Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Russian term or phrase:
бытие
English translation:
enrichment of one\'s life
Added to glossary by
Susan Welsh
Feb 6, 2014 14:37
10 yrs ago
1 viewer *
Russian term
United States
Psychology, economics, politics
Native in: English 
Works in: Russian to English, German to English, English
бытие
Russian to English
Art/Literary
Philosophy
siege of Leningrad
This is from a diary:
«Расчеловечиться» ленинградцам было просто не дано, ибо дух, превалируя над жёстким бытом, превращал его в бытие.
I don't see how to fit the Germanic/philosophical term бытие (Dasein) in here. I'm tempted to leave out the last bit, but wonder if there's a better solution.
Draft:
There simply was no "dehumanization" of Leningraders, because the spirit that prevailed over that harsh existence [turned it into being.??]
(I'm translating Расчеловечиться as "to dehumanize," although I can't confirm that translation.)
«Расчеловечиться» ленинградцам было просто не дано, ибо дух, превалируя над жёстким бытом, превращал его в бытие.
I don't see how to fit the Germanic/philosophical term бытие (Dasein) in here. I'm tempted to leave out the last bit, but wonder if there's a better solution.
Draft:
There simply was no "dehumanization" of Leningraders, because the spirit that prevailed over that harsh existence [turned it into being.??]
(I'm translating Расчеловечиться as "to dehumanize," although I can't confirm that translation.)
Proposed translations
(English)
Proposed translations
+4
46 mins
Yana Soboleva
Native in Russian
HEADmade Translation
Native in: Russian (Variant: Standard-Russia)
Works in: Russian to English, English to Russian, German to Russian
Related KudoZ points
:
4
Selected
made their (harsh) living meaningful
As an option.
Leningraders just couln't be dehumanized, as the spirit made their harsh/tough/hard living meaningful.
P.S. I think your 'dehumanization' is great.
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Note added at 1 час (2014-02-06 15:39:51 GMT)
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(более точно)...as the spirit that prevailed over their harsh/tough/hard living made it meaningful.
Leningraders just couln't be dehumanized, as the spirit made their harsh/tough/hard living meaningful.
P.S. I think your 'dehumanization' is great.
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Note added at 1 час (2014-02-06 15:39:51 GMT)
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(более точно)...as the spirit that prevailed over their harsh/tough/hard living made it meaningful.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Rocketman
1 hr
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Thanks a lot!
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| agree |
Alexander Teplitsky
: Подходит по контексту и не делает текст "зажеванным". Все таки краткость - сестра таланта.
2 hrs
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Спасибо!
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| neutral |
Michael Korovkin
: sister of talent notwithstanding,I see a logical hitch here:the meaningfulness of living is not predicated on its harshness, nor for that matter on its softness.Any living may or may not be meaningful regardless of its harshness or sweetness.
4 hrs
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Thank for your comment. I just tried to translate the meaning of the sentence (as I see it).
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| neutral |
LilianNekipelov
: Not exactly. Too free an interpretation.
5 hrs
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Thank you anyway for your opinion.
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| agree |
Evgeny Kuznetsov
10 hrs
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Thank you!
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| agree |
cyhul
5 days
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Thanks a lot!
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "I actually found Yana's post in the "Discussion" the most helpful, in expressing what we were all trying to achieve, one way or another. The most literal translations sounded confusing to me in English, and some of the more "inventive" ones strayed too far from the source text. What I ended up using was "There simply was no 'dehumanization' of Leningraders, for the spirit that allowed them to prevail over that harsh existence enriched their lives." Thanks to everybody for what a quite interesting discussion."
12 mins
Nadezhda Golubeva
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Native in Russian
Russian Federation
Experience and Responsibility
Native in: Russian
Works in: English to Russian, Russian to English
Related KudoZ points
:
4
being alive
***
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Note added at 26 mins (2014-02-06 15:03:29 GMT)
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There coudn't be any dehumanization of Leningrad people as their spirit prevailing over the survival in those heavy conditions made them alive.
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Note added at 1 hr (2014-02-06 15:43:57 GMT)
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Under "being alive" I mean not only existence but working, struggling, loving, reading books, helping each other, in whole - getting everything the life can give. I know it because I am from Leningrad myself.
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Note added at 26 mins (2014-02-06 15:03:29 GMT)
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There coudn't be any dehumanization of Leningrad people as their spirit prevailing over the survival in those heavy conditions made them alive.
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Note added at 1 hr (2014-02-06 15:43:57 GMT)
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Under "being alive" I mean not only existence but working, struggling, loving, reading books, helping each other, in whole - getting everything the life can give. I know it because I am from Leningrad myself.
+2
1 hr
Rachel Douglas
United States
United States
Native in English
Works in field
United States
Excellent English from Russian originals
Native in: English (Variants: British, Australian, US)
Works in: Russian to English
Related KudoZ points
:
16
a higher state of being
I think you could embellish it like that, because "spirit" + "being" don't flash from the page as Hegelian lingo in English, the way they (maybe?) do in Russian?
