Thread: collateral (meaning)

Can "collateral" means "accomplice"?
A new Michael Mann's movie with Tom Cruise "Collateral" was translated into Russian as "Соучастник", but I didn't find this meaning in all dictionaries which I looked up in.

No, it doesn't mean accomplice. The most common meaning of collateral is something that secures a loan, e.g., you use the value of your house as collateral for a loan.

The pentagon bureacracy has invented a new, Orwellian use of the word. They refer to inadvertent civilian deaths during military action as "collateral damage."

I haven't seen this move, and I don't know why they decided to translate it that way.

Originally Posted by alexei

Can "collateral" means "accomplice"?

No

I don’t know why Michael Mann’s movie is called ‘Collateral’. In fact I now zip about the film but it’s probably an action packed suspense thriller. Maybe the fact that the word ‘collateral’ has a range of possible meanings adds to the uncertainty about the film: is the taxi driver (ok, if you must…‘cab driver’) an accomplice, why doesn’t he stop ‘Golden Balls’ Vincent from his killing spree etc?

Collateral can mean parallel, running side-by-side (Collateral damage - unintentional harm to persons or property as the result of military action, or Collateral intrusion – Police watch suspect of crime, collateral intrusion is unintentional invasion of privacy of another person). Or it means serving to support something (like collateral evidence). Or it could refer to property acceptable as security for a loan or other obligation - as begemot sets points to.

Collateral doesn’t mean accomplice - although it can mean accompanying, in the sense of an effect that accompanies that which was intended! < Hope that makes sense. Max is not an accomplice by virtue of the title of the film (OK ‘movie'!).

Соучастник means accomplice, participator, or accessory, which is not a correct translation of ‘collateral’. Maybe Cопутствующий. In fact, I’ve no proper idea, because I don’t know why in English the film is called ‘Collateral’.

They probly translated it as that in russian for the reasons mike gave.

1) colateral has too many meanings

2) since they can't use colateral, and well, the whole movie is about a guy and his accomplice... well... there you go !

Plot Outline: A cab driver finds himself the hostage of an engaging contract killer as he makes his rounds from hit to hit during one night in LA. He must find a way to save both himself and one last victim.

Thanks, I understand what it means. Then the proper translation should be "Соучастник поневоле" or something like it.

the whole movie is about a guy and his accomplice... well... there you go !

No, a driver isn't his accomplice! He's a hostage.