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  3. General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters

blinder Zufall

English translation: pure chance

11:38 Jul 18, 2005
German to English translations [PRO]
Social Sciences - General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
German term or phrase: blinder Zufall
wir wollen lehren, dass unser Leben kein Ergebnis blinden Zufalls ist
Scout2003 (X)
Local time: 12:23
English translation:pure chance
Explanation:
our life is not the result of pure chance
Selected response from:

Brie Vernier
Germany
Local time: 12:23
Grading comment
thanks, this fits the most
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +3pure chance
Brie Vernier
4 +2pure luck
Stephen Sadie
4random coincidence
NGK
4pure/random hazard
CMJ_Trans (X)
4blind luck
Languageman
3luck of the draw
writeaway


  

Answers


1 min   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
pure chance


Explanation:
our life is not the result of pure chance

Brie Vernier
Germany
Local time: 12:23
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 36
Grading comment
thanks, this fits the most

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Robert Sleigh: most definitely
2 mins
  -> thx, Robert!
neutral  Stephen Sadie: pure chance: 58,500 googles, pure coincidence: 68,800 & pure luck 123,000
6 mins
  -> all due respect, Stephen, that has nothing to do with it here
neutral  Hilary Davies Shelby: your sentence doesn't quite sound native the way it is - maybe something like "we're not here by (pure) change" or "we were not put on this earth by pure chance"
12 mins
agree  silfilla: with Hilary
20 mins
agree  Ian M-H (X): Sounds natural and "native" to me - but maybe that's a consequence of studying philosophy ;-)
3 hrs
  -> Thanks, Ian. Sometimes I think I've been here too long anyway ...
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4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
pure luck


Explanation:
or pure coincidence

Stephen Sadie
Germany
Local time: 12:23
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 48

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Hilary Davies Shelby: "sheer coincidence" Edit: it's not about "googlies", it's about what sounds good in the sentence! ;-) Edit: now that's more like it! ;-))
8 mins
  -> thanks, also nice but also many fewer googlies, i think that'd be "reiner zufall"// of course hilary
agree  Textklick: Agree fully with Hilary. Not luck. How many 'Googlies' are enough to make it correct? (OED - Googly -A ball which breaks from the off, though bowled with apparent leg-break action :-). >>>Stephen - great! Wisden meets wisdom :)
22 mins
  -> i am an avid cricket fan BTW and do not view google as the bible//off subject: i was at lords when botham scored a century in a few mins.!
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8 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
luck of the draw


Explanation:
another option if you don't want a completely literal translation

writeaway
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 7
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20 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
random coincidence


Explanation:
***

NGK
United States
Local time: 05:23
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 75
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41 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
pure/random hazard


Explanation:
options

CMJ_Trans (X)
Local time: 12:23
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 47
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3 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
blind luck


Explanation:
Could be slightly better ways to express this depending on context, but this is a very common English expression.

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Note added at 40 mins (2005-07-18 12:19:02 GMT)
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www.upontruth.com/upontruthmission.htm
sers.tamuk.edu/kfjab02/Biology/ EVOLUTION/b3301ppt/BIOL3301ch05.pdf
www.answersingenesis.org/ home/area/newsletters/PN-Aus_02-2000.asp
bottomlinesecrets.com/blpnet/ article.html?article_id=21828
member.melbpc.org.au/~amos/karma.htm
www.texasgop.org/library/gambling.php
www.greatday.com/motivate/040601.html
etc.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 46 mins (2005-07-18 12:24:36 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Also compare to \"blind faith\".

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 46 mins (2005-07-18 12:24:46 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Also compare to \"blind faith\".

Languageman
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:23
Works in field
Native speaker of: English

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Stephen Sadie: has a good no. of googles, but many of them are irrelevant!
8 mins
  -> That is the nature of the Google check method! Many of them are not irrelevant too.
neutral  Hilary Davies Shelby: have to say I've never heard it myself ...
12 mins
neutral  Ian M-H (X): This may be "a very common English expression", but I've never heard it in Britain. // Of course there are many types of English, but this isn't common in standard BE (Google has just 628 UK hits, many for a magic trick...)
3 hrs
  -> There are a lot of types of English; because you haven´t heard it in Britain doesn´t necessarily diminish its correctness. As it goes, I´m British, and have heard it.
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