for at tjene til deres børn på gule plader

English translation: stepchildren /ready-made family

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

Danish term or phrase:	børn på gule plader
English translation:	stepchildren /ready-made family
Entered by:	Christine Andersen

12:23 Feb 21, 2011

Danish to English translations [PRO]
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings / choosing a way of life

Danish term or phrase: for at tjene til deres børn på gule plader

"Der er nogle, der gør det for at tjene til deres børn på gule plader... Så er der nogle, der er der ved en fejl, fordi de ”kom til” det. Og så er der nogle, der har meget store kunstneriske ambitioner."

This is a reason or approach to setting up as an independent artist-craftsman or starting a small business.

The context is not a lot of help. After a short introduction to the people, it is written as a collective interview or dialogue between a group of craftsmen/women who begin with this statement and generally agree.

Then they come to the point, which is to discuss the specific skills and trends required, and their own professional approaches to training, theory and practice.

* * * * *
I know that in Denmark ´yellow number plates´are literally a way of getting a tax reduction on vehicles used for business purposes, but that is probably not what the speaker means here.
One of the qualifying conditions for registering the vehicle under the scheme is that it must not be used for family transport - generally, not more than two people may travel in it.

I have translated for this person before, and he uses some very descriptive and colourful expressions... I think the focus is more on the alternative or independent way of life than on the particular means of transport, but I would like to know what this expression suggests to Danish natives, and would be very grateful for suggested equivalents in English.

Christine Andersen KudoZ activity Questions: 241 (none open) (12 closed without grading) Answers: 1854 Denmark
Local time: 15:52

.... stepchildren

Explanation:
"børn på gule plader" = stepchildren

The underlying idea is that if your new partner already has children from a previous relationship, you might need to make extra money to help cover the needs of your new family.

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Note added at 3 hrs (2011-02-21 15:46:29 GMT)
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P.S. As noted in the ordnet.dk entry, this expression is considered slang.

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Note added at 4 hrs (2011-02-21 16:45:02 GMT)
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By the way, the expression is also used to mean "children born out of wedlock" to use an expression that's anything but slang. This usage has a more obvious connection with business license plates.

http://www.golf.dk/content/tiger-fik-et-barn-med-elskerinden

As for slang equivalents in English, that would of course depend on where your readers are from.

Selected response from:

Mai Berry Dahl
Local time: 15:52

Grading comment

Tusind tak!
Det er helt utroligt, at jeg ikke er løbet ind i udtrykket før... Når jeg googler, er det alle vegne! Jeg bruger 'new family', fordi det faglige, der kommer senere, er hovedsagen, og diskussionen er alvorlig, men på sin vis ret 'farverig' allerede.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

5 +1

.... stepchildren

Mai Berry Dahl

Answers

3 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

.... stepchildren

Mai Berry Dahl
Local time: 15:52
Native speaker of:

Danish,

English
PRO pts in category: 4

Grading comment

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for at tjene til deres børn på gule plader

English translation: stepchildren /ready-made family

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English translation: stepchildren /ready-made family

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