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ничего страшного

English translation: nothing to worry about

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Russian term or phrase:ничего страшного
English translation:nothing to worry about
Entered by: Jack Doughty

21:35 Mar 28, 2012
Russian to English translations [PRO]
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters / British colloquial usage
Russian term or phrase: ничего страшного
I am translating a simple leaflet on flu targeted at the general population in the UK. Since I am American, I have a question about how to translate this best into neutral, common, colloquial British English:
В ГРИППЕ НЕТ НИЧЕГО СТРАШНОГО, ДАЖЕ ВО ВРЕМЯ ЭПИДЕМИИ СВИНОГО ГРИППА ПОЧТИ НИКТО НЕ УМЕР

If I were translating for the US market, I'd say:
THE FLU IS NO BIG DEAL - EVEN DURING THE SWINE FLU OUTBREAK, ALMOST NO ONE DIED

My question to native English speakers in the UK is: is the phrase "no big deal" a common, everyday expression, or is it too low-brow (associated with teenagers)?
Amy Lesiewicz
United States
Local time: 04:42
nothing to worry about
Explanation:
As a UK English speaker, this is how I'd put it. But many might say "No big deal" here too.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 46 mins (2012-03-28 22:21:21 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

In speeech, we use the article more often than not, but there's no hard-and-fast rule about it.
Selected response from:

Jack Doughty
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:42
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +6nothing to worry about
Jack Doughty
5There's nothing major about
Jaime Holmes DipTrans MITI
4(There is) nothing so <particularly> ominous (about the flu)
Judith Hehir
4Flu is not a big deal
Michael Korovkin
4doesn't pose a serious danger
Tatiana Hay
3not life-threatening
Laura Friend
3You souldn't get scared about the flu....
Andrew Vdovin


Discussion entries: 3





  

Answers


5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
(There is) nothing so <particularly> ominous (about the flu)


Explanation:
May be a bit off stylistically, but the AE you've suggested sounds too casual to my American ear.

Judith Hehir
United States
Local time: 04:42
Meets criteria
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 56
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20 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
not life-threatening


Explanation:
Sorry I'm encroaching here (not from UK), but I thought perhaps this might work as a "debunk-able" statement in this context.

Example sentence(s):
  • Myth: the flu is not a life-threatening illness
Laura Friend
United States
Local time: 01:42
Meets criteria
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8
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4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +6
nothing to worry about


Explanation:
As a UK English speaker, this is how I'd put it. But many might say "No big deal" here too.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 46 mins (2012-03-28 22:21:21 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

In speeech, we use the article more often than not, but there's no hard-and-fast rule about it.

Jack Doughty
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:42
Meets criteria
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 503
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks, Jack. Quick question - do you say "THE flu" or just "flu" (without article), as in "I had flu last month"? The British websites I've read (e.g. NHS) don't use the article, but over on my side of the pond we always do.

Asker: Thanks again, Jack. I really appreciate your help. I owe you one!


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Natasha Liberman
12 mins
  -> Thank you.
agree  Alexander Onishko
23 mins
  -> Thank you.
agree  Rachel Douglas: In Australia they might say "no worries".
4 hrs
  -> Thank you. Or (still in Australia) "No probs".
agree  Katerina O.
8 hrs
  -> Thank you.
agree  Maruti Shinde
8 hrs
  -> Thank you.
agree  Stela Koci
9 hrs
  -> Thank you.
neutral  Jaime Holmes DipTrans MITI: "No worries" is also used in the UK, but it's more of an exclamation.
10 hrs
  -> Thank you.
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5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
You souldn't get scared about the flu....


Explanation:
You souldn't get scared about the flu....

There’s no need to get scared about the flu...

People were starting to get scared about the flu and here he was, coughing uncontrollably. This was a potentially scary situation getting worse every day.
www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g150...

Andrew Vdovin
Local time: 15:42
Does not meet criteria
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian
PRO pts in category: 83
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10 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
There's nothing major about


Explanation:
This is more colloquial than "there's nothing to worry about".

Jaime Holmes DipTrans MITI
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:42
Meets criteria
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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11 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
Flu is not a big deal


Explanation:
However, potentially, there is a hell of a lot to worry about regarding flu, so I wouldn't put it that way. Rather, I would read the whole thing like flu is not a big deal if you start worrying about it in due time.
(I'm having a bad one right now!!!).
In the States they often say "the flu", but I wouldn't, not over here.



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 16 hrs (2012-03-29 13:40:01 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Nah, I reiterate, t'ain't a big deal if you worry about it in time!

Michael Korovkin
Italy
Local time: 10:42
Meets criteria
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in RussianRussian
PRO pts in category: 128
Notes to answerer
Asker: I agree, there is plenty to worry about, and the flu is a big deal! The text is a leaflet that states myths about the flu and then debunks those myths. Thanks for the note about the article as well. I hope you get well very soon!

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1 day 4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
doesn't pose a serious danger


Explanation:
Because of the type of material that you're translating, you want to make sure that the register is high enough. "No big deal", "nothing major", "nothing to be scared about" - are all good equivalents, but they are more appropriate in conversational scenario, not in a brochure or an official document.

Tatiana Hay
United States
Local time: 04:42
Does not meet criteria
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian
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