Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Indonesian term or phrase:
Jangan-jangan nanti kesepian.
English translation:
I just hope she won’t be lonely.
Added to glossary by
Catherine Muir
Jun 15, 2011 10:30
12 yrs ago
Indonesian term
Jangan-jangan nanti kesepian.
Indonesian to English
Art/Literary
Poetry & Literature
early modern Indonesian literature
Discussing a girl's approaching puberty, parents are discussing the need to find a suitable husband. The wife points out that finding a husband is not a matter of personal choice, but is arranged by a girl's parents. The father says, "Jangan-jangan nanti kesepian." In this context, what does that mean?
Proposed translations
(English)
Proposed translations
15 hrs
Selected
I just hope she won’t be lonely.
Agree with Regi and Erich that the father is expressing his reservations about the prospects of an arranged marriage for his daughter. My personal take on this is that the mother is laying down the law here but the father doesn’t really agree with her but doesn’t have the courage to stand up to her directly so says “jangan-jangan nanti kesepian”.
Note from asker:
| Ian, you are spot on and I like the way you have expressed the sentiment of the father. Same notion as others, but expressed in a way that suits the tone of the conversation and the fact that the father is a real softie! |
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "This answer captures the meaning and is grammatical. Thank you, Ian. "
3 hrs
fati soewandi
Native in Indonesian
Specializes in field
Life is a translation of hopes!
Native in: Indonesian 
Works in: English to Indonesian, Indonesian to English
don't ever be lonely later
dari uraian singkat di atas, sepertinya tujuan sang ayah mencarikan jodoh untuk putrinya adalah agar putrinya nanti tidak jadi perawan tua karena tidak juga bertemu dengan pilihan si gadis sendiri. jadi, 'jangan-jangan nanti kesepian' berarti 'jangan sampai nanti tidak dapat jodoh sama sekali'
semoga membantu ;)
semoga membantu ;)
Note from asker:
| Thank you, Fati. |
5 hrs
Ikram Mahyuddin
Indonesia
Indonesia
Native in Indonesian
Indonesia
Your English-Indonesian Translator
Native in: Indonesian 
Works in: English to Indonesian, Indonesian to English
Related KudoZ points
:
17
I am worry that she would be lonely
imo
Note from asker:
| Thank you, Ikram. You have captured the meaning but the grammar needs revision. Better 'I am worried that she will be [or may be] lonely." |
12 hrs
ErichEko ⟹⭐
Indonesia
Indonesia
Native in Indonesian
Indonesia
Legal, Marketing, Biz, Software, Games
Native in: Indonesian (Variant: Standard-Indonesia)
Works in: English to Indonesian, Indonesian to English
Related KudoZ points
:
48
she'll get lonesome, I'm afraid
For my limited English, there is no equivalent for jangan-jangan. This phrase is used, in this context, as a way of pushing your argument by pointing out the risk in the argument of your opponent.
In this context, the father did not agree with parental arrangement for determining a future husband for his daughter. His wife had a strong argument: the girl was incapable of doing it alone.
To break this argument, the father resorted to this "disaster foreseeing" tactic.
Other meaning of jangan-jangan is suspicion. Tak ditemukan seorang pun di sarang bandit itu. Jangan-jangan ada yang membocorkan rencana penggerebekan ini. => No one was found in the bandit's safehouse. I suspect that someone had tipped them off about this arrest plan.
Note from asker:
| Thanks, Erich. While all have expressed the correct sense of the sentence, your translation is the most idiomatic and native-sounding. |
15 hrs
Fawzul Lismani
Native in Indonesian
&
English
Native in: English , Indonesian
Works in: English to Indonesian, Indonesian to English, English to Sundanese, and 1 more.
I am afraid she was lonely later
dari uraian di atas menyiratkan bahwa sang ayah takut jika anaknya tidak mendapatkan jodoh
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Note added at 23 hrs (2011-06-16 10:01:12 GMT)
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thanks for your revision... :)
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Note added at 23 hrs (2011-06-16 10:01:12 GMT)
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thanks for your revision... :)
Note from asker:
| Thanks, Fawzul. You have captured the meaning but the verb tenses don't correlate. A better way of doing it would be "I am afraid she will be [or may be] lonely later." |
+1
18 mins
What if she got lonely later
Maksud si ayah kurang lebih adalah bagaimana kalau anak gadisnya malah menjadi kesepian nanti setelah menikah karena suaminya bukan pilihannya sendiri.
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Note added at 19 mins (2011-06-15 10:50:17 GMT)
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Atau, she might get lonely that way
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Note added at 1 day1 hr (2011-06-16 11:37:56 GMT)
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I was about to hide this answer and replace it with a new one, but thought it wouldn't be fair to Naim Jalil who had graciously given his "agree" on this answer.
Jadi sekadar pertimbangan lain, jangan-jangan menunjukkan risiko yang akan dihadapi di waktu mendatang. Jadi bisa diekspresikan dengan:
She may risk living a lonely life.
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Note added at 19 mins (2011-06-15 10:50:17 GMT)
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Atau, she might get lonely that way
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Note added at 1 day1 hr (2011-06-16 11:37:56 GMT)
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I was about to hide this answer and replace it with a new one, but thought it wouldn't be fair to Naim Jalil who had graciously given his "agree" on this answer.
Jadi sekadar pertimbangan lain, jangan-jangan menunjukkan risiko yang akan dihadapi di waktu mendatang. Jadi bisa diekspresikan dengan:
She may risk living a lonely life.
Note from asker:
| Thank you. |
Discussion