...то уже и не будет

OK, I have been going crazy trying to translate this one. I know I am missing something. Would one of you native speakers be willing to fill me in?

https://scontent-b-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/...72138151_n.jpg

"If in 60 years there are no more children, that will no longer be. If in 50 years there is no money, that will no longer be. If in 40 years there is no health, that will no longer be. If in 30 years there is no love, that will no longer But why? - Because in 20 years, there has been no brain."

I know I am missing something here, either some idiom or some profound nuance or something. Any clues would be great :)

Here "у тебя" is omitted but implied everywhere. So more natural way is to use "you have", I beieve. "If you haven't children in 60, you'll never have. etc."

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Originally Posted by it-ogo

Here "у тебя" is omitted but implied everywhere. So more natural way is to use "you have", I beieve. "If you haven't children in 60, you'll never have. etc."

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"If you don' have children in 60 years, you'll never have them. If you don't have money in 50 years, you'll never have that. If you don't acquire health in 40 years, you never will. If you still haven't found love in 30 years, you won't find it. Why? -- Because after 20 years, you have no brain."

Better? What do you think?

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Originally Posted by Deborski

"If you don' have children in 60 years, you'll never have them. If you don't have money in 50 years, you'll never have that. If you don't acquire health in 40 years, you never will. If you still haven't found love in 30 years, you won't find it. Why? -- Because after 20 years, you have no brain."

Better? What do you think?

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For me better. But I am not an English native. :)

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Originally Posted by it-ogo

For me better. But I am not an English native. :)

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But the sense is that all the other things went wrong because the subject did not have a brain in the first place? If I am understanding it correctly?

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Originally Posted by Deborski

But the sense is that all the other things went wrong because the subject did not have a brain in the first place? If I am understanding it correctly?

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Yes. "No brains", brainless is an idiom in Russian as well as in English. You failed your life because you spent your young years brainlessy.

brainlessly, I guess.

This text is a famous group of the proverbs, but worded in opposite order, so they start sounding like a philosophic joke.

Brainlessly... indeed, a very good word for this day and age. Thanks for the help guys! I will share the quote on my Facebook wall. Maybe someone will even learn something from it? lol

Анек по теме: http://masterrussian.net/f19/%D0%B0%...tml#post252821

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Originally Posted by Lampada

Анек по теме: http://masterrussian.net/f19/%D0%B0%...tml#post252821

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Lots of anecdotes! Thank you :)

But could be "in 60 years" really translated "when you're 60"?
I always thought that the only one translation was: через 60 лет.

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Originally Posted by maxmixiv

But could be "in 60 years" really translated "when you're 60"?
I always thought that the only one translation was: через 60 лет.

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Hmmm... in that case it would have to be translated more like ""If you don't have children by the time you're 60, you'll never have them. If you don't have money by 50, you'll never have that. If you don't acquire health by 40, you never will. If you still haven't found love at 30, you won't find it. Why? -- Because even after 20 years, you have no brain."

I like the latest version. But I propose to change "acquire health" to "preserve health" because we gain money, children etc, but the health can only be "spent". And more: why don't "Because by 20 you hadn't got brain" ?

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Originally Posted by maxmixiv

I like the latest version. But I propose to change "acquire health" to "preserve health" because we gain money, children etc, but the health can only be "spent". And more: why don't "Because by 20 you hadn't got brain" ?

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I think that it would be better did not use your brain.

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Originally Posted by Deborski

Because even after 20 years, you have no brain."

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Because when you were 20, you had no brain.

Another one philosophic joke: Я собираюсь жить вечно, и пока все идет хорошо.
(Usually about a young "brainless" person)

"If you don't have children by the time you're 60, you'll never have them. If you don't have money by 50, you'll never have that. If you can't preserve health by 40, you never will. If you still haven't found love at 30, you won't find it. Why? -- Because even after 20 years, you haven't used your brain!"

There. :)

Actually, the proverb implies that a person still doesn't have brain although they are 20. Because they have to be smart (potentially, at least) at the age of 20. It doesn't mean they haven't used brain after that.

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a person still doesn't have brain although they are 20

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Because when you were 20, you had no brain.

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Yes, to be exact we need to combine two into one large sentence? English is too difficult!

Another my shot in the dark: "Your brain had not grown by 20"

"Because even at 20, you still don't have a brain."

A catchy phrase should be as short as possible. In Ancient Rome making aphorisms was a kind of national sport so in Classic Latin there were even alternative grammar and syntax for them to make shorter. In Russian it is generally a good literary style to minimize the number of junk and support words. What about English?

No children by 60, no money by 50 etc. are results of no brain by 20. Would something like that work?

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Originally Posted by it-ogo

A catchy phrase should be as short as possible. In Ancient Rome making aphorisms was a kind of national sport so in Classic Latin there were even alternative grammar and syntax for them to make shorter. In Russian it is generally a good literary style to minimize the number of junk and support words. What about English?

No children by 60, no money by 50 etc. are results of no brain by 20. Would something like that work?

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Quick, someone! Give this man a job at the Washington Post! He knows how to EDIT!

:wink:

You could do that, but it loses the humor and without humor it loses it's kick because it's not really a true saying. A person could still have money, adopt kids, improve their health and still have a good life even if they are not very smart by age 20.

But this has been a fascinating translation experience though :)

Funny...I hadn't heard that in Russian before. Of course, in English we say: "I intend to live forever. So far, so good." So the question is: Who stole from whom? (Or did it arise independently?)

Another one philosophic joke: Я собираюсь жить вечно, и пока все идет хорошо.
(Usually about a young "brainless" person)[/QUOTE]