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Чернявый
Oct 12, 2019 06:17
4 yrs ago
2 viewers *
Russian term

Чутье как у собаки

Russian to English Art/Literary Idioms / Maxims / Sayings сленг
Привет бро. Давно не виделись. Ты походу знал, что я еду. Чутье как у собаки. Да?
Proposed translations (English)
3 +3 You sniffed that one out, didn't you?
5 +1 sixth sense
4 See (everything) a mile off / you have a (sensitive) nose
3 +1 Are you psychic or what?
4 No shit, Sherlock. Huh?
3 to have a nose for (something)
References
you have a sensitive nose / your are psychic

Discussion

Katya Kesten Oct 13, 2019:
PS Everything else sounds off or just plain wrong. For example, sniffing out/around is used in terms of getting/trying to get to the bottom of things/additional information (to sniff something out, sniffing around these parts)
Katya Kesten Oct 13, 2019:
Yup, Boris is spot on! Something about having a sixth sense, or being psychic (actually less literary and more direct) is exactly what a native speaker would say in this case. What needs to be communicated is the subject’s “superhuman” power. It’s not like the Russian variant is a unique expression that needs to be translated to showcase the author’s language mastery. If you really wanted to stand out and keep the canine thing, you could play around and try and craft something like “it’s like (/I swear) you’ve got that bloodhound intuition or “it’s like you’re a freaking/damn bloodhound ” but the audience will pause to think about this imagery because although natural sounding, it’s something new. Basically, reinventing the wheel just draws us out of the story and is distracting in this case. I wouldn’t think twice if I heard I had нюх как у собаки because its a common expression, so I’d choose a natural-sounding equivalent that the audience wouldn’t think twice about, either. It’s like вешать лапшу на уши vs pulling wool over someone’s eyes—would you insist on a stilted variation with noodles + drawing attention to your language when what you’re looking for already exists?
Boris Shapiro Oct 13, 2019:
Нюх как у собаки is a set phrase. You don't translate set phrases literally because the literal meaning of their component words is largely irrelevant (set phrases often lose their literal meaning altogether through desemantisation).

Hence, the canine association is a bonus component of the phrase's core meaning, nothing more (and certainly not a 'hidden meaning' or something). A nice bonus, if one can preserve it, but not worth sacrificing the core meaning or the stylistic character for.

You've got to have priorities. Read up on levels of equivalence in Retzker, Komissarov, or Barkhudarov.
Turdimurod Rakhmanov Oct 13, 2019:
Katya, your version is too close, you may feel what is missing, now you try to feel?
Чутье как у собаки. Да?
Sixth sense, huh?
Don't you think it is too direct, and it is about only intuition in your version, I think here style is different.
But in David's version you can feel that missing and hidden meaning? You sniffed ...out? Everything is hidden in this "как у собаки"?
If we use simple words: you sniffed that one out? Are you a dog? or What?
And Frank also suggested Psychic, they are not direct, but gives that effect.
Katya Kesten Oct 12, 2019:
Turdimurod, you’d use “Hey/What’s up bro/broheim [used constantly in both So Cal and Norcal]?” and then rework into something like: "...Long time no see! It’s like you knew I was coming. Sixth sense, huh? /Total sixth sense! /Sixth sense styles!" This gives you everything you’re saying is missing.
Turdimurod Rakhmanov Oct 12, 2019:
This "bro" tells what kind of text it is, it is too colloquial with hidden meaning, metaphorical meaning should be rendered. Sixth sense is too direct and you can't use this for simple, colloquial and street language, IMHO.
Boris Shapiro Oct 12, 2019:
Nah, the real question is how to translate 'бро'.

Proposed translations

+3
1 hr
Russian term (edited): Чутье как у собаки. Да?
Selected

You sniffed that one out, didn't you?

It's more natural to include the Да.
Peer comment(s):
neutral Boris Shapiro : Might even omit 'you' and replace the tag question with 'huh?' for greater stylistic effect.
10 mins
Yes, good idea!
agree Turdimurod Rakhmanov : Yes!
21 mins
Thanks Turdimurod!
agree P.L.F. Persio
1 hr
Thanks Missdutch!
agree Frank Szmulowicz, Ph. D.
3 hrs
Thanks Frank!
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
1 hr

to have a nose for (something)

https://www.native-english.ru/idioms/have-a-nose-for-somethi...
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/have-a-...

