бытие

English translation: enrichment of one\'s life

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

Russian term or phrase:	бытие
English translation:	enrichment of one\'s life
Entered by:	Susan Welsh

14:37 Feb 6, 2014

Russian to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Philosophy / siege of Leningrad

Russian term or phrase: бытие

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.)

Susan Welsh KudoZ activity Questions: 524 (none open) (22 closed without grading) Answers: 462 United States
Local time: 09:53

made their (harsh) living meaningful

Explanation:
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.

Selected response from:

Yana Soboleva
Local time: 17:53

Grading 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.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

4 +4

made their (harsh) living meaningful

Yana Soboleva

4 +3

...spirit helped them to transcend their harsh conditions and not only to survive but (to)truly live

Michael Korovkin

3 +2

a higher state of being

Rachel Douglas

being

LilianNekipelov

being alive

Nadezhda Golubeva

hardship into comradeship

Andrew Vdovin

... transforming their daily trials and tribulations into a tribute

The Misha

Discussion entries: 6

Answers

46 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +4

made their (harsh) living meaningful

Yana Soboleva
Local time: 17:53
Native speaker of: Russian
PRO pts in category: 4

Grading comment

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

agree

Rocketman

1 hr

-> Thanks a lot!

agree

Alexander Teplitsky: Подходит по контексту и не делает текст "зажеванным". Все таки краткость - сестра таланта.

2 hrs

-> Спасибо!

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

-> Thank for your comment. I just tried to translate the meaning of the sentence (as I see it).

neutral

LilianNekipelov: Not exactly. Too free an interpretation.

5 hrs

-> Thank you anyway for your opinion.

agree

Evgeny Kuznetsov

10 hrs

-> Thank you!

agree

cyhul

5 days

-> Thanks a lot!

12 mins confidence:

being alive

Explanation:
***

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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)
--------------------------------------------------

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.

Nadezhda Golubeva
Russian Federation
Local time: 16:53
Native speaker of: Russian
PRO pts in category: 4

1 hr confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

a higher state of being

Explanation:
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.

Rachel Douglas
United States
Local time: 09:53
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 16

Notes to answerer

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 confidence:

... transforming their daily trials and tribulations into a tribute

Explanation:
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.

The Misha
Local time: 09:53
Works in field
Native speaker of:

Russian

2 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

...spirit helped them to transcend their harsh conditions and not only to survive but (to)truly live

Explanation:
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.

Michael Korovkin
Italy
Local time: 15:53
Native speaker of:

English,

Russian
PRO pts in category: 4

6 hrs confidence:

being

Explanation:
To change existence into being.

LilianNekipelov
United States
Local time: 09:53
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English,

Polish
PRO pts in category: 4

11 hrs confidence:

hardship into comradeship

Explanation:
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)
--------------------------------------------------

Or probably this one:
(physical) existence into (spiritual) resistance

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 11 hrs (2014-02-07 02:33:26 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

You may beat me hard, but I do like the "EXISTENCE - RESISTANCE" pair, whatever the adjectives.

Andrew Vdovin
Local time: 20:53
Native speaker of:

Russian

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