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  3. Idioms / Maxims / Sayings

Незваный гость хуже татарина

English translation: Guests, like fish, begin to stink after three days.

17:44 Oct 15, 2011
Russian to English translations [PRO]
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
Russian term or phrase: Незваный гость хуже татарина
См. предыдущий вопрос насчет контекста. Источник тот-же.
Kiwiland Bear
New Zealand
Local time: 14:01
English translation:Guests, like fish, begin to stink after three days.
Explanation:
Wisdom from Benjamin Franklin, but not exactly what you're looking for.....
Selected response from:

Leigh Mosley
United States
Local time: 22:01
Grading comment
Although it's not very close to the original, I think it catches the temporary nature of the arrangement. I'll still need to think about it but probably will go with that.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +1he who comes uncalled, unserved should sit
Alexander Ryshow
2 +3Guests, like fish, begin to stink after three days.
Leigh Mosley
5A surprise guest brings unrest.
Yelena Perel
4There's nothing worse than an uninvited guest.
Judith Hehir
3An uninvited guest is worse than a Tatar
Oleksiy Markunin
3No-one likes an uninvited guest
eurolarik
3An uninvited guest is like a plague
rns


  

Answers


1 min   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
he who comes uncalled, unserved should sit


Explanation:


Alexander Ryshow
Belarus
Local time: 05:01
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Natalia Tsumakova
2 hrs
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16 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5 peer agreement (net): +3
Guests, like fish, begin to stink after three days.


Explanation:
Wisdom from Benjamin Franklin, but not exactly what you're looking for.....

Leigh Mosley
United States
Local time: 22:01
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 12
Grading comment
Although it's not very close to the original, I think it catches the temporary nature of the arrangement. I'll still need to think about it but probably will go with that.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Alex Marshall: nice one
1 hr
  -> thanks!
agree  Yuri Larin: Maybe rhyming “guests” with “pests” in some format could also point the right way
13 hrs
  -> one wonders if Tatars have an analogous saying....
agree  cyhul
8 days
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9 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
An uninvited guest is worse than a Tatar


Explanation:
What's wrong with this one?
http://goo.gl/PeHMh

Or do you want to avoid the proverb?

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2011-10-15 18:45:20 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Hm..sometimes literal translation is the best one, IMHO.
And, you can always use a footnote.
Anyway, perhaps smb will come up with some else =)

Oleksiy Markunin
Canada
Local time: 22:01
Works in field
Native speaker of: Russian
PRO pts in category: 8
Notes to answerer
Asker: I suspect it may be way too literal and unlikely to ring a bell with anyone not very conversant with the Russian hisory that far back in time.

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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
No-one likes an uninvited guest


Explanation:
Нейтрально. Про татар все равно в английском варианте никто не поймет. С другой стороны, а может кто и любит незваных гостей...

eurolarik
Local time: 05:01
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian
PRO pts in category: 4
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
There's nothing worse than an uninvited guest.


Explanation:
http://www.google.com/search?q="There's nothing worse than a...

Judith Hehir
United States
Local time: 22:01
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 31
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8 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
A surprise guest brings unrest.


Explanation:
Literal translation: An uninvited guest is worse than a Tartar.

Yelena Perel
France
Local time: 04:01
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian, Native in UkrainianUkrainian, Native in EnglishEnglish
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16 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
An uninvited guest is like a plague


Explanation:
Unless that's too strong a metaphor; it's not to my Russian ear and perhaps to Edgar Allan Poe as they think in [1] and [2].

Tartars frequently acted/felt like a plague in Russia and rightfully so (Mongolian invasion, Crimean tartars raids), hence the proverb.

[1] http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071119094918AA...

[2] http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081029192132AA...



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 16 hrs (2011-10-16 10:05:15 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

In the second sentence above, "rightfully" modifies "felt" and not "acted", appearance to the contrary notwithstanding.

rns
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian
PRO pts in category: 36
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