Thread: Russian wisdom - translation needed

Throbert McGee, what about Баба с возу - кобыле легче? Any usable counterpart in English?

Originally Posted by sergei

Throbert McGee, what about Баба с возу - кобыле легче? Any usable counterpart in English?

"Баба с возу - кобыле легче" is a new expression for me! From Googling, it seems to mean more or less the same thing as Скатертью дорога -- is that right?

The most general equivalent in English would be "Good riddance!" -- which can be used in many contexts to express the idea "I'm glad that you're going away." There are other expressions, but right now I can't think of any that are as "colorful" as the Russian ones. I'll give it some more thought.

Originally Posted by Throbert McGee

"Баба с возу - кобыле легче" is a new expression for me! From Googling, it seems to mean more or less the same thing as Скатертью дорога -- is that right?

The most general equivalent in English would be "Good riddance!" -- which can be used in many contexts to express the idea "I'm glad that you're going away." There are other expressions, but right now I can't think of any that are as "colorful" as the Russian ones. I'll give it some more thought.

The literal translation would be: It's easier for a horse to go if the broad falls out of the cart. ))) - i find it difficult to translate the Russian word баба (it has some cultural connotations), and using the word 'broad' which might be not exactly suitable.

The idea is somewhat like: "I'm glad that this broad is going away."

Скатертью дорога is the exact equivalent of "I'm glad that you're going away"(Good riddance).

Originally Posted by alexsms

The literal translation would be: It's easier for a horse to go if the broad falls out of the cart. ))) - i find it difficult to translate the Russian word баба (it has some cultural connotations), and using the word 'broad' which might be not exactly suitable.

The idea is somewhat like: "I'm glad that this broad is going away."

Скатертью дорога is the exact equivalent of "I'm glad that you're going away"(Good riddance).

So, in English we say "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink."
Maybe we should amend it to, you can lead a horse to water unless баба is in the cart?