Final answer:
The literal translation of 'Arbeit Macht Frei' is 'work sets you free.' It was inscribed at Auschwitz, symbolizing Nazi deception as the camp was a site of extreme oppression and mass murder.
Step-by-step explanation:
The literal translation of 'Arbeit Macht Frei' is 'work sets you free' or 'work makes free'. This phrase became infamously associated with the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II, where it was inscribed above the gates.
The sign was a cruel and cynical symbol of Nazi propaganda meant to deceive prisoners about the true nature of the camps. In practice, these camps were places of enslavement, torture, and mass murder.
While the Nazi regime portrayed labor as something that would lead to freedom, this was far from the truth for the millions of people who were imprisoned and killed in concentration camps like Auschwitz.
For many, forced labor was just another aspect of the harsh conditions leading up to their eventual execution or death due to unbearable circumstances.