Translation help
Oct. 1st, 2004 08:05 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
gaidheal.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
learn_russianМы жалим, что наш президент - идиот. Мы за него не проголосовали.
We're sorry that our president is an idiot. We did not vote for him.
So, what's wrong with my translation? I haven't had a Russian class in three or four months (they'll be starting up again soon, yay), so my Russian has decayed. Furthermore, I only have the vaguest idea of aspect, so I went with perfective, thinking that it would mean the action was complete. So, if you could help improve my translation, I'd be much obliged!
Спасибо,
Гаел
We're sorry that our president is an idiot. We did not vote for him.
So, what's wrong with my translation? I haven't had a Russian class in three or four months (they'll be starting up again soon, yay), so my Russian has decayed. Furthermore, I only have the vaguest idea of aspect, so I went with perfective, thinking that it would mean the action was complete. So, if you could help improve my translation, I'd be much obliged!
Спасибо,
Гаел
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2004-10-01 05:21 pm (UTC)"Мы за него не проголосовали" would be good in the situation when the elections happened only recently and you wished to vote but somehow were not able to. So the words you need to say "we didn't vote for him" would be "мы за него не голосовали".
The final result: Нам жаль, что наш президент - идиот. Мы за него не голосовали.
no subject
Date: 2004-10-01 05:28 pm (UTC)Мы жалеем (от жалеть)
Лучше: "мы сожалеем" или "нам жаль"
"жалим" от "жалить"= to sting
>не проголосовали
не голосовали
no subject
Date: 2004-10-01 05:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-01 05:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-01 05:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-01 05:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-01 05:46 pm (UTC)You could also say «мы жалеем» (but not «мы жалим», which is "we sting") but Russian usually prefers modal expressions to verbs when dealing with emotions and states of mind.
Imperfective is mostly used with the negative in the past tense, no matter whether the action was single or repeated. Past tenses of perfective verbs with «не» has a distinct meaning of either a failed intension or an averted possibility . So saying «мы за него не проголосовали» is "we didn't get around to voting for him" rather than "we didn't vote for him".
no subject
Date: 2004-10-01 05:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-01 05:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-01 05:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-01 05:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-01 05:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-01 05:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-01 05:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-01 06:07 pm (UTC)"простите нас" --- будет звучать довольно-таки лицемерно :)
no subject
Date: 2004-10-01 06:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-01 07:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-01 08:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-01 08:53 pm (UTC)Notice that when you say "I am sorry" you do not really say it in the literal meaning of the word "sorry". This is a fixed expression (an idiom, perhaps?) which is a standard way to express a light apology, or sometimes commiseration, etc. Of course, it could have the literal meaning as well.
no subject
Date: 2004-10-01 11:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-02 08:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-02 09:01 am (UTC)So, yes, it has a neurotic inner meaning :-)
no subject
Date: 2004-10-03 04:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-05 11:20 pm (UTC)... which means only about half of his people are somewhat satisfied with him (or ignorant) enough to vote for him.
the other half seems to despise him.