# I am not ... suddenly challenged by you



## einy

Hello, English only speakers. Please see a short abstract below.

How do you understand the last phase of the example given below - "...and suddenly challenged by you"?   Please explain in other words.

Thank you!

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Добрый день,

Есть известная цитата из фильма "Волк" с Николсоном:

*Will Randall:* You know, I think I understand what you're like now. You're very beautiful and you think men are only interested in you because you're beautiful, but you want them to be interested in you because you're you. The problem is, aside from all that beauty, you're not very interesting. You're rude, you're hostile, you're sullen, you're withdrawn. I know you want someone to look past all that at the real person underneath but the only reason anyone would bother to look past all that is because you're beautful. Ironic, isn't it? In an odd way you're your own problem.


*Laura:* Sorry. Wrong line. I am not taken aback by your keen insight and suddenly challenged by you.

Все остальное понятно, но подскажите, каков смысл "...and suddenly challenged by you"?

Как перевести всю эту последнюю фразу и слово "Сhallenged": 

- что-то с "сомневаться"?
- что-то с "ставить задачу/пытаться" ( сблизиться с героиней)?
- что-то с "бросать вызов"?
- что-то с "возражать"?

Или дело вообще в сюжете фильма и контекст понять не поможет?

Спасибо!


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## rusita preciosa

einy said:


> - что-то с "сомневаться"?
> - что-то с "ставить задачу/пытаться" ( сблизиться с героиней)?
> - что-то с "бросать вызов"?
> - что-то с "возражать"?


Although I'm not an English-only speaker, the context if very clear to me. In this case *challenge* is the closest to *вызов*. I'm not sure how to translate it into Russian, other than something like *Я не боюсь Bашего вызова*.
 
There is no direct Russian equivalent for English *a challenge / to challenge*.


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## einy

То есть, "вы вовсе не поразили меня своими проницательным догадками обо мне, и вызова вашего я не боюсь!"  ?


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## rusita preciosa

If you want to keep the meaning of "suddenly", then *и вашего внезапного вызова я не боюсь* (although *suddenly* there refers to the fact of being challenged, not the challenge itself).


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## morzh

Another possibility:

"*И Ваш вызов меня не ошеломил*".


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## englishman

einy said:


> *Laura:* Sorry. Wrong line. I am not taken aback by your keen insight and suddenly challenged by you.



To my native ears, this is a strange sentence. It's grammatically awkward (there is, at the least, a missing "not") and the intended meaning of "challenged" is not entirely clear. I would guess it means something like:

".. and I don't suddenly find you threatening."
".. and I don't suddenly find myself in awe of you."


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## Rosett

По-моему, значение задирать, приставать с определенными намерениями.


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## rusita preciosa

Rosett said:


> По-моему, значение задирать, приставать с определенными намерениями.


No it's not


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## Rosett

rusita preciosa said:


> No it's not


Тогда -заигрывать.


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## morzh

Rosett said:


> Тогда -заигрывать.




Do you have to keep guessing? There is a dictionary for that, actually.


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## Rosett

morzh said:


> Do you have to keep guessing? There is a dictionary for that, actually.


И что вы там нашли?


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## morzh

Well, I can certainly tell you what I have NOT found in there. It is "I feel challenged" in the sense of "sexual advances".


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## einy

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Although English is not among the most complex languages, somtimes it can be a real problem for a non-native speaker. Below are the translatons of "to challenge" found in Google (I omited some):


 оспаривать,
бросать вызов
вызывать
требовать
подвергать сомнению
возражать
сомневаться
отрицать
давать отвод
окликать
показывать опознавательные сигналы
And almost every variant fits somehow. I believe there are also a few informal (slang) translations, e.g. meaning something like "sexual harrasment" as well.

Three people gave three different guesses on the translation, and even a native speaker was unsure of the meaning - I think that this is the prove that the phrase is not that simple and we cannot be happy using just the dictionary here.


