. D.
May 8, 2018 10:47
6 yrs ago
5 viewers *
Polish term

Szmalcownik

Polish to English Other Slang
This is in the context of WW2 in Poland. Szmalcownik in its various forms appears many times in a book. Has anyone come across a better translation than blackmailer?

Podziemna Polska posiadała własne sądownictwo, a na osobach, które dopuszczały się przestępstw, na agentach, kolaborantach i szmalcownikach, na wszystkich tych ludziach, którzy postępowali w haniebny sposób, wykonywano wyroki śmierci.

Chociaż że było źle, że byli tacy, że nadawali, że byli szmalcownikami.

Po drugiej stronie byli ludzie, którzy szantażowali, donosili, a nawet zabijali Żydów, tzw. szmalcownicy, kolaboranci i inne podobnego pokroju osoby, które, czy to dla brudnego zysku czy też z nienawiści i pogardy, byli gotowi na wszystko, ludzie ci byli pozbawieni wszelkich skrupułów i współczucia.

Jeden szmalcownik mógł donieść i przyczynić się do śmierci nawet kilkudziesięciu osób, a żeby uratować jednego Żyda, często potrzeba było nawet kilkunastu zaangażowanych w tym celu ludzi.
Change log

May 13, 2018 19:52: Frank Szmulowicz, Ph. D. Created KOG entry

Proposed translations

5 mins
Selected

blackmailer/extortionist (of hiding Jews or Poles hiding them during WWII)

Szmalcownik (Polish pronunciation: [ʂmalˈtsɔvɲik]), in English also spelt shmaltsovnik, is pejorative Polish slang used during World War II for a person who blackmailed Jews who were hiding, or who blackmailed Poles who protected Jews during the German occupation
https://www.google.com/search?num=100&ei=M4HxWvbxOZ2zjwSe75G...

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Note added at 7 mins (2018-05-08 10:55:34 GMT)
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Of course, you can use shmaltsovnik, but that may not mean much to an English-speaking person.
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "thanks"
15 hrs

denouncer

It became a choice of dying from hunger by simply staying put or leaving the ghetto and risking our lives to obtain food. Whoever was able to sneak out of the ghetto to sell possessions and buy some food, did so. Many succeeded, but some were not so fortunate and never returned. The szmalcowniks — denouncers — took care of them - http://memoirs.azrielifoundation.org/recollection#display-as...

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Reference comments

15 hrs
Reference:

... there is no real equivalent in English of 'szmalcownik', greasy-palmer,

For example, there is no real equivalent in English of 'szmalcownik', greasy-palmer, and the word is often translated as 'blackmailer', which is not exactly the same.

(Editor's note: wartime parlance distinguished, not always consistently, between the szmalcownik and the szantażysta (blackmailer): the former accosted his victims on the street and might be likened to an ordinary mugger, using the threat of denunciation rather than a pistol as his weapon. The latter, much more dangerous, ferreted out Jews in their hiding-places and demanded everything they had. In English writing on the subject, the Polish word szmalcownile has generally been adopted for both.) - https://goo.gl/jgu7cQ
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