# Croatian (BCS): a momentous engagement with freedom's possibilities



## sauge

Hello! Here's a conundrum:

Development is an important engagement with the possibilities of freedom. 

Razvoj je važan dogovor? ugovor? obaveza? ...? s/prema? mogućnostima slobode. (?) (nemam pojma šta ovo ima značiti!)

This obviously doesn't make any sense, and I don't have a good dictionary here to look it up. Please, how do you understand this "engagement with"?

Endlessly grateful!


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## sokol

If it's any consolation, the English sentence doesn't make too much sense to me either. 

We'd need the broader context I think - the one or two sentences written before this one, or the broader extralinguistic context.


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## sauge

Well, it is from a book on economics; the whole book is about interdependance of economic development and various aspects of freedom. It ends with a quotation from a poem, after which comes this sentence. Actually, I've shortened it a little. Here's the entire sentence:

Development is indeed a momentous engagement with freedom's possibilities.


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## sokol

I'm sorry but I still can't quite make head nor tail of that. (But I'd like to note that both those sentences are significantly different.  So anyway, let's only focus on the latter.)

Basically it all depends on the point made in this book, as this (plus the poem) obviously is the _bon mot_ by which the author wants to close it. So if you've understood the book fully you should get that one too.

I can only make an educated guess:

- _Probably _that guy argues that freedom (or certain aspects of it) is important for development, and that development will be hindered in a society if freedom is obstructed.

- If this were the case then the sentence _might _mean that development does, for a short period (or periods) of time isinfluenced, and *is * influencing, those aspects of freedom: in other words, the author _might _try to make a point of development aiding and fostering freedom.

But it might be as well something else.
Anyway, of one thing I'm sure: you won't get far with a literal translation here.


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## sauge

I found that meaning of "involvement", so I've written: 

Razvoj je zaista izuzetno važno uključenje u mogućnosti slobode. 

But I'm not happy about it. Thank you anyway! 
 
(Yes, he does see development AS freedom.)


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## sokol

So we're at least on the right track. 

And you're right of course, this is tough; I'm sorry but with improvements on your translation attempt I can't be of much help.


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## Athaulf

sauge said:


> I found that meaning of "involvement", so I've written:
> 
> Razvoj je zaista izuzetno važno uključenje u mogućnosti slobode.



Izvorna rečenica zvuči užasno, tako da ne vjerujem da je neki kvalitetan prijevod uopće moguć. Ipak, čini mi se da autor ima na umu "engagement" u smislu "suočavanja", tj. želi reći da sloboda nudi mogućnosti koje zahtijevaju aktivan trud i rad da bi se realizirale. "Razvoj" je drugo ime za taj trud i rad skupa s njihovim rezultatima, što je vjerojatno motiviralo autora da opiše razvoj kao "velebno suočavanje s mogućnostima slobode".  Sve u svemu, grozno loša formulacija, ali mislim da bi to bio najtočniji prijevod ako sam dobro pogodio misli iza izvorne rečenice.


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## sauge

Joj, hvala puno! I inače ima podosta ovakvih formulacija u cijeloj knjizi, pa sam mislila da ne znam engleski ni toliko koliko sam mislila da znam. Sad mi je lakše!

"Razvoj je izuzetno značajno suočavanje s mogućnostima slobode." Ha? Ma da. Kad sam sve već riješila, nek i urednik nešto radi. 

(This guy, the author, really means well. He just wasn't born to an English speaking country, poor soul. Anyway, thank you very much for your help! )


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## Majalj

Ja bih rekla da je želio reći da je *razvoj obaveza od ogromnog značaja za sve aspekte slobode*.  Vjerojatno ima smisla kad se prevede doslovno na autorov maternji...


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