English translation: different levels of important
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08:02 Nov 25, 2009
English to English translations [PRO] Art/Literary - Art, Arts & Crafts, Painting / sentence meaning
English term or phrase:there is an important of being important...
Here the sentence really confused like this:" Yes ,I was important to him. He was in love with me, in his way. But there is an important way of being important, and an unimportant way,and I have my doubts that I made it to the important important level. I mean,he never wrote about me. I never entered his books."
The phrase mention "him" is a late famous writer.
I wonder how to understand "an important of being important, and an unimportant way, and I have my doubts that I make it to the important important levet."
I do see where you're coming from Henry, and I get the point about the doubling of words to emphasize importance (no pun intended) in American English. But, at the end of the day, we are talking about love here (or interpretations of it) and I stand by my explanation of what the speaker/writer is trying to articulate, even though it might sound a bit over-the-top: discussions on the nature of love end up sounding like this by definition (more the domain of poets than translators!!). Anyway, this has been one of the most interesting questions I've answered/followed recently...
I think you have taken this too far from a British perspective. In theory you are probably right, but this is certainly American English. It is how the artistic-literary-alternative community in e.g. New York speaks. In this circle, adjectives are often doubled, you never say anything negative or anything that has even a negative tone. For example, you don't say "no" but rather "I'm okay". The writer is clearly a member of this milieu.
Could you just clarify whether you were asking for an explanation or a translation/re-writing of the English? Your comments indicate that it was just the former (which is why I offered an explanation and not re-phrasing) but perhaps further clarification is needed.
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Answers
13 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +1
different levels of important
Explanation: There are different levels of important...
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 15 mins (2009-11-25 08:17:32 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
1. Very important
2. Pretty important
3. Somewhat important
etc.
An important way of being important means you are at the top of the important ladder.
Henry Schroeder United States Local time: 15:48 Works in field Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 4
Explanation: I think the key nuance here comes in the point that the speaker/writer makes about the late author: "he never wrote about me". The speaker interprets this as meaning that he/she wasn't significant enough or did not mean everything to the author and no matter how good a relationship they had, this feeling of not quite hitting the absolute remains.
Rather than seeing this on a scale of importance, I think this is more to do with two very different ways of thinking about love and the idea of being in love (often a key concern of writers):
1) pragmatically - being compatible, happy, enjoying each other's company, etc...
2) romantically/tragically - being unable to live without the other person (or at least feeling like this is the case)
So the difference would be that the author was in the first category (according to the speaker) rather than the second.
Hope that helps.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 1 hr (2009-11-25 09:36:50 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
See entry on "Divine Passion" just below this entry on the question board which I've only just noticed. The entry and the comments are suggestive of the kind of "importance" that the speaker/writer is trying to articulate in your sentence. In other words the late author loved him/her but did not have/feel divine passion (or something akin to that).
Julie Waddington Spain Local time: 21:48 Works in field Native speaker of: English
There is a significant way of being important, and an insignificant way...
Explanation: important = of great significance or value
Here is a paraphrasing: There is a significant way of being important, and an insignificant way. I have my doubts that I made it to the truly significant level.
This implies that one can be important in a variety of ways - importance is subjective. Perhaps this person felt (or was considered) not to have that certain significant, substantial, or meaningful type of importance that's required.
Joyce A Thailand Local time: 02:48 Specializes in field Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 4
..there's a more important level of being important...
Explanation: There is no other site on the web that has this capability, .... It has taken the way people use the Internet to a whole new level and I think is .... must be very important”, so I looked first in twitter and really it was ..... Make sure you read my more recent, “Is Twitter the Most Important Website Since Google? ... www.97thfloor.com/.../twitter-the-most-important-website-si... - En caché - Similares
Economic growth - more important than survival? - Climate Camp - [ Traducir esta página ]There is a certain level of resources we need to survive, ... we should be asking why economic growth is seen as more important than survival. ... www.climatecamp.ie/index.php?option=com... - En caché
eski Mexico Local time: 14:48 Specializes in field Native speaker of: English, Spanish PRO pts in category: 8
The translation workplace 
peer agreement (net): +1
