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wetenschappelijke onderbouwing van de stammen

Glossary entry

Dutch term or phrase:

wel de lusten maar niet de lasten

English translation:

all gain, no pain

Added to glossary by Chris Hopley
Jun 15, 2011 11:49
12 yrs ago
3 viewers *
Dutch term

wel de lusten maar niet de lasten

Dutch to English Other Journalism
In a newspaper article, reference is made to the decision not to build nuclear power plants, but instead to import electricity (including nuclear) from elsewhere:

"In de discussie over de bouw van kerncentrales noemt minister Verhagen van Economische Zaken het hypocriet als Nederland geen kerncentrale wil bouwen, maar wel kernenergie uit Frankrijk importeert. Wel de lusten maar niet de lasten. Dat moet je als Nederlander niet willen."

Is there a nice idiomatic way of expressing this in English? So far I've got the rather dull "reaping the benefits without any of the drawbacks". Surely there must be a more inspired solution than this?!! Who can help?
Proposed translations (English)
4 +4 (wanting) gain without (the) pain
3 +2 enjoying the pleasures without assuming the burdens
1 +2 wanting to have your cake and eat it
3 to have the penny and the bun
3 Having the advantages without the disadvantages
References
have your cake and eat it too

Discussion

Glenda Janssen Jun 15, 2011:
I agree with Barend. While having your cake and eating it too is also an expression used in the US, it does not carry the same meaning as the sentence that needs to be translated.
Barend van Zadelhoff Jun 15, 2011:
this is not what he says
I think he wants to point out we need to assume the burden as well, it is part of the game

I think there is a subtle difference between what he says and 'you can't have it both ways'

used to say that you cannot have the advantages from both of two different possible decisions or actions
It's a choice between the time and the money - you can't have it both ways!

apart from this, could you say

Being a Dutch person, you should not want to have it both ways?

why shouldn't we stay close to the source?

I will be back on line around 11/12 pm
W Schouten Jun 15, 2011:
cake May be simply 'you can't have it both ways'.
Barend van Zadelhoff Jun 15, 2011:
ik ben het niet eens met Lianne

ik kan me moeilijk voorstellen dat Verhagen zegt:

je moet als Nederlander niet van twee walletjes willen eten

(informeel) have one's cake and eat it (too)
alles willen (hebben), van twee walletjes eten

daarnaast is er een verschil met 'wel de lusten en niet de lasten' en 'van twee walletjes willen eten'

het gaat hier niet om twee voordelen maar om het voordeel wel en het nadeel niet

maar ja, je zou het niet kunnen hebben van een nadeel als een voordeel kunnen beschouwen :-)
W Schouten Jun 15, 2011:
cake Here in Devon (UK) they want to have their cake and eat it all the time too(-:
Oliver Pekelharing Jun 15, 2011:
cake I would suggest "They want to have their cake and eat it too", which is how you could describe this kind of behaviour where I come from (NZ), but I'm not sure if your particular audience (non-Dutch speakers?) or even other English speakers would read it the same way.

Proposed translations

+4
5 hrs
Selected

(wanting) gain without (the) pain

"Gain without pain" seems a simple enough solution to me...

Borders the idiom: "geen lusten zonder lasten" (i.e. "[there is] no pleasure without pain" according to Van Dale)...

I would have opted for "wanting pleasure without pain"; however, I think there is something to be said about the rhyme in the idiom and the 'wisselwoorden' (i.e. robin words) "lusten" and "lasten".

So, in the spirit of "No pain, no gain", I am flipping it around...

Seems to be used here and there on "the internets"

http://focus.aps.org/story/v4/st12

http://www.nature.com/neuro/journal/v5/n10/full/nn1002-923.h...

http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:idw9IZ0tZeUJ:ipc.b...



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Note added at 1 day8 hrs (2011-06-16 20:16:11 GMT)
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Used in context: "In the debate over the construction of nuclear power plants, Minister Verhagen of Economic Affairs labels it hypocritical for the Dutch to stave off building nuclear power plants, yet they readily hoard in nuclear energy from France. That is like wanting all the gain without any pain, which is not what the Dutch are supposed to be about."
Peer comment(s):
agree Ymkje Kuipers
2 hrs
agree Glenda Janssen : Very elegant solution. I had brainfreeze yesterday and could not come up with the appropriate idiom.
1 day 2 hrs
agree Maria Danielson : or "all gain, no pain"
1 day 21 hrs
Haha... that rings so much better IMO!
agree Sandrijn Van Den Noortgate
10 days
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Nice, Bryan. I like this solution, and Maria's fine-tuning!"
+2
16 mins

wanting to have your cake and eat it

May be?
Peer comment(s):
agree Lianne van de Ven : I like this better than 'pleasures' in this nuclear power context: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Have_one's_cake_and_eat_it_too
1 hr
Thank you
agree Tina Vonhof (X)
2 hrs
Dank je wel Tina
Something went wrong...
+2
32 mins

enjoying the pleasures without assuming the burdens

the expression is often used in connection with relations
I think this is what it comes down to
Peer comment(s):
agree W Schouten : may be benefits rather than pleasures
9 mins
Dank je wel, W. The expression stems from a Christian mindset (CDA (..)). It's hard for me to let go of 'pleasures' vs 'burdens', but 'benefits' would introduce some alliteration: B & B :-)
agree Piotrnikitin
44 mins
Thank you, Piotrnikitin.
Something went wrong...
3 hrs

to have the penny and the bun

Something went wrong...
9 hrs

Having the advantages without the disadvantages

Van Dale lusten en lasten = advantages and disadvantages.
But maybe this sounds a bit too positive?
Something went wrong...

Reference comments

1 hr
Reference:

have your cake and eat it too

I think this fits better in this context.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Have_one's_cake_and_eat_it...
have your cake (not have your nuclear power plants in the NLS) and eat it too (import it from somewhere else).

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2011-06-15 13:28:16 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Reposting the broken link:
http://en.org/wiki/Have_one's_cake_and_eat_it_too

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2011-06-15 13:28:56 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I guess html doesn't like the apostrophe
Something went wrong...
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