How would you typically translate до поры до времени, and how is it different from a less idiomatic phrase like в данное время?
2
-
"For the time being " is the closest meaning. as well as "now" for the second phrase. – V.V. Feb 19 '18 at 12:30
-
3I'd interpret the literal meaning of the phrase as 'until the time comes for it to change'. – Alex_ander Feb 20 '18 at 5:53
Add a comment
|
до поры до времени - for the time being; temporarily
в данное время - at this/present moment; presently; currently
The 1st adverb underscores transient nature of an event or a state, the 2nd one is neutral in this respect, just describing the current state, which may or may not be bound to change.
answered Feb 18 '18 at 22:31
Here's a few translations loosely based on these reverso examples:
Роллинг с его́ миллиа́рдами ну́жен мне до поры́ до вре́мени.
I need Rolling and his billions only for so long.И всё бы́ло хорошо́... до поры́ до вре́мени.
And it worked... for a while.Все они таки́е, до поры́ до вре́мени.
They all are, until they aren't anymore.
-
I'm familiar with Reverso; Ive seen all of those. It's not a great help for getting into the nuances, though. – spoko Feb 18 '18 at 23:35
-
That's why I translated the above examples myself or at least validated Reverso translations. – Sergey Slepov Feb 19 '18 at 0:07
...and how is it different from a less idiomatic phrase like в данное время?
This idiom emphasizes that the situation cannot continue indefinitely. And the finale can have critical consequences.
Роллинг с его миллиардами нужен мне до поры до времени
At some point, I will not need Rolling and the fate of Rolling will be tragical
-
That's really interesting. So there's an element of suspense built into this phrase? That makes sense, because it is so often translated with an ellipsis ahead of it. – spoko Feb 19 '18 at 14:48
-
@spoko this depends on the context, you legitimately can say Я здесь работаю до поры до времени. Как только я найду что-нибудь получше, меня отсюда как ветром сдует - I only work here for the time being. As soon as I find a better job I will be gone. which of course is no tragic consequence either for the employer or the speaker – Баян Купи-ка Feb 19 '18 at 16:28
-
Понятно, спасибо. Also thanks for the phrase как ветром сдует—hadn't seen that one before. – spoko Feb 19 '18 at 16:38
-