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## morzh

einy said:


> Ladies and Gentlemen,
> 
> Although English is not among the most complex languages, somtimes it can be a real problem for a non-native speaker. Below are the translatons of "to challenge" found in Google (I omited some):
> 
> 
> оспаривать,
> бросать вызов
> вызывать
> требовать
> подвергать сомнению
> возражать
> сомневаться
> отрицать
> давать отвод
> окликать
> показывать опознавательные сигналы
> And almost every variant fits somehow. I believe there are also a few informal (slang) translations, e.g. meaning something like "sexual harrasment" as well.
> 
> Three people gave three different guesses on the translation, and even a native speaker was unsure of the meaning - I think that this is the prove that the phrase is not that simple and we cannot be happy using just the dictionary here.




I am not sure if you saw the movie "en original", but If you did, you probably would not write that.

The meaning may be construed.....slightly. But The native speaker never indicated he did not understand it, or that he actually considered every single one of those 11 meanings you've listed.

It is not as complex as some here try to make it. It is, as a matter of fact, quite simple. Even though I concede, as Englishman said, the phrase is awkward. Well, there are awkward phrases that nevertheless are perfectly clear, when one needs to understand them.

You just had to see and hear Michelle Pfeiffer saying it. I did. In the context, and given Jack Nicholson presence, I did not have any doubts as to the meaning of it.


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## rusita preciosa

einy said:


> Ladies and Gentlemen,
> 
> Although English is not among the most complex languages, somtimes it can be a real problem for a non-native speaker. Below are the translatons of "to challenge" found in Google



That's what the *context* is for: to understand which option out of many fits the situation.
 
P.S. You may ask on English Only, but I really can't imagine a context (including slang) where *challenge* would mean sexual harassment.


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## morzh

rusita preciosa said:


> P.S. You may ask on English Only, but I really can't imagine a context (including slang) where *challenge* would mean sexual harassment.



Me neither.

(That is, of course, in the US, according to the world's opinion of us, everything can be construed as sexual harassment  )


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## morzh

My take on this scene (again, given the pre-history, the character of Nicholson, the demeanor and the looks of Pfeiffer) is this:

As "challenge" may mean "a person has been challenged to self-re-evaluate herself, to take a deeper look at herself, in view of what's been said", Laura tells Will that "No, your keen insight did not bring me to suddenly take a "deep look in my own soul", and to re-evaluate myself; and in this psychological game you haven't won".

The phrase is perceived in the context of the scene's dynamic and emotional charge delivered by the actors. You simply cannot try to explain it without seeing the movie, and without good enough understanding English so you actually feel what's been said.

That is not to say that different people won't perceive different undertones....after all, it is always a personal experience, that is, watching a movie, but it takes a good understanding of the language coupled with watching the movie.


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## Rosett

rusita preciosa said:


> [/FONT][/COLOR]
> That's what the *context* is for: to understand which option out of many fits the situation.
> 
> P.S. You may ask on English Only, but I really can't imagine a context (including slang) where *challenge* would mean sexual harassment.


Challenge может означать отсталость, неразвитость, отсутствие способностей.

Здесь женщине не нравится, что мужчина явно хочет завязать с ней более близкий контакт. Причем делает это по-принципу "за косички".


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## viesis

I tried to analyse the sentence "I am not taken aback by your keen insight and suddenly challenged by you". What if, for better understanding, we split it in two sentences that are equivalent to the initial one. I thought those two sentences would be: "I am not taken aback by your keen insight. I am not suddenly challenged by you." Then the second part can be translated as "Вы меня врасплох не застали".
Please, correct me if I'm wrong.


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## rusita preciosa

Rosett said:


> Challenge может означать отсталость, неразвитость, отсутствие способностей.
> No, by itself it does not. Only when used in the expression "mentally challeng*ed*".
> Здесь женщине не нравится, что мужчина явно хочет завязать с ней более близкий контакт. Причем делает это по-принципу "за косички".
> OK. If you insist.


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## rusita preciosa

viesis said:


> I am not suddenly challenged by you." Then the second part can be translated as "Вы меня врасплох не застали".
> Please, correct me if I'm wrong.


It's not a bad option given the context, but rather far from the initial meaning of the phrase.


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