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I read Truessdell's book "The Tragicomical History of Thermodynamics" and I can't translate the following sentence:
"Thermodynamics need never have been the Dismal Swamp of Obscurity that from the first it was and that today in common instruction it is; in consequence, it need not so remain."
How do say it in Russian?
Термодинамика никогда не должна быть мутным болотом непонимания... Так или нет? И что дальше?
Термодинамика не должна быть мутным болотом непонятностей (маразма); то, чем она была сначала и то, чем она стала в конце концов сегодня, в общем значении, так не должно дальше оставаться (продолжаться).
Is it correct or not?
Keep in mind that I only know so-so Russian, but I give thumbs-up to your translation.
Basically, whoever wrote this sentence in English worked really really hard to prettify and make it poetical. In simple English, it just means: Thermodynamics never needed to become such an obscure concept from the formation of the term till now within our educational system. Therefor, it doesn't need to stay this way.
Thank you, Valda. Can you help me to translate another sentence (entomology). I can't express in English the following:
"Этот препарат, в отличии от всех известных препаратов для борьбы с тараканами, не вызывает привыкание."
It looks like the last part is the difficult part: "не вызывает привыкание" => 'does not lead to resistance', 'does not (eventually) lead to loss of effect', 'not lead to tolerance' => the preparation does not loose effect over time, the cockroaches never get used to it.Quote:
"Этот препарат, в отличии от всех известных препаратов для борьбы с тараканами, не вызывает привыкание."
The cockroaches never become inured to the preparation.
'This preparation, in contrast to all other preparations for the control of cockroaches, does not lead to resistant cockroaches.'
I suggest:
"This preparation, contrary to all other preparations for the fight against cockroaches, does not incur adaptive resistance."
"Incur" suggests the causing of something undesireable. "Adaptive resistance", well, using this term gives the educated reader some credit that he's able to self-understand.
Yes, actually, I need to translate the part "не вызывает привыкание". (Этот препарат не вызывает привыкание)
I faced with the problem of how to express it in English. When any preparation eventually loose its effect we call it "привыкание" (it does not matter what I'm talking about - medicine or poison). Situation, when the organism gradually adapts to the preparation and it is no longer valid.