Dec 23, 2018 17:47
5 yrs ago
Portuguese term
balbuciantes teorias da liberdade
Portuguese to English
Art/Literary
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
In A 19th-Century Novel
Context:
A mocidade estudiosa, em grande parte, simpatizava com as balbuciantes teorias da liberdade, mais por pressentimento, que por estudo.
After the above is a mention of the French Revolution.
A couple of people seem to think that I should translate the phrase as "babbling theories of liberty", which doesn't sound quite right to me, but I don't know if there would be a better way of expressing it.
Obrigada,
Barbara
A mocidade estudiosa, em grande parte, simpatizava com as balbuciantes teorias da liberdade, mais por pressentimento, que por estudo.
After the above is a mention of the French Revolution.
A couple of people seem to think that I should translate the phrase as "babbling theories of liberty", which doesn't sound quite right to me, but I don't know if there would be a better way of expressing it.
Obrigada,
Barbara
Proposed translations
(English)
Proposed translations
+3
5 hrs
Selected
inchoate theories of liberty//theories of liberty still in their infancy
For starters, I think it's referring to theories in their infancy, as yet unsolidified. See Linguée:
P: [...] caracterizadas designadamente por uma governação mundial ainda balbuciante, por tentações hegemónicas e crescentes tensões entre [...] eur-lex.europa.eu
E: [...] conditions, characterised, inter alia, by: a form of global governance which is **still in its infancy**; temptations to pursue [...]
Merriam-Webster definition of inchoate:
: being recently begun or undertaken : INCIPIENT : being partly but not fully in existence or operation : INCOMPLETE: as a : imperfectly formed or formulated : DISORDERED, INCOHERENT, UNORGANIZED *the general plan is inchoate and incoherent, and the particular treatments disconnected— Hilary Corke* *the solar system T far out from the hub of this great wheel of stars and inchoate dust and gas— L.C.Eiseley* *vague consumer longings and inchoate needs— J.S.Gambs* b of a legal right or instrument or interest : not yet perfected : not yet made certain or specific : not yet vested : INCIPIENT, EXPECTANT, POTENTIAL, CONTINGENT, IMPERFECTED *an inchoate right of dower* *an inchoate equity* *an instrument that the law requires to be recorded is an inchoate instrument until it is recorded— Besse May Miller*
–in£cho£ate£ly adverb
–in£cho£ate£ness noun -es
P: [...] caracterizadas designadamente por uma governação mundial ainda balbuciante, por tentações hegemónicas e crescentes tensões entre [...] eur-lex.europa.eu
E: [...] conditions, characterised, inter alia, by: a form of global governance which is **still in its infancy**; temptations to pursue [...]
Merriam-Webster definition of inchoate:
: being recently begun or undertaken : INCIPIENT : being partly but not fully in existence or operation : INCOMPLETE: as a : imperfectly formed or formulated : DISORDERED, INCOHERENT, UNORGANIZED *the general plan is inchoate and incoherent, and the particular treatments disconnected— Hilary Corke* *the solar system T far out from the hub of this great wheel of stars and inchoate dust and gas— L.C.Eiseley* *vague consumer longings and inchoate needs— J.S.Gambs* b of a legal right or instrument or interest : not yet perfected : not yet made certain or specific : not yet vested : INCIPIENT, EXPECTANT, POTENTIAL, CONTINGENT, IMPERFECTED *an inchoate right of dower* *an inchoate equity* *an instrument that the law requires to be recorded is an inchoate instrument until it is recorded— Besse May Miller*
–in£cho£ate£ly adverb
–in£cho£ate£ness noun -es
Peer comment(s):
agree |
Ana Vozone
: I like yours better ;)
9 hrs
|
Thank you, Ana!
|
|
agree |
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
9 hrs
|
Thank you, Teresa!
|
|
agree |
Margarida Ataide
1 day 9 hrs
|
Thank you, Margarida!
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
+2
9 mins
babbling theories of freedom
suggestion
Peer comment(s):
agree |
Oliver Simões
: If "balbucionar" means "babbling", and there is such a thing is "babbling theory", why not "babbling theory of freedom"? In cases like this, literal is better IMHO. I'll post a link on the discussion board.
6 hrs
|
Thanks Oliver :) Merry Christmas
|
|
agree |
Spiridon
: yes
14 hrs
|
Thanks Spiridon :) Merry Christmas!!
|
|
neutral |
Muriel Vasconcellos
: 'Babbling' is what toddlers do. The 'babbling theory' that was cited is a theory about the origin of language. I'm tempted to post a Disagree, but I won't.
15 hrs
|
Merry Christmas Muriel !!
|
+2
10 mins
fledgling theories about freedom
My understanding is that the author means that these theories were not really based on study and experience, and were only beginning to develop in young minds.
Peer comment(s):
agree |
Muriel Vasconcellos
: I agree, Ana. I came up with a different answer, but yours is good, too. For the matter in question, I think 'liberty' would be more of a subject to theorize about. See my comment in the discussion, per Thomas Jefferson.
5 hrs
|
Thank you, Muriel!
|
|
agree |
Margarida Ataide
1 day 15 hrs
|
Obrigada, Margarida!
|
1 hr
murmuring theories of freedom
Sugestão
5 hrs
clamoring theories of freedom/popular outcry
suggestion
3 days 5 hrs
liberty theory babble
balbuciantes teorias da liberdade => liberty theory babble
babble noun [ U ]
us /ˈbæb·əl/
talk or speech that has no meaning:
babble verb
uk /ˈbæb.əl/ us /ˈbæb.əl/
babble verb (TALK)
[ I or T ] to talk or say something in a quick, confused, excited, or silly way
babble verb [ I/T ]
us /ˈbæb·əl/
to speak quickly, in a confused, excited, or foolish way
babble noun [ U ]
us /ˈbæb·əl/
talk or speech that has no meaning:
babble verb
uk /ˈbæb.əl/ us /ˈbæb.əl/
babble verb (TALK)
[ I or T ] to talk or say something in a quick, confused, excited, or silly way
babble verb [ I/T ]
us /ˈbæb·əl/
to speak quickly, in a confused, excited, or foolish way
Discussion
babble noun [ U ]
us /ˈbæb·əl/
talk or speech that has no meaning:
babble verb
uk /ˈbæb.əl/ us /ˈbæb.əl/
babble verb (TALK)
[ I or T ] to talk or say something in a quick, confused, excited, or silly way
babble verb [ I/T ]
us /ˈbæb·əl/
to speak quickly, in a confused, excited, or foolish way
"One should distinguish between the terms "freedom" and "liberty." Speaking generally, Freedom usually means to be free from something, whereas Liberty usually means to be free to do something, although both refer to the quality or state of being free. Jefferson's use of the terms almost always reflected those meanings." http://eyler.freeservers.com/JeffPers/jefpco26.htm