Всесторонне обсудив тему,...

[freiburg234.livejournal.com]

Dear Community,

Could you please provide your input regarding the following?

Всесторонне обсудив тему, ... .
1. работа была начата
2. было произведено начало работ
3. можно начинать работу
4. работа началась

It seems that 4. is the correct response. However, I'm not certain why each of the other three is incorrect.

Could you explain what it is about the other three that makes them each incorrect?

Thank you for your inut.

Regards,

ФБ

UDATE: One thanks very much for the great input. One has now understood that one must often think as one in Russian. BTW. German is similar, but Russian, one thinks, goes a step farther, as evidenced, not least, by forms such as the ubiquitous "можно", "нужно" - "one may", "one needs".

Comments

[freiburg234.livejournal.com]

So, basically, 3. means, "After having discussed the topic we are now prepared to work."

Thet others, 1,2 and 4, do not contain the implication of the subject "we" and are therefore not suitable here.

Is that correct?

[letnja-kisha.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's "we" per se (could be the impersonal "you" as in "After having discussed .., you can start work"), but otherwise you're correct (the other ones don't have a "personal" subject at all).

[freiburg234.livejournal.com]

Well, I think by impersonal "you" you mean to say "one". (The informal impersonal "you" doesn't work here at all, in my opinion). Your Russian impersonal could work in German with "man", but in English it would look very odd here and might not make any sense at all. So, in order for it to make sense in English, you've got to convert it to a personal "we", at least in terms of understanding: Otherwise, I don't see how one can grasp what you're trying to communicate.

[letnja-kisha.livejournal.com]

Well, in English you can use "you" as "one", only it's more informal. The problem with "one" is that it's singular and that's why it doesn't fit. If you could say "ones", then it'd work. And "you" doesn't specify if it's singular or plural, so it could work:
"After discussing the topic, you can start the work" (meaning not you specifically, but in general)

[freiburg234.livejournal.com]

After discussing the topic, you can start the work" (meaning not you specifically, but in general) - I don't think this means what you intend to imply. The *you* may be addressed to a group, but it's not an anonymous group in the sense of the impersonal.

"After having discussed the topic one can start the work." - English does not use impersonal in this manner.

If at all one can say...

"After having discussed the topic, the work may be commenced." - That, I think, is the right way to do it. - But then that's a passive.

In any case, one should not attempt to assume Russian thinking in English. That is as wrong as it is in the other direction, in my opinion.