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не подмажешь - не поедешь

English translation: oil the wheels to get good deals

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Russian term or phrase:не подмажешь - не поедешь
English translation:oil the wheels to get good deals
Entered by: Sabina Metcalf

08:42 Aug 30, 2006
Russian to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Government / Politics
Russian term or phrase: не подмажешь - не поедешь
Контекст: статья о коррупции, выражение означает, что без взяток далеко не продвинешься. Хотелось бы какой-нибудь аналог на английском найти. Думала, может, что-то вроде "no pain, no gain", но не могу решить, чем же заменить этот pain, чтобы получилось как "подмазать". Можно предлагать и другие варианты, не связанные с "no pain, no gain". Да, и еще один момент. Лучше без обсценной лексики, пожалуйста, kiss ... не подойдет, так как текст на публикацию. Заранее спасибо, коллеги!
Sabina Metcalf
United Kingdom
Local time: 07:12
One needs to grease the wheels.
Explanation:
To get what one wants, one needs to give a bribe or to do somebody a favor.
Selected response from:

Yulia Bayat
United States
Local time: 02:12
Grading comment
I wrote 'OIL THE WHEELS TO GET GOOD DEALS'. Thank you everyone!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +5need to grease s.o.'s palm to have sth done
mayakal
4 +1you can pay, or you can walk
Terry Moran
4 +1One needs to grease the wheels.
Yulia Bayat
3 +1greasing the palm
tanyazst
3no bribe, no go
Cortejo
3no grease, no cheese
koundelev


  

Answers


11 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
no bribe, no go


Explanation:
Предложение.

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Note added at 16 mins (2006-08-30 08:58:34 GMT)
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По моему, звучит хорошо ;-)


    Reference: http://www.weforum.org/en/events/ukraine/UkraineInTheDepth/Y...
Cortejo
Local time: 09:12
Native speaker of: Native in BulgarianBulgarian
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17 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +5
need to grease s.o.'s palm to have sth done


Explanation:
This is the original English saying for this phrase!
You could turn a phrase of your own, if the text and style reuire it.
e.g.: grease a palm to gain calm

Good luck!


    Reference: http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/grease+palm
mayakal
Local time: 08:12
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in BulgarianBulgarian

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Cortejo: Yep, perfect! "Grease a palm to gain calm" - brilliant ;-)
4 mins
  -> Thanx!
agree  Kirill Semenov
5 mins
  -> Thanx!
agree  Terry Moran: ... but "grease a palm to gain calm" is not only not brilliant, it's not English either!
10 mins
  -> Certainly not - it's Russian!
agree  Elena Iercoşan
33 mins
  -> Thanx!
agree  Alexander Demyanov
4 hrs
  -> Thanx!
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33 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
you can pay, or you can walk


Explanation:
One of many possibilities. A popular bumper sticker in Texas during the last-but-two oil crisis was "Let 'em pay - or let 'em walk."

Terry Moran
France
Local time: 08:12
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Cortejo: C'm on, Terry, you can do better than that... The condition to walk (pass, get the job done) is to pay! Nothing personal, really! ;-)
6 mins
agree  mayakal: I like that! But too Tex flavoured, isn't it?!
15 mins
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18 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
greasing the palm


Explanation:
есть такое выражение, greasing the palm, кстати и созвучно с "подмажешь" ;) может, его как-то обыграть?

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Note added at 43 Min. (2006-08-30 09:25:41 GMT)
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grease the palm to get your foot in?...


tanyazst
Belarus
Local time: 09:12
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Alexander Demyanov
4 hrs
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5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
no grease, no cheese


Explanation:
...

koundelev
Local time: 09:12
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian
PRO pts in category: 12
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6 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
One needs to grease the wheels.


Explanation:
To get what one wants, one needs to give a bribe or to do somebody a favor.

Example sentence(s):
  • If you want to get the process done within a few weeks you need to grease the wheels.
Yulia Bayat
United States
Local time: 02:12
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian, Native in BelarusianBelarusian
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
I wrote 'OIL THE WHEELS TO GET GOOD DEALS'. Thank you everyone!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Olga Dubeshka (X): I think this sounds even better than "grease the palm" And very close to the original!
3 hrs
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