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Transtation Translationasked for translation 7 years ago
How to translate? (ru-en)

Так как семестр закончился, мы можем позволить себе отдохнуть где-нибудь у моря.

User translations (4)

  1. 1.

    Now that the semester's over, we can finally go unwind by the sea somewhere.

    translation added by 🇺🇸 Uly 🐝
    Gold ru-en
    3
  2. 2.

    Now that the term is over, we can allow ourselves a vacation somewhere by the sea.

    translation added by Галина Палагута
    Silver ru-en
    3
  3. 3.

    As the term is over, we can afford having a rest in some place near a/the sea.

    translation added by grumbler
    Gold ru-en
    2
  4. 4.

    As

    translation added by Шохрух Олимов
    0

Discussion (22)

Галина Палагутаadded a comment 7 years ago

to afford smth. -- позволить себе что-то купить.
А здесь речь не о деньгах, а о том, что семестр закончился и есть свободное время.

Tatiana Gerasimenkoadded a comment 7 years ago

Совсем необязательно, Галина.

🇺🇸 Uly 🐝added a comment 7 years ago

"to (not) be able to afford" can refer to money or to something that is(n't) in your best interest, depending on the context. In the original post, for example, we have no way of knowing if AFFORD refers to the fact that now that the semester is over, the speakers will have more free time to go on vacation -OR- if they're referring to having enough money. IN MY HUMBLE OPINION, there's nothing about the semester being over that suggests that they're referring to money, so I have to assume that it's a question of practicality, so I agree with grumbler and Galina that either AFFORD or ALLOW are correct here, since their usage is as ambiguous as the original post.

🇺🇸 Uly 🐝added a comment 7 years ago

Grumbler, the correct syntax would be AFFORD TO HAVE A REST, however, we don't use HAVE A REST in the sense of taking a vacation, we use it when someone needs to sit or lie down for a while. We use TAKE A VACATION or TAKE SOME TIME OFF or GO AND UNWIND somewhere. Using "rest" incorrectly is a common pitfall for Russians. I once heard a girl say that she and her friends "go for a rest in the discotheque at night." hahaha. I thought: Now THAT must be one boring disco! :)

🇺🇸 Uly 🐝added a comment 7 years ago

Also, AS at the beginning of a sentence looks and sounds horrible. You can use SEEING AS in this context.

grumbleradded a comment 7 years ago

To make it clear...
Are you saying that "can afford" refers only to money while "can't afford" is more general?
In the original text it's obviously not about the money.

🇺🇸 Uly 🐝added a comment 7 years ago

Also, why didn't anyone use SEMESTER? That's what we call half a school term. Just TERM to me sounds like the entire year.

🇺🇸 Uly 🐝added a comment 7 years ago

No, CAN AFFORD can refer to money or practicality. I agree that there's no indication of money being a factor in this sentence.

🇺🇸 Uly 🐝added a comment 7 years ago

To be honest, if I were translating this professionally, I would just use CAN.

grumbleradded a comment 7 years ago

Все-таки, оттенок у "можем позволить себе" немного другой, чем у просто "можем"

I think the discussion arose from your comment "++Galia ", that was interpreted as an approval of her comment rather than her translation.

🇺🇸 Uly 🐝added a comment 7 years ago

In English, you can use CAN in this context, and it's understood that it's in reference to affording something: Now we can buy that car we always wanted!

Галина Палагутаadded a comment 7 years ago

Улий, спасибо за разъяснения. Кстати, я сама сначала хотела написать просто "can go on vacation", но потом подумала, что будут возражения типа: а как же слово "позволить"? Ну и добавила allow :)

🇺🇸 Uly 🐝added a comment 7 years ago

This is what we call in translation a "problematic" translation. I would just use CAN rather than risk making the English translation more convoluted than the Russian original.

Галина Палагутаadded a comment 7 years ago

Да, когда я переводу на русский, я эту "запутанность", конечно, не допускаю. Но когда переводишь на английский, всегда куча сомнений)

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