Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Russian term or phrase:
фоткать
English translation:
to snap (photographs)
Added to glossary by
Susan Welsh
Dec 15, 2013 12:07
10 yrs ago
Russian term
фоткать
Russian to English
Art/Literary
Photography/Imaging (& Graphic Arts)
slang
This is a museum curator complaining about people taking millions of photos with digital cameras rather than actually looking at the works of art in the museum.
"Пока что он научился фоткать…
Фоткать? Что за мерзкий глагол! Уже одним своим видом он вызывает массу отрицательных эмоций. Фоткать — это не то что фотографировать. Фотографировать — значит служить высокому искусству. Фоткать — механически и почти бездумно «щёлкать». Глагол «фотографировать» изначально предполагает, что у человека есть хотя бы элементарное представление о построении кадра. Для того чтобы фоткать, никакими искусствоведческими знаниями обладать не надо. Если фотканье — это процесс, то он противоположен смотрению и созерцанию."
After combing through the Internet, I came up with "spray and pray" -- http://digital-photography-school.com/deciphering-photo-jarg... -- which I thought conveyed what the author was trying to say. But the editor (Russian native speaker, good English) didn't like it, and wrote back:
"It's nice but too complicated. "Фоткать" in Russian doesn't mean anything special. It's just a shortened form of "фотографировать" widely used in Internet, especially by women, who like diminutive suffixes :). It's just quicker to write. And there's absolutely no negative emotions connected with it (generally speaking), the author speaks only about himself.
Is this term you suggest popular?"
Indeed, it is complicated, and the phrase is not widely used (at least I never heard of it before). Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance!
"Пока что он научился фоткать…
Фоткать? Что за мерзкий глагол! Уже одним своим видом он вызывает массу отрицательных эмоций. Фоткать — это не то что фотографировать. Фотографировать — значит служить высокому искусству. Фоткать — механически и почти бездумно «щёлкать». Глагол «фотографировать» изначально предполагает, что у человека есть хотя бы элементарное представление о построении кадра. Для того чтобы фоткать, никакими искусствоведческими знаниями обладать не надо. Если фотканье — это процесс, то он противоположен смотрению и созерцанию."
After combing through the Internet, I came up with "spray and pray" -- http://digital-photography-school.com/deciphering-photo-jarg... -- which I thought conveyed what the author was trying to say. But the editor (Russian native speaker, good English) didn't like it, and wrote back:
"It's nice but too complicated. "Фоткать" in Russian doesn't mean anything special. It's just a shortened form of "фотографировать" widely used in Internet, especially by women, who like diminutive suffixes :). It's just quicker to write. And there's absolutely no negative emotions connected with it (generally speaking), the author speaks only about himself.
Is this term you suggest popular?"
Indeed, it is complicated, and the phrase is not widely used (at least I never heard of it before). Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance!
Proposed translations
(English)
3 +12 | to snap (photographs) | Evgenia Windstein |
4 | he's picked up shooting so far | Nadezhda Golubeva |
4 | click away (with their digital cameras) | Frank Szmulowicz, Ph. D. |
Proposed translations
+12
9 mins
Selected
to snap (photographs)
could that possibly work for you?
Peer comment(s):
agree |
Alexandra Schneeuhr
: to snapsho(o)t vs. to photograph sounds about right, IMHO
13 mins
|
Thank you, Sasha))) Спасибо!
|
|
agree |
Frank Szmulowicz, Ph. D.
: works for me
45 mins
|
Thank you, MacroJanus
|
|
agree |
Rachel Douglas
: How about "to snap pix"? Then "What a vile expression!" rather than "verb".
1 hr
|
Thank you, Rachel. Yeah, I think you are right. Your version sounds more relaxed and, thus, less formal))). Txs.
|
|
agree |
Paul Hirsh
: or taken up happy snapping
1 hr
|
Thank you, Paul!
|
|
agree |
MariyaN (X)
5 hrs
|
Thank you, Mariya
|
|
agree |
Sarah McDowell
6 hrs
|
Thank you, Sarah!
|
|
agree |
Jack Doughty
10 hrs
|
Thank you, Jack!
|
|
agree |
cyhul
14 hrs
|
Thank you, Cyhul!
|
|
agree |
Maria Mizguireva
19 hrs
|
Thank you, Maria!
|
|
agree |
interprivate
20 hrs
|
Thank you, Interprivate)!
|
|
agree |
Oleksiy Markunin
1 day 5 hrs
|
agree |
Andrew Vdovin
1 day 14 hrs
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Many thanks!"
20 mins
he's picked up shooting so far
Just as a variant.
Peer comment(s):
neutral |
Rachel Douglas
: Sorry, but a "variant" of what? As a noun, "variant" means something that varies from a norm. With respect to normally fluent English, that may be the case for this suggestion, but I don't think it's what you meant. "Another option"? "An alternative"?
1 hr
|
4 hrs
click away (with their digital cameras)
This makes it sound even more mindless.
Discussion