Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Dutch term or phrase:
raken zij letterlijk tot op het bot doordrongen
English translation:
... and the rugged, awe-inspiring beauty of the North Pole was literally brought home to them
Added to glossary by
jarry (X)
May 8, 2008 16:13
16 yrs ago
Dutch term
Netherlands
The Conscious Translator
Native in: English
Works in: French to English, Dutch to English, Flemish to English
raken zij letterlijk tot op het bot doordrongen
Dutch to English
Marketing
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
expressions
The text is a brief description of a TV programme about a group of Dutch celebrities who go on a North Pole expedition to raise awarness about environmental issues.
Here is the full sentence:
Tijdens een unieke expeditie laten de BN-ers zich informeren en inspireren en raken zij letterlijk tot op het bot doordrongen van de indrukwekkende ruige schoonheid van de Noordpool…
I think it means "become literally chilled (or soaked?) to the bone" but I'm not sure about "doordrongen" here...
I would be greatful for any suggestions, thanks!
Here is the full sentence:
Tijdens een unieke expeditie laten de BN-ers zich informeren en inspireren en raken zij letterlijk tot op het bot doordrongen van de indrukwekkende ruige schoonheid van de Noordpool…
I think it means "become literally chilled (or soaked?) to the bone" but I'm not sure about "doordrongen" here...
I would be greatful for any suggestions, thanks!
Proposed translations
(English)
Change log
May 13, 2008 09:40: jarry (X) Created KOG entry
Proposed translations
3 hrs
Selected
... and the rugged, awe-inspiring beauty of the North Pole was literally brought home to them
I don't think you have to slavishly follow the Dutch metaphor here. English has a rich enough arsenal of idioms to do this Dutch sentence justice.
Note from asker:
| thank you for your suggestion! |
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Many thanks for your help!"
+3
15 mins
they are completely overwhelmed/awe-struck.
It literally means 'soaked to the skin', but in this context it used more freely, in the sense of the meaning I suggest above. If you want to keep the allusion to a physical sensation you might put: 'their breath has been completely taken away by', but I don't think that's very elegant, a bit stilted and contrived. Or very simply: 'they are touched to the core'. 'Bone' is used in 'chilled to the bone'. :)
Note from asker:
| thanks for your help! |
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Tina Vonhof (X)
: But "they WERE..." Likewise: "their breath WAS taken away" but that sentence sounds better when turned around: "the rugged beauty took their breath away."
5 hrs
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Quite right about the tenses :) Many thanks...
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| agree |
Jennifer Barnett
: 'completely overwhelmed/awestruck is the best I think."letterlijk' was used to add emphasis I would think and so can be omitted.
15 hrs
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Thank you, and agree with omitting unnecessary phrases in the Dutch
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| agree |
L.J.Wessel van Leeuwen
: i like awe-struck as it is kort en krachtig!
3 days 1 hr
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Many thanks!
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-1
27 mins
Max Nuijens
Netherlands
Netherlands
Native in Dutch
Netherlands
Energy & Environment, MSc
Native in: Dutch (Variant: Netherlands) 
Works in: English to Dutch
yes, they become literally chilled to the bone
the phrase is a combination of
tot op het bot verkleumd (very cold)
and
doordrongen (deeply convinced of; be impressed with)
your answer is good, I think, because one could read chill (stifling fear) with the great extent to which they are impressed with the scale of the environmental threat.
tot op het bot verkleumd (very cold)
and
doordrongen (deeply convinced of; be impressed with)
your answer is good, I think, because one could read chill (stifling fear) with the great extent to which they are impressed with the scale of the environmental threat.
Note from asker:
| thanks! |
Peer comment(s):
| disagree |
Jennifer Barnett
: But in English, use of this phrase is limited to being cold, not being impressed.
1 day 15 hrs
|
45 mins
Lianne van de Ven
United States
United States
Native in Dutch
United States
Experienced, reliable, detail-oriented
Native in: Dutch
Works in: English to Dutch, Dutch to English
Related KudoZ points
:
43
literally got through to them
Ik zou de verwijzing naar het bot weglaten en de focus op "doordringen" leggen: "the cold and rugged landscape of the Northpole literally got through to them..." De "chilled to the bone" associatie met fear vind ik niet passen.
Note from asker:
| thanks for your help! |
3 hrs
they get touched to the bone
touched to the bone (in an awestruck way) is a common english expression
Note from asker:
| thanks! |
-1
5 hrs
Albert Stufkens
Netherlands
Netherlands
Native in Dutch
&
English
Netherlands
Translation Facilitates Communication
Native in: Dutch (Variant: Netherlands) 
, English (Variant: British)
Works in: Dutch to English, English to Dutch
they got thoroughly imbued by
xx
Example sentence:
They got thoroughly imbued by the impressive, raw beauty of the North Pole.
Note from asker:
| thank you! |
Peer comment(s):
| disagree |
Jennifer Barnett
: 'Imbued is not used'. Oops! Sorry, I thought I deleted this as I changed my mind about replying. The sentence was not finished but I will do so now. I think that imbued is inappropriate as its tone is too subtle for this situation.
1 day 10 hrs
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No further explanation as to why not? See Collins, Van Dale
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-1
1 day 17 hrs
they become literally impregnated to the bone
a way of saying it
Peer comment(s):
| disagree |
Jennifer Barnett
: This would be the case if a substance was diffused throughout their bodies. Or they all suddenly became extremely pregnant! Answer to comment: 'Suddenly' because this mass pregnancy would seem to have occurred at once; and 'extreme because 'to the bone'.
11 hrs
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Why the suddenly? 'tot op het bot doordrongen' is indeed to be diffused be it with a substance or a notion.I like the extremely pregnant versus just a little bit pregnant
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