# niewiele brakowało in English



## guniang

Cześć Wszystkim, 
jak powiedzieć 'niewiele brakowało' po angielsku?*

Niewiele brakowało*, a podobnie byłoby w Warszawie.

Kontekst: polityk bezskutecznie zabiegał o spotkanie w wielu stolicach europejskich. Niewiele brakowało, by i Warszawie nikt się z nim nie spotkał; premier odwołał wcześniej zaplanowane spotkanie, ale w końcu spotkał się z nim prezydent Polski.

Dziękuję za pomoc!


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## dreamlike

It came close to happening in Warsaw, too. 

Jeśli podany fragment nastręcza ci jakiejkolwiek trudności to mów. Z czystej ciekawości, jak przetłumaczyłaś całość?


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## LilianaB

The same almost happened in Warsaw. The same could have happened in Warsaw if not for the President.


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## dreamlike

As much as I like your sentences for their simplicity, they are not nearly as idiomatic as the source sentence. That said, they are more applicable in the context given. "Came close to happening" doesn't really fit in nicely.

The politician tried to meet many Europeans leaders, but to no avail. The same almost happened in Warsaw [...]
The politician asked for meetings in many European capitals, but to no avail. The same almost happened in Warsaw [...]


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## LilianaB

Which source sentence do you mean, Dreamlike? Idiomatic in which language? What exactly do you mean? I am not sure if you like the sentences, or not. You seem to be saying that they are not idiomatic yet they fit better, or something like that. By the way, idiomatic does not mean that something contains idioms: it may or it may not. I think you know that, but just in case.


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## dreamlike

"Niewiele brakowało" is fairly idiomatic in Polish and the closest English translation I can think of, which is equally idiomatic in English, is "come close to happening". The last sentence of your latest post sums up my point, that's what I meant.




			
				LilianaB said:
			
		

> By the way, idiomatic does not mean that something contains idioms: it may or it may not. I think you know that, but just in case.




Yes, I'm perfectly aware of that. Neither "Niewiele brakowało" nor "Came close to happening" contain any idiom.


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## LilianaB

What do you mean by idiomatic here, especially in reference to the English sentence?


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## dreamlike

Isn't that self-evident? Both of your sentences are unidiomatic ways of translating the sentence into English, as opposed to "It came close to happening in Warsaw" which strikes me as quite idiomatic. 

I have a hard time choosing the right definition of idiomatic, it has a number of meanings and I don't mean "using many idioms" here, but I think it's 
*Adhering to the manner of expression considered natural to or distinctive of a language (OED) *or *having a distinct style or character (dictionary.reference.com) *


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## LilianaB

I think it is the other way round, unfortunately, Dreamlike. It came close to happening in this context sounds clumsy and totally unidiomatic: this is why I asked what you meant by idiomatic.


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## dreamlike

Even if it does, "the same almost happened" or "the same could have happened" are not any more idiomatic.


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## LilianaB

To judge if something is idiomatic or not in a particular language you have to take the whole sentence into consideration, including the entire context. Things cannot be idiomatic on their own. It also depends which version of English you have in mind: who the target audience is.


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## dreamlike

I beg to differ with you, Liliana. I don't think one has to see how the phrase is employed in the context to determine whether it's idiomatic or not. This might prove helpful , though - to find out whether the expression one intends to use corresponds well with the rest of the text.


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## LilianaB

Everything depends on the context in any kind of translation. The best idiom may feel unidiomatic in the wrong context, or even slightly wrong.


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## dreamlike

How can idiom feel unidiomatic?  I find your point extremely interesting. I'd be more inclined to say that some idiom may feel unnatural if employed in the wrong context, but not unidiomatic. I wonder what others make of that.


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## LilianaB

An idiom can feel very unidiomatic if it is used in the wrong context, or in the wrong register.


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## guniang

dreamlike said:


> It came close to happening in Warsaw, too.
> 
> Jeśli podany fragment nastręcza ci jakiejkolwiek trudności to mów. Z czystej ciekawości, jak przetłumaczyłeś całość?



Although X, since a few weeks, is soliciting the support of European governors  with perseverance  / is staging  in European capitals with perseverance , the doors of the main political offices remain closed to him. The same almost happened in Warsaw (...)

Oryginał: 
Choć X od kilku tygodni wytrwale kolęduje po  europejskich stolicach, drzwi najważniejszych gabinetów pozostają przed  nim zamknięte. Niewiele brakowało, a podobnie byłoby w Warszawie (...)


Podoba mi się wersja Liliany, thx
Pozdrawiam
Kasia


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## NotNow

_Since a few weeks_ should be _for a few weeks_.


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## guniang

Good point, NotNow, thank you!


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## Szkot

guniang said:


> Good point, NotNow, thank you!



And 'is soliciting' should be 'has been'.  I also suggest leaders or governments rather than governors.


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## guniang

What would I do without you all ?


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