gioco cosmico dell'universo

English translation: great cosmic game

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Italian term or phrase:gioco cosmico dell'universo
English translation:great cosmic game
Entered by: KayW

09:09 Jun 12, 2010
Italian to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Philosophy / oriental mysticism
Italian term or phrase: gioco cosmico dell'universo
Here's a nice one for you. From a question referring to an intuitive eureka moment for a scientist:
si è sentito improvvisamente parte del gioco cosmico dell'universo, da lei definito come la "danza di Shiva"

cosmic game of the universe doesn't do it for me: any ideas :)
Patrick Freeman
Spain
Local time: 13:30
great cosmic game
Explanation:
A suggestion. Perhaps universe is superfluous when you already have cosmic
Selected response from:

KayW
Local time: 13:30
Grading comment
It is the simplicity of this solution which works for me.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +1has suddenly felt part of the universe puzzle
Daniela Ciafardoni
3 +1the great cosmic joke
S E (X)
3 +1cosmic interplay of the universe
Michael Brennen
3great cosmic game
KayW
3that great cosmic game that is the universe
Oliver Lawrence
3cosmic play (of the universe)
casper (X)
2cosmic maze of the universe
Mr Murray (X)


Discussion entries: 5





  

Answers


5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
great cosmic game


Explanation:
A suggestion. Perhaps universe is superfluous when you already have cosmic

KayW
Local time: 13:30
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
It is the simplicity of this solution which works for me.
Notes to answerer
Asker: thanks, i think perhaps you're right

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30 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
has suddenly felt part of the universe puzzle


Explanation:
or
"has suddenly found a key piece of the universe puzzle" if you would like to deviate a little ...

Daniela Ciafardoni
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:30
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in ItalianItalian
Notes to answerer
Asker: thanks, an interesting alternative


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Daniela Zambrini: I like your second suggestion :-)
4 hrs
  -> Thanks Daniela!
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
that great cosmic game that is the universe


Explanation:
I think if you like out the universe it just sounds like a great cosmic game as if people are supposed to know what that is; IMHO the scientist is likening the universe and its workings to a great game on a cosmic scale.

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Note added at 6 hrs (2010-06-12 15:23:18 GMT)
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the universe and its workings probably, who knows

Oliver Lawrence
Italy
Local time: 13:30
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 8
Notes to answerer
Asker: i had a feeling this was going to start to get philosophical: is the game in the universe or is the universe the game itself?

Asker: I would have used 'that great cosmic game that is the universe and its workings' for accuracy, however in the context of a paraphrased informal question it seemed excessive: thanks anyway :)

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49 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
the great cosmic joke


Explanation:
IMO

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Note added at 56 mins (2010-06-12 10:06:15 GMT)
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I've heard this phrase frequently and it's what immediately came to mind.

It's definitely a "pop philosophy" phrase, which might make sense in this context.

Also, a quick google search yields 120,000 hits for the phrase, which says something about its frequency of use.

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Note added at 7 hrs (2010-06-12 16:26:19 GMT)
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Sorry, I thought that you meant that "cosmic game" was not right in the context, so I crossed it out as a possibility!

What is the nature of the scientist's "a-ha" moment?

If on figuring out whatever he figured out he felt duped, or tricked, or foolish, or made the fool, or something along those lines, "joke" might be it.

But if his "a-ha" moment made him feel like he was playing a part in something, then "game" might be it.

Hmmm...

S E (X)
Italy
Local time: 13:30
Native speaker of: English
Notes to answerer
Asker: his 'eureka' moment is more general than that: to be more precise we've got an interviewer who has read this scientist's book paraphrasing the original english into Italian; "Ne ***** ***** lei descrive una sua forte intuizione come un momento irrazionale in cui si è sentito improvvisamente parte del gioco cosmico dell’universo, da lei definito come la «danza di Shiva»." hth


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Mr Murray (X): I think this idiom is usually used in an ironic manner - so joke or similar is appropriate
8 hrs
  -> Thank you, Mr Murray! "Idiom" is also the word I was looking for to establish the cultural status of my answer - thanks for that, too.
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9 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
cosmic interplay of the universe


Explanation:
I would keep both 'cosmic' and 'universe'. As I read this 'cosmic' is about the scale into which the scientist entered the 'game' within the larger setting of the universe; that is, it was not just a local aberration or phenomenon.

For 'gioco' 'game' would probably work; I do not like 'joke' at all, as that carries nihilistic interpretive baggage that I do not see in the original.

I chose 'interplay' as a more neutral term, an attempt to step back from the implications of 'game' as carried out between specific actors for determined ends, as an expression of some sort of teleology. My understanding of the essentially Hindu worldview expressed in the "danza di Shiva" is that it is more impersonal than the Judeo-Christian worldview or the Greek myths of the gods, for example, but less reductive than is usually associated with Western naturalism.

Michael Brennen
Local time: 07:30
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Ernestine Shargool: Yes: imo 'interplay', as in "gioco d'equilibrio", is spot on.
7 hrs
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18 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
cosmic play (of the universe)


Explanation:
Isn't (a) game essentially (a form of) play ?


http://tinyurl.com/2wks8fr





Example sentence(s):
  • Nataraja’s dance is an artistic expression of Ashtanga Yoga, his cosmic play...

    Reference: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/msg00430...
casper (X)
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
Notes to answerer
Asker: thks. this is nice, with a very similar context in the link

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1 day 12 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
cosmic maze of the universe


Explanation:
Using this idea "going beyond mental boundaries of the rational in order to reach a breakthrough - at the same time achieving a quasi-mystical state" - this is getting close to transcendence, and with the idea of 'games' and 'boundaries' with an eventual 'breakthrough' - the best metaphor I can think of - in English - is 'maze'. If it was a question of emphasizing the 'play' part - I might switch 'maze' to 'playground' but that'd belittle the subject. I feel mazes can be joyful fun places - playful, yet, places of potential fear and confusion, mimicing the mysticism of Shiva's dance.

Mr Murray (X)
Italy
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Michael Brennen: My sense here is that 'maze' feels too static, lacking an intrinsic dynamic quality, depending on an interpolation that a maze is something to be traversed.
1 hr
  -> Yes, I also felt that barrier idea originally, but based my answer more on the discussions - TY
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