# blouznit o/blouznění



## Tennessee Trev

Hello,

How would you best translate the word "blouznit" in the headline "Jimmy Carter blouzní o Hamasu jako politickém aktérovi"?

The article (http://www.reflex.cz/clanek/komenta...louzni-o-hamasu-jako-politickem-akterovi.html) also contains the sentence: "Dnes jeho [Carterův] snahy působí jako blouznění."

My dictionary gives options for "blouznit" that range from enthusiasm ("enthuse", "go into raptures"), to fond indulgence ("daydream", "fantasize") to all-out madness ("be delirious", "rave"). Which is most appropriate in this context? How derogatory is the headline?

Děkuji předem!


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## Enquiring Mind

Hi TT, I'm not a native speaker, but having read the article, I understand 'blouznit' here in the headline to mean that Carter is talking nonsense, fantasizing, daydreaming - you can't take what he is saying seriously - he has 'lost the plot', he doesn't have a realistic grasp of the situation. There are more pejorative verbs, e.g. blábolit, kecat, but the author chose not to use one of those, and they are rather unlikely in a headline anyway.

I would say the headline is mildly pejorative and condescending - poor man, he's lost his marbles, he doesn't know what he's talking about any more.  

Translating the headline is difficult, because British journalists in any kind of serious media have to be careful to appear objective and avoid 'loaded' terminology, especially in headlines. I don't think 'moot' (= 'suggest') is disparaging enough here for 'blouzní', but that's what I would write (Jimmy Carter moots Hamas as political player), or else avoid the verb altogether and say 'Jimmy Carter: treat Hamas as political player'.   In the other sentence (Dnes jeho snahy působí jako blouznění) I think you would be justified in using the word 'madness'.

But this is as much a test of one's understanding of English journalese and headline writing as of understanding the meaning of 'blouznit' and 'blouznění'.


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## Tennessee Trev

Enquiring Mind said:


> Hi TT, I'm not a native speaker, but having read the article, I understand 'blouznit' here in the headline to mean that Carter is talking nonsense, fantasizing, daydreaming - you can't take what he is saying seriously - he has 'lost the plot', he doesn't have a realistic grasp of the situation. There are more pejorative verbs, e.g. blábolit, kecat, but the author chose not to use one of those, and they are rather unlikely in a headline anyway.
> 
> I would say the headline is mildly pejorative and condescending - poor man, he's lost his marbles, he doesn't know what he's talking about any more.
> 
> Translating the headline is difficult, because British journalists in any kind of serious media have to be careful to appear objective and avoid 'loaded' terminology, especially in headlines. I don't think 'moot' (= 'suggest') is disparaging enough here for 'blouzní', but that's what I would write (Jimmy Carter moots Hamas as political player), or else avoid the verb altogether and say 'Jimmy Carter: treat Hamas as political player'.   In the other sentence (Dnes jeho snahy působí jako blouznění) I think you would be justified in using the word 'madness'.
> 
> But this is as much a test of one's understanding of English journalese and headline writing as of understanding the meaning of 'blouznit' and 'blouznění'.



Yes, I was quite surprised by the tone of the headline. The whole article is disparaging, but blouznit/blouznění seems especially insulting, which made me wonder whether the author was using it to mean something like "cloying enthusiasm" rather than the other dictionary meanings.

Thanks for your reply - let's see if a native speaker agrees!


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## nueby

Tennessee Trev said:


> Yes, I was quite surprised by the tone of the headline. The whole article is disparaging, but blouznit/blouznění seems especially insulting, which made me wonder whether the author was using it to mean something like "cloying enthusiasm" rather than the other dictionary meanings.
> 
> Thanks for your reply - let's see if a native speaker agrees!



I read much of the article for context. Reflex can have strong opinions, so I am trying to ignore the fact that this is a headline in print. Here in the U.S. I would expect either "rambles" or "hallucinates" because they imply an impairment brought on by high fever, which is present in the original, but I am having trouble thinking of a local periodical that would be so colorfully blunt in a headline. No cloying enthusiasm intended. (And, yes, I am a native, just permanently elsewhere.)


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## Tennessee Trev

nueby said:


> I read much of the article for context. Reflex can have strong opinions, so I am trying to ignore the fact that this is a headline in print. Here in the U.S. I would expect either "rambles" or "hallucinates" because they imply an impairment brought on by high fever, which is present in the original, but I am having trouble thinking of a local periodical that would be so colorfully blunt in a headline. No cloying enthusiasm intended. (And, yes, I am a native, just permanently elsewhere.)



Thanks nueby!


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