# להקליל את האווירה



## amikama

במקומות עבודה הומור יכול לעזור ליישב מחלוקות, להקליל את האווירה ולקדם עבודת צוות בריאה.

מה התרגום המתאים ביותר לביטוי "להקליל את האווירה"? (המשמעות היא להפוך את האווירה לפחות כבדה ורצינית ויותר נינוחה.)


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## Drink

Lighten the air/atmosphere?


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## Ali Smith

Is להקליל the infinitive of hif’il קלל? If so, shouldn’t it have been לְהָקֵל ‘to lighten’?


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## amikama

Ali Smith said:


> Is להקליל the infinitive of hif’il קלל?


Yes.



Ali Smith said:


> If so, shouldn’t it have been לְהָקֵל ‘to lighten’?


No. להקליל means 'to lighten' (=to relax, to make something less serious, 'heavy'), while להקל is 'to ease, to relieve'.


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## Drink

Oh another option: lighten the mood.


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## Ali Smith

amikama said:


> להקליל means 'to lighten' (=to relax, to make something less serious, 'heavy'), while להקל is 'to ease, to relieve'.


Thanks. According to the rules of classical Hebrew, however, the former is not possible; only the latter is correct. Right?


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## Drink

No that is incorrect, both are possible.


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## elroy

I suggest “foster/create a more relaxed atmosphere.”

“lighten” to me implies that the atmosphere is tense, which I don’t think is implied in the original. 

_In the workplace, humor can help resolve disputes, foster/create a more relaxed atmosphere, and promote healthy teamwork. _


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## rosemarino

I agree with Drink here.  The original does seem to imply that there could be some tension in the air, i.e.,  ליישב מחלוקות.

Therefore, "to lighten the air," or "to lighten the atmosphere," would be the closest translations, and both expressions would fit in both a colloquial and a higher register context.


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## elroy

rosemarino said:


> The original does seem to imply that there could be some tension in the air, i.e.,  ליישב מחלוקות.


That’s a separate item.  It means humor can help resolve disputes _when_ there are disputes, and separately, it can generally help create a more relaxed atmosphere even when there are no disputes or tension.  The two items are not referring to the same types of situations.

That’s how I read it anyway.  @amikama can tell us for sure how he meant it.


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## amikama

After thinking about it, both readings of the original sentence are possible. The atmosphere in the workplaces could be serious and severe without being tense. In other words, the original expression does not necessarily imply that the atmosphere is tense


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