To teach a pig to sing

Serbian translation: učiti svinju da peva

17:28 Feb 2, 2023
English to Serbian translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters / proverbs and sayings
English term or phrase: To teach a pig to sing
Nekako mi nauciti svinju da peva ne ide.
Tanja Nestorović
Serbia
Local time: 08:16
Serbian translation:učiti svinju da peva
Explanation:
po citatu koji ste naveli, u pitanju je alegorija. ne znam zašto ne bi išao doslovan prevod. zbog te druge rečenice u kojoj se isto spominje svinja. to je kao neka simbolična slika

jer možete vi reći: ne forsiraj nikog u nešto što ne želi, ali šta onda sa drugom rečenicom? Ona može biti: izmoriće se, a vi ćete protraćiti vreme.

Ja lično bih doslovno.
Selected response from:

Lingua 5B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 08:16
Grading comment
Thanks
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +2(ne) bacati bisere pred svinje
Milan Nesic
3 +2učiti svinju da peva
Lingua 5B
3учити шепавог да трчи / мутавог да пева / слепца да препознаје боје
Daryo
Summary of reference entries provided
Some context first ...
Daryo

Discussion entries: 2





  

Answers


1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
(ne) bacati bisere pred svinje


Explanation:
"Једна од најчешће коришћених је и изрека „Не бацају се бисери пред свиње!“ Шта то, у ствари, значи? У оригиналу ова реченица гласи: Margaritas ante porcos, а користи се у језику за незналицу којој не треба ни објашњавати ни казивати оно што не цени."


    https://www.opismenise.com/kolumne/zasto-se-kaze-ne-bacaju-se-biseri-pred-svinje/
Milan Nesic
Native speaker of: Native in SerbianSerbian

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Vesna Maširević: https://www.encyclo.co.uk/meaning-of-margaritas_ante_porcos
58 mins
  -> Hvala :)

neutral  Daryo: That would be another saying: 'Throwing diamonds at pigs' / 'Throwing pearls before pigs' // There is some similarity but it's not quite the same.
1 hr
  -> Može i na srpskom. Razumemo se.

agree  Jelena Delibasic
12 hrs
  -> Hvala :)
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15 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
to teach a pig to sing
učiti svinju da peva


Explanation:
po citatu koji ste naveli, u pitanju je alegorija. ne znam zašto ne bi išao doslovan prevod. zbog te druge rečenice u kojoj se isto spominje svinja. to je kao neka simbolična slika

jer možete vi reći: ne forsiraj nikog u nešto što ne želi, ali šta onda sa drugom rečenicom? Ona može biti: izmoriće se, a vi ćete protraćiti vreme.

Ja lično bih doslovno.


Lingua 5B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 08:16
Native speaker of: Native in SerbianSerbian, Native in CroatianCroatian
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thanks

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Daryo: "izmoriće se, i samo ćete protraćiti vreme" = to je sastavni deo cele priče -- ne štima s "biserima"
7 hrs

agree  Slobodan Kozarčić
7 hrs
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23 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
to teach a pig to sing
учити шепавог да трчи / мутавог да пева / слепца да препознаје боје


Explanation:
учити шепавог да трчи / мутавог да пева / слепца да препознаје боје је чисто губљење времена ...

"the difficulty and pointlessness of communicating a lesson that an individual is unwilling or unready to learn"

OK - my proposed translation is more about people being incapable of learning [as opposed to people unwilling to learn] so only CL3.

Daryo
United Kingdom
Local time: 07:16
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in SerbianSerbian, Native in FrenchFrench
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Reference comments


45 mins
Reference: Some context first ...

Reference information:
Never Attempt To Teach a Pig To Sing; It Wastes Your Time and Annoys the Pig


Mark Twain? Robert Heinlein? Paul Dickson? Anonymous?

Dear Quote Investigator: Teaching a pig to sing is a futile task that aggravates the porcine student according to a popular saying. Luminary Mark Twain and science fiction author Robert Heinlein have received credit for this adage. Would you please determine the accurate ascription and the original context?

Quote Investigator: In 1973 Robert Heinlein published “Time Enough for Love” featuring a main character, Lazarus Long, who appeared in several other novels by the author. Long was a colorful individualist who had been genetically selected to live for centuries. He delivered the adage during a discussion of avarice and deceit. Emphasis added to excerpts by QI:[1]

I have never swindled a man. At most I kept quiet and let him swindle himself. This does no harm, as a fool cannot be protected from his folly. If you attempt to do so, you will not only arouse his animosity but also you will be attempting to deprive him of whatever benefit he is capable of deriving from experience. Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

Thus, the context was the difficulty and pointlessness of communicating a lesson that an individual is unwilling or unready to learn.

The implausible ascription to Mark Twain occurred in recent decades and is unsupported.

A different saying with a distinct meaning is sometimes confused with this adage. QI has a separate article on this topic:

Never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty and the pig likes it.

https://quoteinvestigator.com/2017/07/10/sing-pig/

Daryo
United Kingdom
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in SerbianSerbian, Native in FrenchFrench
Note to reference poster
Asker: You are correct. The setting is religious narrative, in which people are taught how to profess their faith without being forced to (as if teaching a pig to sing), but rather by understanding them. What perplexed me was that the text only contained a portion of Mark Twain's wisdom, i.e "Don't try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of time, and it irritates the pig." When translated with no reference, it feels awkward.

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