# придерживаться свободных взглядов



## Etcetera

Hi all,

I'm thinking about the possible translations of this phrase into English. 
I'm writing an essay about the film Snow Cake, and I want to say that one of the heroines, Maggie, придерживается весьма свободных взглядов. 

I only found in my dictionary _liberal views_, but I'm not sure it's what I need.

Help please!


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## Kriviq

Maybe *permissive* is the word you need.


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## Jana337

She could be a freethinker. Or a libertine (but this implies sexual promisciuty).


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## Crescent

Etcetera, I'm not too sure if this is right (because, to be honest, I don't really understand what the russian phrase means ), but could it possibly be: _She has an open mind/ she is open minded?_

What do the others think? I can't tell whether or not the English meaning corresponds to the sense of the russian phrase..


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## cyanista

Etcetera said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I'm thinking about the possible translations of this phrase into English.
> I'm writing an essay about the film Snow Cake, and I want to say that one of the heroins, Maggie, придерживается весьма свободных взглядов.


You surely meant heroin*e*s, didn't you? 


> I only found in my dictionary _liberal views_, but I'm not sure it's what I need.
> 
> Help please!


I'm not quite sure what you need either. The Russian phrase sounds rather vague. Could you expand a bit on what you mean? Views on what exactly???


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## Kolan

*Весьма *sounds ironically, if not sarcastically. You should find out from the context, if there is a reason for that.


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## Maroseika

Kolan said:


> *Весьма *sounds ironically, if not sarcastically. You should find out from the context, if there is a reason for that.


Sorry, cannot agree. 
This word may be used in different meanings as well, including quite serious one. But yes, it really strongly depends on the context:
*Гоген был уже весьма почтенного возраста, когда решил порвать с семьей.*
*Новое лекарство дало весьма незначительный эффект*.
*Неблагоприятные последствия вмешательства во внутренние дела Ирака весьма вероятны.*
Where is here irony or sarcasm?


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## Etcetera

_Freethinker_ seems to be more close to the Russian вольнодумец. 
But _libertine_ can be exactly what I need. Maggie isn't married, and she doesn't think that a woman should have sex only with her husband. She's even considered a prostitute by her neighbours!


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## margo16

What about:
To stick to overly liberal views?


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## Etcetera

I don't think Maggie's views were _overly liberal. _The Russian весьма isn't synonymous to слишком, at least here. 
By the way, when you say that someone has _liberal views_, what exactly doest it mean? Because in Russian _либеральные взгляды _has rather political meaning.


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## margo16

Overly is the same as чересчур,слишком. I agree that in in Russian it has rather a political colouring.


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## scriptum

Etcetera said:


> But _libertine_ can be exactly what I need. Maggie isn't married, and she doesn't think that a woman should have sex only with her husband. She's even considered a prostitute by her neighbours!


Then I think Maggie is a libertine in the eyes of her neighbours, and a liberated (or an emancipated) woman in her own eyes.
"Libertine" seems to have a note of moral condemnation.


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## Etcetera

Scriptum, that's it!
I'll insert into my essay this very phrase: "a libertine in the eyes of her neighbours". If you don't mind, of course.


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## Kolan

Maroseika said:


> Sorry, cannot agree.
> ...
> Where is here irony or sarcasm?


Well, in your examples there is neither irony, nor sarcasm. However, in the context of молодая женщина *весьма* либеральных взглядов underlining "весьма" makes the whole phrase sarcastic.


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## Etcetera

Sarcastic? Strange. I didn't mean to make it sound sarcastic.


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## scriptum

Kolan said:


> Well, in your examples there is neither irony, nor sarcasm. However, in the context of молодая женщина *весьма* либеральных взглядов underlining "весьма" makes the whole phrase sarcastic.


To my ears, the phrase sounds sarcastic with or without _весьма_. Want it or not, _молодая женщина либеральных взглядов_ means "an easy woman"...


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## Etcetera

Либеральные взгляды have strong political connotations. 
As for свободные взгляды, I don't see any irony or sarcasm here!


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## scriptum

Etcetera said:


> Либеральные взгляды have strong political connotations.
> As for свободные взгляды, I don't see any irony or sarcasm here!


 
I wonder. As far as I remember, "либерал(ьный)" has somewhat negative connotations in Russian since the 19 century. "Cвободные взгляды" sounds better, but is still problematic when "молодая женщина" is present. Both English and Russian will sometimes give us examples of male chauvinism. This is probably one of them.


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## Kolan

Etcetera said:


> Либеральные взгляды have strong political connotations.
> As for свободные взгляды, I don't see any irony or sarcasm here!


The sarcasm is at the point where both *либеральные* or *свободные* взгляды can have both political and sexual connotation at the same time.

Especially, if added *весьма*, then it sounds like *a little bit too much*, clear irony talking about a young lady, both politically or otherwise.


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