Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Russian term or phrase:
сделано не от хорошей жизни
English translation:
for want of a better life
- The asker opted for community grading. The question was closed on 2009-07-05 18:54:06 based on peer agreement (or, if there were too few peer comments, asker preference.)
Jul 2, 2009 18:26
14 yrs ago
1 viewer *
Russian term
сделано не от хорошей жизни
Russian to English
Social Sciences
Government / Politics
I can read the words, but I am not quite sure I get the connotation. How do you understand this phrase?
Thanks!
Thanks!
Proposed translations
(English)
Proposed translations
+6
8 mins
Mark Berelekhis
United States
United States
Native in Russian
&
English
Works in field
United States
Exemplary quality, truly bilingual
Native in: Russian 
, English
Works in: Russian to English, English to Russian, English
Related KudoZ points
:
130
Selected
for want of a better life
Literally: it's not his "good life" that pushed the person to do what they did.
Which means the opposite, that their life wasn't good at all, and that the action was made because the person was unhappy for whatever reason. Though most of the time this phrase would be used to denote poverty or need.
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Note added at 37 mins (2009-07-02 19:03:44 GMT)
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No problem at all, James. Let our peers decide! Cheers.
Which means the opposite, that their life wasn't good at all, and that the action was made because the person was unhappy for whatever reason. Though most of the time this phrase would be used to denote poverty or need.
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Note added at 37 mins (2009-07-02 19:03:44 GMT)
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No problem at all, James. Let our peers decide! Cheers.
Note from asker:
| Sorry, Mark. I meant to give you the points, but apparently I pressed the wrong button. Thanks again to everyone! Jim |
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
9 mins
Rositsa Georgieva
Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Works in field
Bulgaria
respect to language
Native in: Bulgarian
Works in: English to Bulgarian, Bulgarian to English, Russian to English, and 3 more.
.....perpetrated, because he did not live in clover /live off the fat of the land
- I assume something wrong has been perpetraded in the contextb because, the perpetrator lead a hard life.
+1
40 mins
Alexandra Goldburt
Native in Russian
Specializes in field
California Court Certified Interpreter
Native in: Russian 
Works in: English to Russian, Russian to English, Spanish to English, and 3 more.
their life was not a bed of roses
They did not do it [as I don't have the context, I can only guess what was "сделано" because their life was a bed of roses.
Just an option.
Just an option.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Alexandra Taggart
: Nice, very romantic! Romeo&Juliet!
1 day 1 hr
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Спасибо, Александра!
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+4
2 hrs
Because there was no other choice/ act of despair
People do something because they are stuck. E.g. they sell th apartment because they do not have money to pay for it; they give a child to foster parents because they can't raise it; They even betray sbd. because otherwise they will suffer themselves.
It is a sort of a moral justification for smth. that should not be done otherwise.
It is a sort of a moral justification for smth. that should not be done otherwise.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Graham Poole
: Yes -- "because there was no other choice/nothing else they could do in the circumstances," etc. -- they were stuck with it. Была бы хорошая жизнь, то можно было бы выбирать, что делать, не так ли?
4 hrs
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Thank you, Graham
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| agree |
Vlad51
5 hrs
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Thank you, Vlad
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| agree |
Olga Cartlidge
: or for want of a better option.
1 day 22 hrs
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Thank you, Olga
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| agree |
Alexandra Goldburt
: I really like "act of despair" option. It would fit nicely in almost any context.
1 day 23 hrs
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Thank you, Alexandra!
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+1
1 day 0 min
Victor Zagria
Native in Russian
Native in: Ukrainian , Russian
Works in: English to Ukrainian, English to Russian, Russian to English, and 4 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
4
out of sheer lack of bare necessities
Reference comments
11 mins
Reference:
Usually, it means something along the lines of "Adverse circumstances forced him/her/them to take these harsh actions/act in this manner."
Peer comments on this reference comment:
| agree |
Alexandra Goldburt
: Basically, yes, that's what it usually means.
29 mins
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| agree |
Graham Poole
6 hrs
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