rundet af folkedybet

English translation: shaped by poverty

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Danish term or phrase:rundet af folkedybet
English translation:shaped by poverty
Entered by: Sven Petersson

17:52 Jan 6, 2006
Danish to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature
Danish term or phrase: rundet af folkedybet
In a historical novel set in the 1500s. The man is making his way through a crowd of people hoping to schmooz with the King of England:

"Han styrede målrettet mod Hertugen af Norfolk, aristokraten, der kun med besvær skjulte sit had til den Cromwell, der, skønt rundet af folkedybet, ejede større indflydelse på Kongen end han selv."
Tara Chace
United States
Local time: 11:49
shaped by poverty
Explanation:
Cromwell grew up in genteel poverty; not quite a member of the nobility, yet not a commoner either.

There is a measure of sarcasm in the Danish expression, which I fail to translate. "Skønt rundet af" would normally be followed by something positive, like in the following cut from a CV:

"... Harvard Law Review and "skønt rundet af" by clerking for Chief Justice William Rehnquist."

Selected response from:

Sven Petersson
Sweden
Local time: 19:49
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +1tainted by the unwashed masses
Mads Grøftehauge
4favored by the general populace
Christian Schoenberg
4shaped by poverty
Sven Petersson


Discussion entries: 5





  

Answers


54 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
favored by the general populace


Explanation:
Another interesting question, Tara! Keep them coming.

It struck me as I wrote my 'peer comment' and I may be misreading the text: wasn't Cromwell quite well-liked by the greater populace (not counting the Irish, of course)? If so, 'rundet' would surely be a favorable attribute.

So, my (humble) suggestion is:

"Han styrede målrettet mod Hertugen af Norfolk, aristokraten, der kun med besvær skjulte sit had til den Cromwell, der, skønt rundet af folkedybet, ejede større indflydelse på Kongen end han selv."

"He laid out a course for the Duke of Norfolk. The aristocrat habored an ill-disguised hatred of Cromwell who — in spite of being favored by the general populace - had greater influence with the King than he."

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Note added at 58 mins (2006-01-06 18:51:13 GMT)
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Oh, by the bye, my explanation isn't necessarily at odds with Mads's explanation. But I believe 'tainted' implies a value judgment that is not in the text you provided, but may be in the general context.
Over and out.


Christian Schoenberg
United States
Local time: 14:49
Native speaker of: Native in DanishDanish, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
shaped by poverty


Explanation:
Cromwell grew up in genteel poverty; not quite a member of the nobility, yet not a commoner either.

There is a measure of sarcasm in the Danish expression, which I fail to translate. "Skønt rundet af" would normally be followed by something positive, like in the following cut from a CV:

"... Harvard Law Review and "skønt rundet af" by clerking for Chief Justice William Rehnquist."



Sven Petersson
Sweden
Local time: 19:49
Native speaker of: Native in SwedishSwedish, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks, Sven. Helpful as ever!

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20 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
tainted by the unwashed masses


Explanation:
'Rundet af' is an odd term to use here. It means 'rounded off; well-balanced'.
'Folkedybet' means 'the people' taken as a single entity, with more than a hint of commonness.

In your text, Cromwell is less of an aristocrat due to his associacion with common folk, but still he holds more sway with the king than the pompous Duke of Norfolk.

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Note added at 1 day 1 hr 52 mins (2006-01-07 19:44:42 GMT)
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Agrred, my "translation" is too crass, but I was just trying to get the point across.
'Rundet af folkedyber' must mean that Cromwell is a borderline commoner, as opposed to an aristocrat. I don't believe that the sentence says anything about whether the man on the 16th Century street liked the guy or not.

Mads Grøftehauge
Local time: 19:49
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in DanishDanish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Christian Schoenberg: I would probably be disinclined to use 'unwashed masses' - it strikes me as a tad too anachronistic - 'unwashed masses' is a term more at home with Malthus/early-Industrial Revolution than the 1500s.
17 mins

agree  Charlesp
1 day 7 hrs
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