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it has all had to be paid for

English translation: The changes all have to be paid for by somebody

08:10 Jul 28, 2021
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Social Sciences - Government / Politics / History
English term or phrase: it has all had to be paid for
The context is how the West Germany put efforts to improve environment and living condition in the East for example clearing up Nuclear plants, making air cleaner.


Now the air is cleaner. Life expectancy, a reliable guide to economic differentials, has narrowed. It has all had to be paid for.

Does it mean, they made all people who have to pay pay? Who is "it" ? Believe me, there is no further context.


And Is "life expectancy is narrowed" a good thing? Does it not mean that we live shorter? Forgive me for being so blank.
janejira
Local time: 01:48
Selected answer:The changes all have to be paid for by somebody
Explanation:
The cost of improving the environment by carrying out all these measures is high, and somebody has to pay for it all. This is generally the consumer in the end, since the costs that are initially paid by those who do the work are passed down to those who pay for the services concerned - in the long run, ordinary people.

And because the air is cleaner, everyone benefits, not just the rich. So the gap between a higher life expectancy which is the norm for richer people, and a lower life expectancy for poorer people, has narrowed.
Selected response from:

Sarah Lewis-Morgan
Germany
Local time: 20:48
Grading comment
Thank you ssoooo much. Sie sind super!!!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +7The changes all have to be paid for by somebody
Sarah Lewis-Morgan
3 +3the costs all had to be covered
Lisa Rosengard
4 +1There are no free lunches.
Mark Robertson
4 +1it will come out of taxes
Hayley Wakenshaw
3 +1It has all had to be paid for by West Germany
Kiet Bach
Summary of reference entries provided
From the book Why the Germans Do it Better
writeaway

Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


24 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +7
The changes all have to be paid for by somebody


Explanation:
The cost of improving the environment by carrying out all these measures is high, and somebody has to pay for it all. This is generally the consumer in the end, since the costs that are initially paid by those who do the work are passed down to those who pay for the services concerned - in the long run, ordinary people.

And because the air is cleaner, everyone benefits, not just the rich. So the gap between a higher life expectancy which is the norm for richer people, and a lower life expectancy for poorer people, has narrowed.

Sarah Lewis-Morgan
Germany
Local time: 20:48
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thank you ssoooo much. Sie sind super!!!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Shilpa Baliga: Or if we are just talking about this case, "had" to be paid for somehow.
2 hrs
  -> Thank you.
agree  philgoddard
6 hrs
  -> Thank you.
agree  Tina Vonhof (X)
6 hrs
  -> Thank you
agree  AllegroTrans: "somehow" would be clearer
6 hrs
  -> Thank you.
agree  sereejanejir (X): Oh now I see it. Thank you very much for all answers! You are gem!
8 hrs
  -> Thank you.
agree  EirTranslations
8 hrs
  -> Thank you.
agree  Yvonne Gallagher
15 hrs
  -> Thank you.
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31 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
the costs all had to be covered


Explanation:
The information explains that the environmental cleansing operations were expensive and had to be paid for. In other words someone had to pay for the work efforts. It's not a good thing if our life expectancy is narrowed as it means we can expect to live for less time.

Lisa Rosengard
United Kingdom
Local time: 19:48
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  AllegroTrans: Yes, but you have misunderstood the notion of life expectancy having narrowed. Try reading Kiet's explanation.
3 hrs
agree  Orkoyen (X): ...had to be borne
5 hrs
neutral  philgoddard: This is the same as the previous answer.
5 hrs
agree  sereejanejir (X): Thank you so much! You helped me a lot!
8 hrs
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31 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
There are no free lunches.


Explanation:
The meaning, in this context, is that there are always social costs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_ain't_no_such_thing_as_a...

Mark Robertson
Local time: 19:48
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  AllegroTrans: Not sure whether this is a good explanation for a non-native En-speaker, too informal
6 hrs
  -> Thanks. You have a point.
agree  sereejanejir (X): it is okay. I can use it. Thank you sooo much!
8 hrs
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5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
it will come out of taxes


Explanation:
I think the short answer is that whatever is done will be paid for by citizens either by increased taxes or by cuts to other services.

Hayley Wakenshaw
United Kingdom
Local time: 19:48
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  sereejanejir (X): So clear and precise. Thanksss a lot!
3 hrs
neutral  AllegroTrans: Quite probably but that's not the straightforward, simple meaning
21 hrs
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8 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
It has all had to be paid for by West Germany


Explanation:
West Germany was the richer part of the country, and therefore had to pay for the cost of reunification.

The difference in life expectancy between East Germany and West Germany has narrowed. Life in East Germany has improved.

Kiet Bach
United States
Local time: 11:48
Native speaker of: Native in ChineseChinese
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  sereejanejir (X): Thank you soo much. It does make sense for me now
1 hr
  -> You're welcome.
neutral  AllegroTrans: True enough but that's not the straightforward, simple meaning
19 hrs
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Reference comments


4 hrs peer agreement (net): +1
Reference: From the book Why the Germans Do it Better

Reference information:
The amount that has been spent overall in the past thirty years is staggering. Aufbau Ost, Rebuilding the East, has seen an injection of €2 trillion into infrastructure projects. No country has seen such a long-term shift of funds and resources – a modern-day equivalent of the Marshall Plan. That is only right and proper, given that their Western counterparts benefited from American largesse straight after the war. Roughly a fifth of the total has gone on cleaning up the East’s environment, closing unsafe nuclear plants and reducing reliance on brown coal. Anyone who lived in the East remembers their towns disfigured by above-ground pipes and shrouded in black smog. Residents would use damp cloths to wipe the soot off window sills. Now, the air is vastly cleaner. Life expectancy, a reliable guide to economic differentials, has narrowed. It has all had to be paid for.
https://tlgur.com/d/G7o1wMEG page 84

writeaway
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this reference comment (and responses from the reference poster)
agree  AllegroTrans
2 hrs
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