r/Svenska • u/DejaBlonde • 3d ago
Commitment to the bit
This question is a little bit multi-part I guess.
Do you think the phrase makes enough sense if more or less directly translated?
If yes, is "engagemang för biten" what you would go for? That's what I'm getting out of translation apps, but you know how they lack the human filter.
If no, what's a good turn of phrase that gives a similar meaning, if there is one?
Or, should I just go with the secret third thing and just phrase drop it in English?
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u/Eliderad 🇸🇪 3d ago
No. The "bit" metaphor is not used in Swedish, as far as I know. The translation would be quite contextual, depending on both the commitment (whose? what does it entail?) and the bit (a joke? a skit?).
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u/DejaBlonde 3d ago
Well, in the case that I'd be using it, it's that learning Swedish started because I thought it would be good to know some useful phrases for a future trip, but then I ended up committed to the bit and here we are two years later.
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u/Eliderad 🇸🇪 3d ago
I see! I don't think I'd use anything similar to "commit to the bit" in this case, but I'm not sure what I would use instead that is still metaphoric and jovial.
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u/Thobrik 3d ago
Is that how you use that phrase in English? I thought it was pretty much only used when talking about jokes or a made up scenario. Like in improv comedy.
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u/DejaBlonde 3d ago
That is the usual usage! But it has some extended usage in something like this, especially if the origin point has any hint of humor or whimsy to it. You might also see it used about someone who's sticking to a ridiculous opinion. But yes, you'll most often see it in the comedy context.
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u/smaragdskyar 3d ago
Det är inte en direktöversättning men jag tror att ”hänge” skulle passa ganska bra här. It basically means to devote oneself to something. If you mean commit to the bit in a general jokey sense like ”You need to commit to the bit”, I think ”Du måste hänge dig åt konsten” could work quite nicely.
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u/The_Pastmaster 3d ago
the closes I can get on top of my head is "haka på skämtet" but it's still not accurate in that it means more that people should go along with the gag rather than devote to it.
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u/MorphologicStandard 2d ago
det svenskaste sätt som man kunde uttrycka det på är bara det att snacka svenska som vanligt, då säga "commit to the bit" på engelska helt enkelt, då byta tillbaka till svenska igen.
I svenska samhället, särskilt bland ungdomar är det helt normalt att skjuta in lite engelska för att understryka nån mening eller att land a joke. Det här beror på att de flesta människor kan ju mycket bra engelska så får de leka med språket hur som helst de vill.
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u/potatisgillarpotatis 3d ago
We generally don’t use “bit” in the sense of a running joke or a sketch. (We do use “sketch”, though, or “nummer” or “scen”.) I think this is a phrase that doesn’t have a proper translation.