KudoZ home » Indonesian to English » Government / Politics

di ujung tanduk

08:43 Oct 27, 2009

This question was closed without grading. Reason: Other

Indonesian to English translations [PRO]
Social Sciences - Government / Politics / governance

Indonesian term or phrase: di ujung tanduk

This is, I think, an Indonesian colloquial expression that I find difficult to translate to idiomatic English. Literally, it means "at the tip of a horn" but it could mean "hangs in the balance." I'd like to find an expression that is appropriate to the context.

The sentence is as follows:

Nasib upaya pemberantasan korupsi, yang kini **di ujung tanduk,** sungguh ironis di tengah derasnya pujian dunia terhadap Indonesia di bidang ekonomi.

TIA

argosys KudoZ activity Questions: 7 (none open) (3 closed without grading) Answers: 506 Philippines
Local time: 23:43

Summary of answers provided

in a precarious situation

raphita

in a perilous situation

Arfan Achyar

hangs by a hair

Regi2006

critical

Wiyanto Suroso

at a critical juncture

Andrew Little

3 +1

hangs by a thread

Hikmat

at a critical point

Ikram Mahyuddin

Discussion entries: 3

Answers

3 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

hangs by a thread

Explanation:
imho

Hikmat
Indonesia
Local time: 22:43
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

Indonesian
PRO pts in category: 38

12 mins confidence:

critical

Explanation:
.

Wiyanto Suroso
Indonesia
Local time: 22:43
Works in field
Native speaker of:

Indonesian
PRO pts in category: 4

16 mins confidence:

hangs by a hair

Explanation:
http://www.wordwebonline.com/en/HANGBYAHAIR

Regi2006
Indonesia
Local time: 22:43
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

Indonesian
PRO pts in category: 20

19 hrs confidence:

at a critical point

Explanation:
salah satu versi yang bisa digunakan, saya kira

Ikram Mahyuddin
Indonesia
Local time: 22:43
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

Indonesian

1 day7 hrs confidence:

in a perilous situation

Explanation:
"Di ujung tanduk" means "in a very dangerous position."

according to www.dictionary.com

perilous means "involving or full of grave risk or peril; hazardous; dangerous". that is what happens when an egg (telur) is put on the tip (ujung) of a horn (tanduk). it would not be stable and it is literally in a dangerous situation. One slip, and noone can save Humpty Dumpty.

the closest phrase I can think of, IMHO, is "in perilous situation."

Arfan Achyar
Indonesia
Local time: 22:43
Native speaker of:

Indonesian

3 days19 hrs confidence:

in a precarious situation

Explanation:
Actually, all the terms suggested are possible to use. It depends how you want the tone of your writing to be. You can use : hanging by a thread/hanging in the balance/on thin ice, if you wish to be figurative; otherwise use : in a precarious situation / in a critical situation.

raphita
Indonesia
Local time: 22:43
Native speaker of:

Indonesian,

English

51 mins confidence:

at a critical juncture

Explanation:
Events are unfolding in a way that one just cannot predict which way things will go

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 7 days (2009-11-04 07:25:46 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

In reference to context, I can add that "critical juncture" implies that important and perhaps difficult decisions are needed. Leave things to chance, and disaster looms. The gist is, it's time to look at decisive action, not laissez-faire, which is what I understand from attempting to combat corruption in Indonesia.

Andrew Little
Germany
Local time: 16:43
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 4

Return to KudoZ list

KudoZ™ translation help

The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.

Overview

Latest translation questions

Ask a translation question

See also:

ProZ.com term search

Search millions of term translations

di ujung tanduk

Answers

Sign in to your ProZ.com account...

Or create a new account

Why did the menu change?

Where is the "My ProZ.com" menu?

I cannot find something