To Be or Not to Be

Urdu translation: جینا یا مرنا،( اب یہی سوال ہے)

02:51 Jul 5, 2008
English to Urdu translations [PRO]
Education / Pedagogy / General
English term or phrase: To Be or Not to Be
This is the pharase written under a picture of an infant. The infant is having his hand under the chin. I'm wondering how we can translate this phrase into Urdu langauge
Nadir
Urdu translation:جینا یا مرنا،( اب یہی سوال ہے)
Explanation:
The phrase "to be, or not to be" comes from William Shakespeare's Hamlet,and considered by some people to be among the most famous quotations in world literature
Meaning

Is it better to live or to die?


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Note added at 25 mins (2008-07-05 03:17:08 GMT)
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I think it is metaphoric here to be be said by a child

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Note added at 26 mins (2008-07-05 03:18:11 GMT)
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to be or not to be that is the question
Selected response from:

samargawad
Local time: 11:34
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +4جینا یا مرنا،( اب یہی سوال ہے)
samargawad
5 +2وجود ہو یا نہ ہو، سوال یہ ہے
u2me2them
5ھو یا نہ ھو
Shabbir Limbada
4 +1Zindagi badtar ya maut/ Zindagi behtar ya maut
Qudsia Lone
4 +1ڈبویا مجھ کو ہونے نے نہ ہوتا میں تو کیا ہوتا
Basit Ijaz
3 +1رہیں یا نہ رہیں/بچیں یا نہ بچیں/جیئں یا نہ جیئں/بنیں یا نہ بنیں
Ramesh Bhatt


  

Answers


24 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +4
to be or not to be
جینا یا مرنا،( اب یہی سوال ہے)


Explanation:
The phrase "to be, or not to be" comes from William Shakespeare's Hamlet,and considered by some people to be among the most famous quotations in world literature
Meaning

Is it better to live or to die?


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 25 mins (2008-07-05 03:17:08 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I think it is metaphoric here to be be said by a child

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 26 mins (2008-07-05 03:18:11 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

to be or not to be that is the question


    Reference: http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/385300.html
samargawad
Local time: 11:34
Native speaker of: Native in ArabicArabic, Native in UrduUrdu
PRO pts in category: 12
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Asghar Bhatti
8 hrs
  -> Many Thanks Asghar :))

agree  Samira Khalid: Very well put.
16 hrs
  -> Thanks a Million, Samira :))

agree  Irshad Muhammad
1 day 56 mins
  -> Many Thanks, Arshad :))

agree  Ramesh Bhatt
3 days 14 hrs
  -> Many thanks, Ramesh :))
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10 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
to be or not to be
ھو یا نہ ھو


Explanation:
to be or not to be ھو یا نہ ھو
Should it happen or should it not.

"to be, or not to be" comes from William Shakespeare's Hamlet,and considered by some people to be among the most famous quotations in world literature۔





Shabbir Limbada
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:34
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in UrduUrdu, Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Ramesh Bhatt: Hooun ya na Hooun would be a better option. It pertains to the predicament of human existence in this world.
3 days 4 hrs
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1 day 14 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
to be or not to be
Zindagi badtar ya maut/ Zindagi behtar ya maut


Explanation:
(Sorry, I'm using someone else's computer so can't provide Urdu font.)

I think translating this phrase literally takes away from its meaning. Two options have come to mind. Perhaps someone can come up with a better version that may not be literal but would convey the essence of the phrase in a better way.

The placement of this phrase with the image of the child seems odd. The only thing that comes to mind is that it may be a commentary on the hopelessness of the present age--a commentary on the legacy of poverty and corruption being left for children. For those suffering from hunger and poverty in many parts of the world, this phrase may be an every day reality.

Qudsia Lone
United States
Local time: 05:34
Works in field
Native speaker of: Urdu

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Ramesh Bhatt: That is a fine dimension to it, a very pleasant one.
2 days 5 mins
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2 days 13 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
to be or not to be
ڈبویا مجھ کو ہونے نے نہ ہوتا میں تو کیا ہوتا


Explanation:
In my view this could also be a translation of thought. Only second part i.e. نہ ہوتا میں تو کیا ہوتا can also be used.