"It was simply impossible for the Leningraders to be 'dehumanized,' for the spirit that prevailed over their harsh daily life transformed it into a higher state of being."
If, however, you happen to know that the diarist was a professor or a philosopher or a philosophy-imbued writer, then ... maybe you would want to capture the Hegelian language? Only way I can think of would be by capitalization. And a slightly different treatment of the participle:
"It was simply impossible for the Leningraders to be 'dehumanized,' for the Spirit, prevailing over their harsh daily life, transformed it into Being."
But you'd have to know that that's how the writer wanted it to come off.
"It was simply impossible for the Leningraders to be 'dehumanized,' for the spirit that prevailed over their harsh daily life transformed it into a higher state of being."
If, however, you happen to know that the diarist was a professor or a philosopher or a philosophy-imbued writer, then ... maybe you would want to capture the Hegelian language? Only way I can think of would be by capitalization. And a slightly different treatment of the participle:
"It was simply impossible for the Leningraders to be 'dehumanized,' for the Spirit, prevailing over their harsh daily life, transformed it into Being."
But you'd have to know that that's how the writer wanted it to come off.
Note from asker:
| I like that, without the Hegelianism. The author was an archeologist and orientalist, which jobs he could probably perform competently without Hegel! |
2 hrs
... transforming their daily trials and tribulations into a tribute
To continue from my discussion entry above, take Rachel's sentence and plug this in. A few other possible options, real quick, off the top of my head:
drudgery into destiny
privations into a privilege
travails into a triumph
misery into mission/messianism (well, maybe not this one:))
Swords into ploughshares would sure sound good too, except it doesn't fit.:)
Naturally, all of this only goes if you are willing to take a few liberties with the original. I know I always do, unless it's heavy legal. Pisatel, blin.
drudgery into destiny
privations into a privilege
travails into a triumph
misery into mission/messianism (well, maybe not this one:))
Swords into ploughshares would sure sound good too, except it doesn't fit.:)
Naturally, all of this only goes if you are willing to take a few liberties with the original. I know I always do, unless it's heavy legal. Pisatel, blin.
+3
2 hrs
Michael Korovkin
Italy
Italy
Native in Russian
&
English
Italy
Native in: English 
, Russian
Works in: Russian to English, English to Russian, Italian to Russian, and 2 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
4
...spirit helped them to transcend their harsh conditions and not only to survive but (to)truly live
ибо is not “because“ but a loftier “for“ :)
Granted the pathos of both the context and the style, I wouldn't bet that "spirit" refers to their spirit and not to The Spirit.
Granted the pathos of both the context and the style, I wouldn't bet that "spirit" refers to their spirit and not to The Spirit.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
MariyaN (X)
9 mins
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спасибо, Мария
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| agree |
Natalia Volkova
31 mins
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спасибо, Наташа
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| neutral |
LilianNekipelov
: I don't think so.
3 hrs
|
| agree |
Andrew Vdovin
8 hrs
|
6 hrs
LilianNekipelov
United States
United States
Native in English
Works in field
United States
Legal and literary translator. Linguist.
Native in: English (Variants: British, US) , Polish (Variant: Standard-Poland)
Works in: Russian to English, Polish to English, Swedish to English
Related KudoZ points
:
4
being
To change existence into being.
11 hrs
Andrew Vdovin
Native in Russian
DELVING into DETAIL
Native in: Russian
Works in: English to Russian, Russian, Russian to English, and 2 more.
hardship into comradeship
hardship into sportsmanship
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Note added at 11 hrs (2014-02-07 02:25:29 GMT)
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...which turned their hard existance into (a) hardened being.
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Note added at 11 hrs (2014-02-07 02:27:25 GMT)
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The key point is that there must something in both words/phrases that sounds kind of similar (like быт - бытие).
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Note added at 11 hrs (2014-02-07 02:30:56 GMT)
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Or probably this one:
(physical) existence into (spiritual) resistance
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Note added at 11 hrs (2014-02-07 02:33:26 GMT)
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You may beat me hard, but I do like the "EXISTENCE - RESISTANCE" pair, whatever the adjectives.
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Note added at 11 hrs (2014-02-07 02:25:29 GMT)
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...which turned their hard existance into (a) hardened being.
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Note added at 11 hrs (2014-02-07 02:27:25 GMT)
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The key point is that there must something in both words/phrases that sounds kind of similar (like быт - бытие).
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Note added at 11 hrs (2014-02-07 02:30:56 GMT)
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Or probably this one:
(physical) existence into (spiritual) resistance
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Note added at 11 hrs (2014-02-07 02:33:26 GMT)
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You may beat me hard, but I do like the "EXISTENCE - RESISTANCE" pair, whatever the adjectives.
Discussion
Absolutely! There's nothing about philosophy or religion in this sentence.
Existance имеет такой дополнительный оттенок?