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-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 26 mins (2010-03-12 14:01:44 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Oh, I think it is quite fine. In fact, it was the first thing that came to my mind. But since you suggested it, I thought I should give you another option to consider.
X is a real surprise means that X includes every elements required to to identify the concept of surprise. However, I'm not saying that absolute is wrong, but as a professional translator I'm keen to provide the target audience with language that they are commonly used to, add to this that the feed included in that text deals with death which is by definition an unexpected sudden event and the term بكل ماتعني الكلمة is brought to add focus "التوكيد" based on these you have the liberty to use whatever translation strategy to render that effect on the target audience.
the number of hits for those words, does not neccessarily draw a comparison between two terms " absolute surprise" and " real surprise", while these two terms have different meanings in terms of their focus. "absolute" means, no matter from which angel you consider the situation, no matter what type of measurement you use to measure the situation, ( that is why "migyas/ magayees" is used here) all come to one conclusion and result, that was a "surprise". which means "absolutely"---- it was a surprise.
"real surprise" focus on "real" or "not real", can that be determined by using different types or all types of measurement ?
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 26 mins (2010-03-12 14:01:44 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Oh, I think it is quite fine. In fact, it was the first thing that came to my mind. But since you suggested it, I thought I should give you another option to consider.
Noha Kamal, PhD. Local time: 12:59 Native speaker of: Arabic PRO pts in category: 25
Grading comment
thanks to all who participated
Notes to answerer
Asker: thanks for your prompt response,your suggestion sounds good to me.
Asker: what do you think of my suggestion "absolute/absolutely"?
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 5 mins (2010-03-12 13:41:06 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
an unexpected surprise
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 11 mins (2010-03-12 13:46:38 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
You are welcome :)
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 27 mins (2010-03-12 14:02:58 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
"Absolute surprise" generates 59 100 google hits
" a real surprise" generates"1 470 000 google hits
"a surprise, in every sense of the word" generates 254 000 google hits
Which means that it is not commonly used in English compared with the two other suggestions.
Good luck
Ahmed Alami Local time: 10:59 Native speaker of: Arabic PRO pts in category: 4
Notes to answerer
Asker: thanks for your quick response!
Asker: what do you think of my suggestion "absolute/absolutely"?
4 hrs confidence:
by all standards, by any standard
Explanation: This is very poor Arabic writing, with compounded problems:
- First, the writer is thinking of the English phrase "by all standards," which actually does not quite fit the situation. There are at least two issues here: the expression does not quite work here (describing a surprise), and, mor importantly, an Arabic writer should not be thinking in terms of assimilated English phrases, especially phrases he does not know how to use.
- The writer used a literal translation of the expression, which, honestly, is not as bad as other literalisms I have seen.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 4 hrs (2010-03-12 17:44:46 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
By translating this phrase exactly the way the writer thought of it, you will do the readers a great service: you will expose the stylistic impoverishment of this piece.
Fuad Yahya Native speaker of: Arabic, English PRO pts in category: 24
The translation workplace 
peer agreement (net): +2
