The first sentence of Anna Karenina goes as follows:
Все счастливые семьи похожи друг на друга, каждая несчастливая семья несчастлива по-своему.
What would be a better translation of "несчастлива"? Unhappy or miserable? Or maybe another word? The commonly used English "unhappy" seems too weak, based on my knowledge of Polish.
"Unhappy" seems to be the best translation for "несчастливая".
"Miserable" would be a good fit for "несчастная", but that's a stronger word.
The authors of three translations have opted for unhappy
“Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way,” wrote Garnett.
“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way,” wrote Pevear and Volokhonsky.
Here, meanwhile, is Schwartz: “All happy families resemble one another; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”
