Nov 9, 2011 15:30
12 yrs ago
Russian term
С непривычки
Russian to English
Art/Literary
Other
ххх осторожно затянулся. С непривычки крепкий табак ударил ему в голову, и на мгновение ноги стали как ватные.
I have seen the "for want/lack of habit" in Multitran, but it just doesn't sound right to me here. Any other suggestions?
Comments or suggestions are welcome and gratefully accepted from anyone, but I would be particularly interested in hearing from natives, especially native AmE speakers. Many thanks.
I have seen the "for want/lack of habit" in Multitran, but it just doesn't sound right to me here. Any other suggestions?
Comments or suggestions are welcome and gratefully accepted from anyone, but I would be particularly interested in hearing from natives, especially native AmE speakers. Many thanks.
Proposed translations
(English)
Proposed translations
+1
7 mins
Mikhail Kropotov
Germany
Germany
Native in Russian
Works in field
Germany
US-educated, precise & thorough
Native in: Russian
Works in: English to Russian, Russian to English, Russian
Related KudoZ points
:
186
Selected
Not being used to...
The question is whether you can use active voice here ('he').
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Even though, as I mentioned before, I have rephrased completely, both Mikhail and Judith confirmed my own line of thinking and thus helped the most. Mikhail was first though, I believe, so he gets the points. I wish I could split them. Once again, many thanks, everyone."
+2
3 mins
Alexander Onishko
Native in Russian
Veni Vidi Vici
Native in: Russian 
, Ukrainian
Works in: Russian to English, English to Russian, Ukrainian to English, and 5 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
47
He was not used to such strong tobacco, so...
*
+2
24 mins
Judith Hehir
United States
United States
Native in English
Specializes in field
United States
Related KudoZ points
:
78
Unaccustomed to such strong tobacco
That's what comes to mind
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Rachel Douglas
: I think this is OK, even if the guy is not encountering strong tobacco for the first time. It would force reconstructing the rest of the sentence: "Unaccustomed to ... , he felt his head spin, and his legs..."
4 hrs
|
|
Thanks, Rachel. Yes, it would indeed. Otherwise, you wind up with a very common grammar error, whereby the implied subject of the dependent clause and the independent clause that follows don't match.
|
|
| agree |
MariyaN (X)
9 hrs
|
|
Thank you, Mariya.
|
5 hrs
Rachel Douglas
United States
United States
Native in English
Works in field
United States
Excellent English from Russian originals
Native in: English (Variants: British, Australian, US)
Works in: Russian to English
Related KudoZ points
:
212
The disaccustomed...
Alright, this is a fringe proposal, and I'm also voting for Judith's, but I started thinking about your explanation of the context, and this unusual word "disaccustomed" popped into my head as a way to express what happened, with the tobacco being the subject of the sentence:
"The disaccustomed strong tobacco went to his head..."
Well, the word has been used, though not frequently and the examples Google-books provides are all in translations:
https://www.google.com/search?q="the disaccustomed"&hl=en&gb...
Still, in a context where the guy's quitting smoking is already known to the reader, I would find this instantly understandable. But it would not fit very well if the register of the writing, overall, is contemporary colloquial.
"The disaccustomed strong tobacco went to his head..."
Well, the word has been used, though not frequently and the examples Google-books provides are all in translations:
https://www.google.com/search?q="the disaccustomed"&hl=en&gb...
Still, in a context where the guy's quitting smoking is already known to the reader, I would find this instantly understandable. But it would not fit very well if the register of the writing, overall, is contemporary colloquial.
Note from asker:
| Thanks, Rachel. As a yardstick of what goes and what doesn't, a native is truly invaluable. Imagine what they would say about me if I really used this - that my English usage was, understandably, sloppy. You know, all those wannabe non-natives - except, of course, if by some statistical quirk I turned Nabokov or something. This kind of reminds me of that old Russian joke: if you steal a piece or two you are a thief; if you steal by the truckload, all of a sudden you are a shadowy businessman. Cheers and thanks. |
Discussion
?
I have already rephrased around it, but any brainstorming input is still welcome.