Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
life is sweet
Hungarian translation:
szép az élet
Added to glossary by
Ildiko Santana
Nov 11, 2010 16:54
13 yrs ago
English term
Hungary
mainly literature
Native in: English 
Works in: Hungarian to English, English to Hungarian, French to Hungarian, and 1 more.
"life is sweet"
English to Hungarian
Social Sciences
Journalism
In an interview for a Christian newspaper, the journalist asks the subject - a paraplegic athlete - if he ever considered 'ending it all' ! The answer is.........
"It crossed my mind a time or two in the beginning, but then, as they say, 'life is sweet'."
Do I literally translate this, or is there an Hungarian phrase which captures the same sentiment/belief, as in English this is a well-known saying for people hanging onto life, or the survival instinct. Hmm, I don't want to miss-quote the interviewee.
"It crossed my mind a time or two in the beginning, but then, as they say, 'life is sweet'."
Do I literally translate this, or is there an Hungarian phrase which captures the same sentiment/belief, as in English this is a well-known saying for people hanging onto life, or the survival instinct. Hmm, I don't want to miss-quote the interviewee.
Proposed translations
(Hungarian)
| 4 +8 | az élet szép / szép az élet |
Ildiko Santana
|
Change log
Nov 14, 2010 17:13: Ildiko Santana Created KOG entry
Proposed translations
+8
10 mins
Ildiko Santana
United States
United States
Native in English
&
Hungarian
Specializes in field
United States
Accurate / Fast / Cheap -- Pick Two
Native in: Hungarian 
, English
Works in: Hungarian to English, English to Hungarian, English, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
16
Selected
az élet szép / szép az élet
I do not know of a particular phrase in Hungarian that uses the word "édes" (sweet) but more common to say "Szép az élet" or "Az élet szép". When we hear "Édes élet" (life is sweet) we tend to think of Fellini's classic film, "La Dolce Vita". If this works in your context, I don't see why not use it. However, "sweet life" comes up mostly in advertisements, i.e. "édes élet cukorbetegeknek" - promoting artificial sweeteners - "sweet life with diabetes"... I would go with the more common "szép az élet" or "az élet szép" versions instead.
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Note added at 35 mins (2010-11-11 17:30:41 GMT)
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I have to correct myself, I was a little sloppy above; of course there are numerous phrases in Hungarian with 'édes' (sweet), just not when referring to *life*..
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Note added at 35 mins (2010-11-11 17:30:41 GMT)
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I have to correct myself, I was a little sloppy above; of course there are numerous phrases in Hungarian with 'édes' (sweet), just not when referring to *life*..
Note from asker:
| thanks, no I definitely didn't want to use the word 'édes' |
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "az élet szép"
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