Basit Ijaz
Pakistan
Local time: 14:34
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Urdu
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Ramesh Bhatt: Wonderful. Aad Ja kay Kaheein Ham ko Ghalib Ka Khayal Aaya. Qudsia Lone is not right in asserting that Shakespeare's idea is the only idea conveyed by the expression. And Ghalib's expression can be used in new light as well. There is no restriction to it.
1 day 1 hr
  -> Thank you Bhatt Sb...:-)

neutral  Qudsia Lone: It's a beautiful thought but doesn't convey the human suffering portrayed by Shakespear. Ghalib, here, is merely indulging in poetic word play, especially considering the first verse of the couplet that's something like 'na tha kuch to khuda thaa...
1 day 6 hrs
  -> Thank you for not disagreement...:-)
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7 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
to be or not to be
رہیں یا نہ رہیں/بچیں یا نہ بچیں/جیئں یا نہ جیئں/بنیں یا نہ بنیں


Language variant: جینا یہاں مرنا یہاں اس کے سوا جانا کہاں

Explanation:
رہیں یا نہ رہیں/بچیں یا نہ بچیں/جیئں یا نہ جیئں/بنیں یا نہ بنیں
can also be replaced by suitable varients like:
رہیں نا رہیں ہم /بچیں نہ بچیںہم /جیئں نہ جیئں ہم /بنیں نہ بنیں ہم

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Note added at 6 days (2008-07-11 10:07:45 GMT)
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My wise peers are committing a mistake. "To be or not to be" isn't to be associated with the context with which Shakespeare used it. That will rob language and words and expressions of any further use except the one in which a famous person did it first time. Similarly, Ghalib's context in the expression "Na Hoota Main to Kya Hoota?" isn't to be understood as the only meaning in which the expression was brought into being by Ghalib. Everybody has his freedom to use any expression in new contexts, with new messages and meanings. "To be or not to be" in a painting is just a fresh expression, with fresh meaning. Shakespeare has nothing to do with it, though Shakespeare also used it in whatever he meant it for.

Ramesh Bhatt
Nepal
Local time: 15:19
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in UrduUrdu, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Irshad Muhammad
17 hrs
  -> Thanks a lot!
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13 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +2
to be or not to be
وجود ہو یا نہ ہو، سوال یہ ہے


Explanation:
My dear learned friends and asker, let me just paraphrase the background of this all-time-famous phrase and then we can look at it from the context of the given image of a child;
This favourite of mine has been taken from Shakespeare's play 'Hamlet', 1603 (Shakespeare's actual title is - The tragedie of Hamlet, prince of Denmarke):
It's about one's existence...well at least it's how we were taught so in English Lit. any how,
The speech is a subtle and profound examining of what is more crudely expressed in the phrase out of the frying pan into the fire. - in essence 'life is bad, but death might be worse'.
So when you have a small child with his/her hand under his/her chin, I think 'death' should not shadow any of the above context, quite contrary to that, this is more of a child's mature thinking, on life and his/her existence and the reasons and objectives of life itself. (I think that's quite sweet actually)

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Note added at 6 days (2008-07-11 13:49:40 GMT)
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I'm feeling really sorry for the asker here, because all they want to know is not purely the meaning, but : ''This is the pharase written under a picture of an infant....'' so i think it would be a helpful thing if we all tried to revise our responses but this time, putting them in the above context.... so my friends................THAT is the question!

Example sentence(s):
  • To be, or not to be, that is the Question:Whether 'tis Nobler in the minde to suffer

    Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_be,_or_not_to_be
    Reference: http://www.enotes.com/shakespeare-quotes/not-that-question
u2me2them
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:34
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in UrduUrdu

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Irshad Muhammad
11 hrs

agree  Ramesh Bhatt: "this is more of a child's mature thinking, on life and his/her existence and the reasons and objectives of life itself", I agree with that. But why then "سوال یہ ہے" in your reply?
5 days
  -> Much appreciated Ramesh, with regards to your further question, there's 2 ways of looking at it 1. child:s/he wants to know what they r doing in this world and how they came to be, 2.This is a comparison of the two faces of our existence: life or death <>
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