Ilya will be along soon and explain everything 👍🏼 😝

Uly, thank you for your kind announcement. Not. 😒

Alex Sos, вы шире контекст посмотрите:
“You are kidding me. They think we’ll get hysterical in space?”
Nathaniel shook his head and gestured toward the bus stop. “I thought we might go dancing tonight.”
Grinding my teeth, I jammed my hands into my coat pockets. “Why not a show, while we’re at it.”

Они говорили о том, что женщины начать истерику в космосе. Поэтому она говорит - ну раз уж речь зашла про истерику, а не устроить ли мне шоу.

Спасибо! Понял.

That is absolutely NOT what that means! It means, after telling something so unnerving, you invite me to go dancing? Why not go see a show too and make it a REALLY fun night!

It’s called sarcasm.

A show isn’t a concert! It’s a play, as in a Broadway show.

Uly, "устроить концерт", "закатить истерику" = make a show, put on an act
Но вы, конечно, вольны давать свою, единственно верную интерпретацию.

You’re unbelievable. Notice that it says while WE’RE at it. She isn’t talking about herself putting on a show, she’s talking about both of them going to a show.

But what do I care? Translate it any way you want. 👍🏼 it’s the blind leading the blind.

Хорошо. Перевел:
- А чего до вечера-то тянуть? Устроим потеху публике прямо здесь и сейчас.

That’s absolutely wrong.

Lately LL becomes more interesting )))

It’s a circus. This is a perfect example.

*LL has been getting more and more interesting lately.

There is always tension between the new users and the old ones. Then it turns into arguments and sometimes it gets ugly. But it looks like we all love it ))))))

Who is that "we all" ? No need to generalize.

- Я подумал, что сегодня вечером мы могли бы пойти потанцевать.
- А почему заодно не на спектакль/на шоу// А почему не в театр, если (уж) на то пошло?

Alrx Sos, это слишком вольная интерпретация. И, мне кажется, вы неправильно поняли выражение "while we are at it". Это не означает "здесь и сейчас".
"while we are at it" - подразумевает, что сделаем/обсудим что-то ещё, пока мы "at it", т.е. пока мы не ушли от этой темы.
На русском можно сказать "раз уж мы затронули эту тему", "коль скоро мы заговорили об этом", "кстати об X, ..."
У нас с Uly возникли разногласия. Он считает, что it в данном случае - это поход на танцы, и она предлагает пойти вместо этого пойти на шоу. Я считаю, что it - это женские истерики. Обе интерпретации возможны. Но мне кажется, что моя более правдоподобна.

>Notice that it says while WE’RE at it.
Uly, а как должно было бы быть? "While YOU are at it?" Получается "Why not put on a show, while you are at it" - получается она ему предлагает устроить шоу? Или "While I am at it?" Но это не она говорит, что женщины склонны устраивать истерики. Нет, ваш контраргумент ничего не опровергает. И в вашей, и в моей интерпретации будет "we are".

First of all, let me make it clear that I’m not in any way defending your interpretation because it’s absolutely incorrect. You have twisted that statement into a fantasy scenario that isn’t there. The woman is responding to the fact that the man so sanguinely suggest going dancing after dropping the bombshell that some man suggested women may become hysterical in space. So the woman sarcastically responded with what amounts to: “Oh, why just go dancing after that wonderful news? Let’s REALLY celebrate and watch a show to boot!” WHILE WE’RE AT IT means заодно — to suggest dancing AND watching a show… as in a stage production, a musical.

Here’s the definition: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/while%20%28one%27s%29%20at%20it

+++Tatiana: That’s the perfect translation. And if you can make it more sarcastic — even better.

Он считает, что it в данном случае - это поход на танцы,

This is a fixed phrase — it always contains IT! Uly didn’t think anything — Uly KNOWS English.

Я считаю, что it - это женские истерики.

😂 I’ve seen everything!))))

Alex, stick with Ilya — you’re in good hands! 😆 You make a brilliant team 🎖

+++Zoya! Who is “we all”? You can also just ask “Do you have a mouse in your pocket?” 😂

Uly, you convinced me, thanks.

Тогда так:

Я думал, мы могли бы сходить потанцевать сегодня.
А заодно и на спектакль, ага.

>This is a fixed phrase — it always contains IT!
Don't argue with that. It always contain "it", which refers to "some related activity".

>Uly didn’t think anything — Uly KNOWS English.
Вот же блин.. если бы не этот апломб... Uly, я вот знаю русский. Неплохо знаю. Это не означает, что я в нем не делаю ошибок. Это не означает, что кто-то может предложить лучшую формулировку. Я уж не говорю о том, что бывают ситуации, которые в принципе не предполагают однозначного понимания. Скромнее надо быть.

It’s not aplomb, it’s fact. I’m an editor in chief for an international publishing house, so it’s my JOB to know English on a deeper level than the average native speaker. Furthermore, I’m the only native English speaker on this site, so I’m in a unique position to protect and explain the English that’s presented on here. I don’t argue with Russians about Russian, and I only rarely post Russian translations unless I’m absolutely sure of their correctness. But if there’s a doubt, I immediately correct them or delete them. I would love to be more humble about my knowledge of English, but I can’t. It’s my job and an innate part of me. I can’t tolerate misinterpretations and bad translations… so much for myself, as for the people on this site who are actually trying to LEARN English, and not teach it. I’m glad this post makes sense to you now.

If anything, it takes a certain aplomb to be new to a community and start doing things your way right off the bat, instead of sitting back and observing and seeing how things are done. You know a lot of English and would make a good addition to our community, but you have to be open to correction and instruction because there are people trying to learn English here, and one bad translation can send the wrong message and teach someone a misconception. That’s the only time I step in — as in this post. Whether Alex Sos appreciates my help or not, someone else may read my correction and actually learn something.

Uly, why no article in "It’s not aplomb, it’s fact" ?
Would it be ok to say:
It’s not an aplomb, it’s a fact ?

And if you can make it more sarcastic — even better.

I don’t know any
way to make it more sarcastic other than intonation. 😉

It always contain "it", which refers to "some related activity"

Actually, it doesn’t. If it referred to an activity, you would, by analogy, be able to say “while we’re at dancing,” which is ungrammatical and unidiomatic. IT there is a dummy pronoun, and the entire phrase, “while we’re at it,” is an idiom that means “at the same time.” An idiom, by definition, is a phrase that can’t be taken at face value, word for word, but has a meaning as a whole, as a unit.

+++Tatiana, I think your translation (inasmuch as I can judge Russian) is perfect! It says it all 👍🏼

Russ: A FACT is possible there too. Sometimes we use nouns collectively so that they sound like a classification, rather than an individual item.

Russ,
“Aplomb” is always uncountable, “fact” can be both countable and uncomfortable.

*uncountable (typo)

🤦‍♀️🤣

HolyMoly brings up a good point. FACT, in the collective way I used it, is the opposite of FiCTION - that’s why it’s uncountable. Thank you, Olga!

❤️