The Russian phraseology “Don’t have a hundred rubles, but have a hundred friends” has a deep sense. He speaks of the importance of friendship and the support of friends in life, which can be of significant value for material benefits. In the Ukrainian language there are equivalents of such expressions that preserve this sense. The skin from them can be affected by singing in figurative and cultural aspects. WomanEL reveals how to translate the known Russian Vistula, including the original, cultural adaptations and a similar version.
ContentVerbatim translationEquivalent Ukrainian phraseologyCultural adaptation from added imagery
Verbatim translation
“Not May a hundred hryvnias, but May a hundred friends” – This translation is as close as possible to the original phraseology. Vine conveys the idea that the importance of people’s sacrifices can be worth money, and at the same time it is reasonable for the Ukrainian reader. I will translate this further, fragments of its meaning are easy to guess, as people first feel this message.
Equivalent Ukrainian phraseology
“I’ll give my soul for friendship” – This phraseology has a similar idea. It reinforces the value of friendly relations, for the sake of which people are ready to give up their special lives on the road. This expression puts more emphasis on self-sacrifice for the sake of friendship and may sound more emotional, even if translated verbatim.
The short, but sweet Ukrainian equivalent of “Treasuring friendship for pennies” emphasizes the importance of friendship over material wealth. It sounds better in the cultural context of Ukrainian language.
Expanded option – “Better than a mother are a hundred friends, than a hundred people from sins.” This translation preserves the essence and adds a Ukrainian flavor through the image of the “Hamants”, giving it a more local flavor.
Cultural adaptation from added imagery
“Better than the mother of a faithful friend, lower than a swarm of pennies” – This version of the translation conveys the same sense, but adds the Ukrainian style of expressing thoughts through imagery. Vin directly indicates that the friendship of a faithful comrade is very important, even material kindness.
Another adaptation option is “Friends are the treasure of the world.” This option is simple and concise. Although this is not a complete adaptation of phraseology, its meaning is intuitively clear and reinforces the idea that friendship is valuable, I value it even if it is wealth.
Paraphrased from with folk wisdom “It’s better with a friend in the road” , “Nizh with sins in the screen” to emphasize the importance of reliable friendship in life. It conveys a sense, but also adapts to Ukrainian folklore, preserving imagery.
Translation from the added Ukrainian proverb “Collect not pennies, but friends” – a variant of the approach to the Ukrainian style of folk sayings that speak of the importance of friendship, help and mutual support. It sounds simple, but conveys the main idea – material speeches can be changed, and friends can be deprived of their most valuable ones.
A creative option based on Ukrainian proverbs “With a good friend and a poor friend” There is no barking” emphasizes that it is present a good friend, no matter how difficult things seem to mean less. This phraseology also reflects the idea of the original Russian word. We say that friendship is important for material difficulties.
When translating the Russian phraseology “Don’t have a hundred rubles, but have a hundred friends” into the Ukrainian one can be interpreted as a literal translation, and more adapted into iraz, what to transfer the payment for using Ukrainian imagery. Варіанти на кшталт «Не май сто гривень, а май сто друзів» або «Краще з другом у дорозі, ніж з грішми в скрині» передають ідею важливості дружби і є зрозумілими для українського читача.
Раніше ми розповідали про I’ll share the secrets: how Russian “pies” become the Ukrainian “white goat”.
