Mar 13, 2011 14:16
13 yrs ago
English term
Jordan
Professional Writer and Translator
Native in: English (Variant: US) 
Works in: Arabic to English, English to Arabic, English
state of panic
English
Other
Government / Politics
An Arabic text says that a government official "declared a state of panic" during a time of crisis in the country.
If the author had wanted to, he could have said "declared a state of emergency" as this term exists in Arabic and is commonly used.
As a native speaker of English, I do not feel comfortable with "declared a state of panic." I have Googled around and only see the phrase used on a few individual blogs, not on any official websites.
I am wondering what others think about the term. Am I right that it does not sound correct in English? Would you use "declared a state of emergency" instead, or is there a subtle difference I am not aware of?
I know that "state of panic" by itself is a common phrase, but my concern is pairing it with the verb "declared."
If the author had wanted to, he could have said "declared a state of emergency" as this term exists in Arabic and is commonly used.
As a native speaker of English, I do not feel comfortable with "declared a state of panic." I have Googled around and only see the phrase used on a few individual blogs, not on any official websites.
I am wondering what others think about the term. Am I right that it does not sound correct in English? Would you use "declared a state of emergency" instead, or is there a subtle difference I am not aware of?
I know that "state of panic" by itself is a common phrase, but my concern is pairing it with the verb "declared."
Responses
| 4 +5 | a state of crisis* |
Jenni Lukac (X)
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| 5 | an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety |
Constantinos Faridis (X)
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| 3 +1 | state of panic |
Adela Porumbel
|
Responses
+5
26 mins
Selected
a state of crisis*
*A state of panic would be an observation about the situation rather than a declaration about government policy and action. A state of crisis might work for you, but how to describe depends on what extraordinary powers the government assumed with the declaration . Examples: Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai says the African nation is in a state of "crisis." (could be anything of nothing)
www.upi.com/...state-of-crisis/UPI-56981299854154/ - En caché. Other choices: In response Nasser put his armed forces in a state of maximum alert, .... Given the wide disparity in the populations of Israel and Egypt, Israel could not ...
motherearthtravel.com/history/israel/history-14.htm - En caché - Similares (involves a heightened alert in view of an external threat) ; Egyptian military regime rolls out a new front man
5 Mar 2011 ... The military should go back to the barracks and the state security ... would maintain the power of the government to declare emergency rule, ...
www.wsws.org/articles/2011/mar2011/egyp-m05.shtml - En caché or 14 Feb 2011 ... But setting an initial period of military rule at six months seemed to be an ... Egypt declared Monday a bank holiday after workers disrupted ... the lifting of a state of emergency, the abolition of military courts, ...
au.news.yahoo.com/.../military-rulers-dissolve-egypts-parliament/ - Australia - En caché (these two imply restrictions and military rule in the face of disorder or crisis). The order angle is to explore the translation of the verb "declare" - if it was not a declaration that had the force of civil or military law it could be interpreted as "he declared (personally - it was his assessment or opinion) that the country was overtaken by/in the grips of/in a state of panic. Examples: Gaddafi Regime in 'State of Panic' as Libyans Take to the Streets ... in the country's second-largest city as Egypt-inspired unrest spread. ...
www.huffingtonpost.com/.../gaddafi-regime-in-state-o_b_8243... - En caché; The country has not yet fell into a state of panic, however things will be very ... of the University of the Free State, declares his belief in the South ...
vview.co.za/tag/egypt/ - En caché
www.upi.com/...state-of-crisis/UPI-56981299854154/ - En caché. Other choices: In response Nasser put his armed forces in a state of maximum alert, .... Given the wide disparity in the populations of Israel and Egypt, Israel could not ...
motherearthtravel.com/history/israel/history-14.htm - En caché - Similares (involves a heightened alert in view of an external threat) ; Egyptian military regime rolls out a new front man
5 Mar 2011 ... The military should go back to the barracks and the state security ... would maintain the power of the government to declare emergency rule, ...
www.wsws.org/articles/2011/mar2011/egyp-m05.shtml - En caché or 14 Feb 2011 ... But setting an initial period of military rule at six months seemed to be an ... Egypt declared Monday a bank holiday after workers disrupted ... the lifting of a state of emergency, the abolition of military courts, ...
au.news.yahoo.com/.../military-rulers-dissolve-egypts-parliament/ - Australia - En caché (these two imply restrictions and military rule in the face of disorder or crisis). The order angle is to explore the translation of the verb "declare" - if it was not a declaration that had the force of civil or military law it could be interpreted as "he declared (personally - it was his assessment or opinion) that the country was overtaken by/in the grips of/in a state of panic. Examples: Gaddafi Regime in 'State of Panic' as Libyans Take to the Streets ... in the country's second-largest city as Egypt-inspired unrest spread. ...
www.huffingtonpost.com/.../gaddafi-regime-in-state-o_b_8243... - En caché; The country has not yet fell into a state of panic, however things will be very ... of the University of the Free State, declares his belief in the South ...
vview.co.za/tag/egypt/ - En caché
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
MedTrans&More
2 mins
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Thanks, MedTrans. Have a nice Sunday afternoon.
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| agree |
Stephanie Ezrol
: If you google "declared a state of crisis" you do find governments doing this
22 mins
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Thanks, Stephanie. A lot of crisis going on at the moment...
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| agree |
Jack Doughty
1 hr
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Cheers and thanks, Jack.
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| agree |
Lourdes Sanchez
6 hrs
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Cheers and thanks, Lourdes.
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| agree |
AllegroTrans
8 hrs
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Thanks very much, AllegroTrans.
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you so much, Jenni. "State of crisis" is a good alternative."
1 min
an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety
meaning of panic - an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety. ... /ˈpæ nɪ ki/ ? thrown into a state of intense fear or desperation; panicle ...
www.beedictionary.com/meaning/panic
www.beedictionary.com/meaning/panic
Note from asker:
| Thank you, Constantinos. I know what the word panic means but am concerned about the way it is used in the context I mentioned above. |
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
AllegroTrans
: nothing to do with feelings, sounds more like reality to me, albeit perceived
8 hrs
|
+1
17 mins
Adela Porumbel
Romania
Romania
Romania
BestWords
Native in: Romanian
Works in: English to Romanian, Romanian to English, Romanian to French, and 17 more.
state of panic
I'm not an English native, but from what I know, a state of emergency is declared by a head of state or at least prime-minister, right? When we say "official" we mean all sorts of officials working in or for the government that may declare things in press conferences, interviews, etc. Maybe he "said"/ "reffered to" the general state of the country as "a state of panic".
Just my 2 cents.
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Note added at 41 mins (2011-03-13 14:57:40 GMT)
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Ok, I see. Then he may have used "panic" at the moment - it's always a possibility - only I'm not familiar with it in official statements. They usually go with "emergency" or "crisis" as suggested.
Just my 2 cents.
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Note added at 41 mins (2011-03-13 14:57:40 GMT)
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Ok, I see. Then he may have used "panic" at the moment - it's always a possibility - only I'm not familiar with it in official statements. They usually go with "emergency" or "crisis" as suggested.
Note from asker:
| Thank you, Adde. I appreciate your input. The "official," however is the head of a nation, and the word "declared" is used. He is not talking about the country being in a general state of panic. |
Discussion