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Mar 7, 2020 16:44
4 yrs ago
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English term

walked a tightrope between

English to Arabic Social Sciences Government / Politics idiomatic expression
how to translate "walked a tight rope" in this context

In its foreign relations Finland constantly walked a tightrope between developing its relations with the West and retaining Soviet trust.

does the expression accept a literal translation: السير على حبل مشدود

or, is there a preferable dynamic/ idiomatic equivalent
Proposed translations (Arabic)
4 كانت كالماشي على حبل مشدود
5 +1 الحفاظ على التوازن(خيط رفيع/حبل مشدود)
4 +1 حافظت على شعرة معاوية
4 جازفت
4 أمسكت العصا من الوسط
3 +1 كانت تواجه باستمرار صعوبة كبيرة في التوفيق بين
4 مشى بين حبل مشدود
4 في مأزق ما بين

Discussion

Roycee (X) (asker) Mar 8, 2020:
The title of the text I am translating is "walking a tightrope", this is why I want to stick to direct translation as you suggested because, as I think, the author emphasized on the act of walking on a tightrope, and this act was beneficial for the country that used it.
Fuad Yahya Mar 8, 2020:
To be fair Dear Roycee: I am gratified that you have not found my suggested translation disagreeable, although it, admittedly, expresses a minority position. I want to point out, nonetheless, that a good number of the suggestions below are amazingly creative, insightful, and justifiable. I salute every contribution and find pleasure in learning from all.

Proposed translations

6 hrs
Selected

كانت كالماشي على حبل مشدود

When you encounter a metaphor that has a standard, commonly understood meaning in the source language but not in the target language, you may in many case still have a chance to use it safely in the target language if you believe the meaning of the expression, though not native to the target language, is easily accessible because the image it portrays is unambiguous. If that is your judgment, then you must do one more thing to smooth it over into the target language: turn the metaphor into a simile. This little trick has the effect of inviting the reader to see through the implied analogy rather than forcing the analogy unto the reader as if it were a common expression that the reader somehow has never come across. Thus, in this case, you would say:
كانت فنلندا دائماً كالماشي على حبل مشدود

This construction avoids the awkwardness of saying:
كانت فنلندا دائماً تمشي على حبل مشدود

The second expression either fails to be construed as a metaphor or says to the reader: You should know this metaphor (which would be rude). The simile construction, on the other hand, simply says here is an analogy that you will comprehend because it makes sense.

Remember that this trick only works if the analogy is (in your judgment) clear enough for the intended readership. In this particular case, I think the analogy is clear enough.
Note from asker:
I know that I can translate the meaning of the expression, but the author of the original emphasized on the "Tightrope" as strategy in its foreign relations in other segments of his text. So, as long as there is no idiomatic equivalent in Arabic, I am thinking of translating it like Mr Fuad Yahya Said.
Peer comment(s):
disagree Ebrahim Mohammed : This is an idiomatic expression ; it is not to be translated literally word by word; it is usually conveyed to the target audience through either the use of equivalent idiomatic expression in the target culture or directly conveying its meaning
17 mins
I have a feeling this is going to be a lot of fun (and not just for me).
agree Saleh Dardeer : Amazing strategy! Besides being a way out for many instances where TT has no idiomatic equivalence, it keeps the vividness of the rhetorical image. Moreover, it does not cause any shift in the interpersonal meaning since metaphor is simile in origin.
9 hrs
Thanks, Saleh. I emphasize that this technique will not work in every situation. Some metaphors are too culture-bound. In this instance, however, very few people would miss the implied meaning: a balancing act with constant risks and concomitant anxiety.
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "thank you"
6 mins

جازفت


In its foreign relations Finland constantly walked a tightrope between developing its relations with the West and retaining Soviet trust.
وفي علاقاتها الخارجية، دأبت فنلندا على المجازفة بين تطوير علاقاتها مع الغرب والحفاظ على الثقة السوفياتية

walk a tightrope
to be in a difficult situation in which something bad could happen if you make a mistake
https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/walk-a-tightrope


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Note added at 8 mins (2020-03-07 16:52:55 GMT)
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walk a tightrope
To do something that requires extreme care and precision; to navigate a situation that allows very little or no error.
https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/walk a tightrope
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14 mins

أمسكت العصا من الوسط

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+1
24 mins

كانت تواجه باستمرار صعوبة كبيرة في التوفيق بين

I think this is the intended meaning
واجهت فنلندا باستمرار صعوبة كبيرة في التوفيق بين رغبتها في تطوير علاقاتها مع الغرب والحفاظ على ثقة السوفييت بها

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Note added at 25 mins (2020-03-07 17:09:44 GMT)
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https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/walk-tre...
Peer comment(s):
agree Mai Saleh
2 hrs
Thank you very much!
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+1
29 mins

الحفاظ على التوازن(خيط رفيع/حبل مشدود)

It is symbolic to maintain balance and good relations with either of themرمز للبقاء على جودة العلاقة مع كل الاطراف
Example sentence:

الحبل هنا رمز لمرونة العلاقة

Reference:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tightrope_walking(

Peer comment(s):
agree Lotfi Abdolhaleem : حافظت على توازن دقيق بين
1 hr
شكرا جزيلا
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1 hr

مشى بين حبل مشدود

,
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2 hrs

في مأزق ما بين

walk a tightrope means to be in a difficult situation. Therefore, it refers to مأزق

In its foreign relations Finland constantly walked a tightrope between developing its relations with the West and retaining Soviet trust.
وفي علاقاتها الخارجية، كانت فنلندا في مأزق ما بين تطوير علاقاتها مع الغرب والحفاظ على الثقة السوفياتية

