Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Swedish term or phrase:
knappast inte
English translation:
hardly / hardly likely / No way! / Not hardly! / not scarcely / Surely not! / not likely / most certainly not
Added to glossary by
Elena_S15
This question was closed without grading. Reason: Other
Jan 10, 2005 15:01
19 yrs ago
Swedish term
knappast inte
Swedish to English
Other
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
Dear colleagues! Is the translation "not hardly" for "knappast inte" correct in the below translation from Swedish into English? Other suggestions? An American friend of mine suggested "Not hardly" but I am not familiar with this expression.
Fråga dig vad som är det värsta som kan hända om du inte lyckas till 100%. Kommer du att dö? Kommer du att förlora arbetet? Nej, knappast inte i någon situation.
Ask yourself what is the worst thing that could happen if you do not fully succeed. Will you die? Are you going to lose your job? Not hardly!
Fråga dig vad som är det värsta som kan hända om du inte lyckas till 100%. Kommer du att dö? Kommer du att förlora arbetet? Nej, knappast inte i någon situation.
Ask yourself what is the worst thing that could happen if you do not fully succeed. Will you die? Are you going to lose your job? Not hardly!
Proposed translations
(English)
| 4 +7 | hardly |
Marie Andersson (Allen)
|
| 5 +2 | hardly likely |
Paul Larkin (X)
|
| 5 | Not hardly! |
Charlesp
|
| 3 +2 | No way! |
Peter Linton (X)
|
| 4 | 'Surely not!' or just 'Hardly' |
Rosseon
|
| 4 | not scarcely |
Anna Blanck
|
Proposed translations
+7
4 mins
Marie Andersson (Allen)
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in Swedish
Works in field
United Kingdom
25 years of quality and reliability
Native in: Swedish 
Works in: English to Swedish, Swedish to English, French to Swedish, and 7 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
12
hardly
I eould just use hardly, knappast inte is also more unusual than just knappast.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
wiita
10 mins
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thanks
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| neutral |
Charlesp
: as knappast inte isn't so usual, then a not usual translation would be better. Not hardly!
39 mins
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don't agree!
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| agree |
Johansson
: No, hardly in any situation OR No, not likely in any situation. For me the not and hardly are reduntant, even in Swedish and somehow give a positvie meaning.
1 hr
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thanks
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| agree |
Mario Marcolin
: knappast inte = knappast
2 hrs
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thanks
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| agree |
NorskSvenskEngl
: No, not hardly in any situation.
2 hrs
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thanks
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| agree |
Erika Lundgren
3 hrs
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thanks
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| agree |
Tess Whitty
6 hrs
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thanks
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| agree |
EKM
18 hrs
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thanks
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26 mins
'Surely not!' or just 'Hardly'
'Not hardly' sounds awkward and unusual to me. I don't think I have ever heard anyone say that, whereas 'surely not' is quite common even if it does have a certain 'posh' ring to it.
+2
30 mins
hardly likely
'hardly likely!' or 'not likely!' are alternatives
43 mins
Not hardly!
Not hardly! sounds perfectly fine to me.
+2
59 mins
No way!
I think this is a classic example of the situation where you need to translate the message, not the words. And as it is a course in Personal Effectiveness, I think you need to make the message strong. Although the Swedish uses the word "knappast", I think the message in this context in English needs to be stronger, more positive, less tentative. So although "hardly likely" is certainly an accurate translation, I think it should be "No way!"
1 hr
Anna Blanck
Native in Swedish
Fast & Accurate using Studio 2022
Native in: Swedish
Works in: Spanish to Swedish, English to Swedish, Norwegian to Swedish, and 5 more.
not scarcely
eller kanske " most certainly not"
Discussion