# Norwegian: family is unconditional



## Bails23

Hi! My cousin wants to get the phrase "family is unconditional" tattooed in Norwegian but wants to make sure that he has an accurate translation.  The translation that we came up with is "slekt er betingelsesløs".  We were hoping someone would let us know if this was correct and if possible, how would one pronounce the last word?
Thanks!


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## Cerb

While "unconditional" can translate to "betingelsesløs", using it in this context is not very idiomatic. Googling "betingelsesløs" in Norwegian returns a lot of hits for "betingelsesløs kjærlighet" which comes across as an overly literal translation of "unconditional love" to me. A better translation (or form rather) is "ubetinget". "Betingelsesløs" is more in the direction of "conditionless". 

The phrase "slekt er betingelsesløs/ubetinget" is not something I'd immediately understand the meaning of. I'd look for a Norwegian saying or proverb with the same meaning.


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## oskhen

What is the phrase supposed to mean?


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## Bails23

The phrase is supposed to mean that family will always be there for you no matter what.  

Thanks!


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## oskhen

Bails23 said:


> The phrase is supposed to mean that family will always be there for you no matter what.
> 
> Thanks!



What about "Familien stiller ingen betingelser"? It should mean basically that. Or what does other people think?

It's a  bit more ambiguous, though


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## Bails23

What is the exact translation for that?


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## Ceur

oskhen said:


> What about "Familien stiller ingen betingelser"? It should mean basically that. Or what does other people think?
> 
> It's a  bit more ambiguous, though



I just think it sounds wrong for a tattoo, no matter how it's rephrased. 
The only thing that could work is 'Blod er tykkere enn vann', but that's not very original.


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## Alxmrphi

Bails23 when posting in this forum can you include the name of the language you're asking about in the title (like all the other threads are labelled?)
It's so much easier then for people who want to look at information about specific languages they're learning.

Thanks!



			
				Rules said:
			
		

> *5.* Thread titles
> 
> Put the word or phrase in the title when  asking a question (avoid "translation please", "how do I say this?",  "does this word exist?", "I'm new", "Help!" and the like).
> *Always* indicate what language your question is asking about (example: _Danish: Pronunciation peculiarities_). If it encompasses multiple languages, indicate this as well (example: _All Scandinavian languages: False friends_).


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## oskhen

Bails23 said:


> What is the exact translation for that?



I think it would be "The family set no conditions" but I agree with the one who said it doesn't make a very good tattoo. But hey, that's a matter of taste, I suppose.


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## Cerb

As I said earlier, I'd go by Norwegian to make sure it's something that makes proper sense. Proverbs, sayings and idioms very rarely translate well. If you want something really Norwegian there are a lot of instantly recognized lines from Norwegian plays that convey a lot of wisdom and common sense (Ibsen for instance). You also have Håvamål which includes "the proverb poems". The language found in Ibsen quotes might be a bit dated, saying the same of Håvamål would be an understatement.. (Håvamål is translated from Norse by the way, in other words general Scandinavian heritage rather than strictly Norwegian).


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## Silver_Biscuit

For the record, 'family is unconditional' is not an English proverb, saying or idiom. To me, in fact, it sounds pretty awkward and it's definitely not good English. I suppose it's supposed to imply that your family will love you unconditionally, or that your family will always be there for you, no matter what. Cerb says:


> The phrase "slekt er betingelsesløs/ubetinget" is not something I'd immediately understand the meaning of.


The same thing applies to the English - you can work out what it's probably trying to say, but the literal meaning is nonsensical. That may be why finding a Norwegian 'translation' is proving difficult.


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## sendintheclowns

As Silver_Biscuit pointed out, I don't think the phrase "family is unconditional" makes any more sense than e.g. "a dog is unconditional". You can only use the adjective "unconditional" for something that could conceivably have conditions. You could say "The love of a family is unconditional", which could be translated as "Familiekjærlighet er ubegrenset/grenseløs"  ("ubetinget" sounds like one is talking about a prison sentence)


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