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Note added at 2 hrs (2020-03-07 18:57:04 GMT)
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This situation is compared to tightrope walking. In other words, Finland was in a difficult situation, and this basically means مأزق

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Note added at 6 hrs (2020-03-07 23:21:13 GMT)
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Translation and Meaning of مأزق in Almaany English Arabic Dictionary
مَأزِق ( اسم ): وَرْطَة

bind ; bottleneck ; corner ; critical situation ; cul-de-sac ; deadlock ; deep water ; dilemma ; fix ; impasse ; jam ; logjam ; pickle ; plight ; predicament ; quandary ; quick-sands ; rat-trap ; scrape ; stalemate ; straits
-
- quagmire
- a hazardous or awkward situation
- an awkward situation or predicament
- bore; nuisance; predicament; dilemma
- a situation in which disagreement cannot be settled
- a situation in which it is too difficult to decide what to do,because all choices seem equally good or equally bad
- position hard to escape from ; a dilemma or predicament
- blem or difficult situation
- dilemma or deadlock
- difficult or serious condition
- difficult or un pleasant situation or category ******
- a state of perplexity; a difficult situation; a practical dilemma
- awkward situation
- impasse, deadlock or crisis
- distress, trouble or predicament
- a predicament, plight or dilemma
- a treacherous thing or situation; a dilemma
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+1
17 hrs

حافظت على شعرة معاوية

شعرة معاوية
is an Arabic idiomatic expression used in political contexts. Mu`wayah ibn Sufyan, the sixth Muslim Caliph, pointed out how he manged to rule people as saying that if there had been a strand of hair binding him with people, it would have never been cut. If people pull it, he will loosen it and vice versa.

This is the closest metaphor in political contexts that sprang to my mind once I saw your context.

Walking the tightrope is as so tiresomeness, risky and delicate as keeping a strand of hair intact between two forces.

HTH

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Note added at 1 day 12 hrs (2020-03-09 05:06:55 GMT)
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Kindly, find below some google hits on how such an expression is used in news analyses. Most of the results are very recent. The usage of the phrase is not bound to a particular area in the Arab world; rather, it is widely used in different countries as indicated by the search results.

http://tiny.cc/n700kz

بوابة العين الإخبارية-Feb 29, 2020
روسيا تحث تركيا على حماية رعاياها ومنشآتها الدبلوماسية. معركة إدلب.. هل تقطع "شعرة معاوية" بين تركيا والاتحاد الأوروبي؟

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إيران الحائرة في سوريا
البوابة-Mar 3, 2020
الدبلوماسية التي يتحدث بها الروس والأتراك عن إيران، تدلل بوضوح على تمسكهم بالإبقاء على شعرة معاوية مع طهران. لا يفضل أي منهم القطيعة معها لأنه

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طريق عمان – الدوحة شريان عروبي لا ينقطع
وكالة عمون الاخبارية-Feb 20, 2020
... السنوات أنها تتقن وعبر علاقاتها بالدول وخاصة العربية والخليجية منها، ميزة الحفاظ على "شعرة معاوية"، وتدرك بثوابتها وعقلانيتها أن العمق العربي- العربي، ومن ضمنه .

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الغاية الروسية من تقدّم نظام الأسد في إدلب؟
ترك برس (بيان صحفي) (مدوّنة)-Feb 18, 2020
... التوقيت، إلا أنّ المسؤولين الرسميين في أنقرة وموسكو حريصون على إبقاء شعرة معاوية قائمة بينهما لتجنّب التكاليف الأصعب

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معركة إدلب: أردوغان ومخاطر تكرار تجربة صدام حسين
218tv.net-Feb 29, 2020
لن تنقطع على الأرجح “شعرة معاوية” بين بوتين وأردوغان، رغم الاشتباك المباشر أو غير المباشر بين البلدين في الشمال السوري. بينما يحاول كل طرف

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الحريري والإنقلاب الكبير!
LebanonDebate (بيان صحفي)-Feb 14, 2020
وعلى خط العلاقة مع "القوات اللبنانية"، فلم يقطع زعيم "المستقبل" شعرة معاوية معها، باعتبار أن "القوات" كانت إلى جانبه في الأيام الصعبة

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شعرة معاوية التي يمسك بها ترامب..!
مصراوي-Sep 15, 2019
غرد الرئيس الأمريكي، دونالد ترامب، على تويتر كعادته، فأقال جون بولتون، مستشاره الشهير للأمن القومي، فجأة، وقد كان الظن أن بولتون سوف يعمر في

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ترامب وطهران: شعرة معاوية
فرانس 24 / FRANCE 24-Sep 19, 2019
ترامب وطهران: شعرة معاوية. 229 شارك. نشرت في: 19/09/2019 - 13:47 آخر تحديث: 19/09/2019 -

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أشرف زكي كبير العائلة الذي يواجه الغزو التركي للدراما
Al Arab (بيان صحفي)-Feb 17, 2020
... التعليق على هذا الملف، محافظا على شعرة معاوية. فكرة النجم الأوحد يعتبرها زكي أحد الأسباب الرئيسية التي غيبت كثيرين من الوجوه الفنية، وصنعت
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https://www.google.com/search?q="شعرة معاوية"&rlz=1C1GCEV_en...
Peer comment(s):
agree Fuad Yahya : That is very resourceful.
1 hr
Thanks a lot! :)
neutral Yassine El Bouknify : That's very outdated bro. Readers prefer straightforward and easy language. This
12 hrs
Thanks for your feedback, Yassine! It's commonly used among political analysts. I've just googled the exact term in news websites only, and found these hits http://tiny.cc/n700kz Interestingly, it has been used at some websites just couple of hours ago
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