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Note added at 1 hr (2019-10-12 07:34:27 GMT)
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sensitive? no need
Peer comment(s):
neutral Boris Shapiro : Это эллиптическое предложение устной речи, там нет дополнения. Без дополнения такое выражение бесполезно (не поставите же вы в тексте 'something')
44 mins
Something went wrong...
1 hr

See (everything) a mile off / you have a (sensitive) nose

See (everything) a mile off / you have a sensitive nose

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2019-10-12 07:52:08 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I also agree with Vladislav, but "have a nose for smth" only gives the meaning "чутье", but we also should interpret it in terms of stylistics.
As I understand, the first speaker is telling that the second speaker has a super feeling or guess or intuition, for ex: sensitive or super or extraordinary nose, which highlights his ability of course using joke or using stylistic shades.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2019-10-12 07:54:05 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

sensitive nose в значении остро чувствовать, сильная интуиция
Something went wrong...
+1
6 hrs

Are you psychic or what?

Non-canine answer per Turdimurod Rakhmanov.
Peer comment(s):
agree Turdimurod Rakhmanov : You have a linguistic "чутье"
13 hrs
Thank you, Turdimurod. It is easy with your help.
Something went wrong...
+1
4 hrs

sixth sense

being able to perceive things others don't

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 16 hrs (2019-10-12 22:20:21 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

In order to use sixth sense and maintain the tone, you'd need to rework the entire thing into something like: “Hey/What’s up bro/broheim" and "...Long time no see! It’s like you knew I was coming. Sixth sense, huh? /Total sixth sense! /Sixth sense styles!"

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day 7 hrs (2019-10-13 13:34:11 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Notes summing up the Discussion Entry chat:
Something about having a sixth sense, or being psychic is exactly what a native speaker would say in this case. What needs to be communicated is the subject’s “superhuman” power. The Russian variant is not a unique expression that needs to be translated to showcase the author’s language mastery. If one really wanted to stand out and keep the canine reference, one could play around and try and craft something like “it’s like (/I swear) you’ve got that bloodhound intuition or “it’s like you’re a freaking/damn bloodhound,” but the audience will pause to think about this imagery because although natural sounding, it’s something new. Basically, reinventing the wheel just draws us out of the story and is distracting in this case.

Everything else sounds off or just plain wrong. For example, sniffing out/around is used in terms of getting/trying to get to the bottom of things/additional information (to sniff something out, sniffing around these parts).
Example sentence:

It's like you've got a sixth sense!

Reference:

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/sixth-sense

Peer comment(s):
agree Boris Shapiro : Agreed
12 mins
Thanks, Boris!
Something went wrong...
2 days 7 hrs

No shit, Sherlock. Huh?

При условии, что говорящий и создавший его автор знают, какое значение имеет слово "походу" - кстати, между прочим. Т.е. "между прочим, ты знал, что я еду". Следовательно, собачье чутье употребляется в ироническом смысле. По крайней мере, должно.

Но трудно ручаться за сегодняшних графоманов.что они там хотели сказать.

Something went wrong...

Reference comments

33 mins
Reference:

you have a sensitive nose / your are psychic

Of course, here it is about " intuition", but rendering it as a sensitive nose, we are having the close meaning in the original как у собаки, we don't need to include dogs. This gives that sense, I think.
Every translator's version is different. This is just what I am thinking.


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 34 mins (2019-10-12 06:52:05 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

https://www.quora.com/What-is-an-intuitive-person-What-are-t...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 35 mins (2019-10-12 06:53:33 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

TYPO:
you are psychic
Peer comments on this reference comment:
neutral Boris Shapiro : The nose is definitely out of place here. They don't talk like that.
29 mins
agree Frank Szmulowicz, Ph. D. : I will go for psychic.
5 hrs
Thank you.
Something went wrong...
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