Zu Tode gefürchtet, ist auch gestorben

English translation: no guts, no glory

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:Zu Tode gefürchtet, ist auch gestorben
English translation:no guts, no glory
Entered by: Lingua.Franca

12:11 Jul 23, 2008
German to English translations [PRO]
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
German term or phrase: Zu Tode gefürchtet, ist auch gestorben
Zu Tode gefürchtet, ist auch gestorben
njbeckett
Germany
Local time: 13:46
no guts, no glory
Explanation:
Or
your fear becomes you
Or
a coward dies a thousand deaths

- No Guts, No Glory is universally understood in English, which would be the closest equivalent of the Austrian idiom/proverb. I don't think that translating it semi-literally does any good, because it will leave English speakers quite baffled.
Selected response from:

Lingua.Franca
Spain
Local time: 13:46
Grading comment
Went for a coward dies a thousand deaths. Thanks everyone.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +4no guts, no glory
Lingua.Franca
4 +1nils desperandum
Helen Shiner
4The faint-hearted face failure
Textklick
3Scared to death, you die after all
Andrea Winzer
3scared to death, he/she died
Helen Shiner
3Things aren't as bad as they're made out to be
Caro Maucher
3Cowards die many times before their deaths
Armorel Young
3 -1Get your guts together and do it!
silvia glatzhofer


Discussion entries: 12





  

Answers


22 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
Scared to death, you die after all


Explanation:
wahrscheinlich das ein native speaker noch besser formulieren ...

Es soll heissen, dass es keinen Sinn macht, allen Risiken/Gefahren auszuweichen, weil man Angst vor ihnen hat. Denn wenn man sich zu Tode fürchtet, stirbt man auch.

In Wien sagt man das zu einem "Angsthasen", der nicht mutig genug ist, etwas Neues anzupacken und es vorzieht sich zu fürchten (ohne letztlich etwas davon zu haben).
Ist aber irgendwie schwer zu erklären ;))

Andrea Winzer
United States
Local time: 07:46
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 12
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41 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +4
no guts, no glory


Explanation:
Or
your fear becomes you
Or
a coward dies a thousand deaths

- No Guts, No Glory is universally understood in English, which would be the closest equivalent of the Austrian idiom/proverb. I don't think that translating it semi-literally does any good, because it will leave English speakers quite baffled.

Lingua.Franca
Spain
Local time: 13:46
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 12
Grading comment
Went for a coward dies a thousand deaths. Thanks everyone.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Helen Shiner: I like your coward dying a 1000 deaths
1 min
  -> Thanks. And that's Shakespeare, so everybody will know it. Tupac also had a song with it :)

agree  Andrea Winzer: Sounds good! I also like the "coward" ;))
6 mins

agree  Maureen Millington-Brodie: the Shakespeare was my thought too, don't forget it ends "a hero but one"
2 hrs
  -> True. Thanks - I forgot to add the ending.

agree  archtrans
4 hrs

neutral  Cilian O'Tuama: (aside: in our line of work, it's often advisable to avoid using expressions like "THE closEST equivalent")
3 days 11 hrs
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9 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
scared to death, he/she died


Explanation:
Just a stab

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 42 mins (2008-07-23 12:54:08 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I do not think there is an equivalent English expression for this. People speak a lot about 'feeling the fear and doing it anyway' (with reference to the title of a well-known book). The German expression states the obvious in the second clause, which tends not to be case in English

Helen Shiner
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:46
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 74
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53 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
Things aren't as bad as they're made out to be


Explanation:
Ich denke, auf Englisch wären Ausdrücke mit Tod und Verderben hier zu stark. Ich würde eher umschreiben.

Caro Maucher
Germany
Local time: 13:46
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 11
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47 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
nils desperandum


Explanation:
In this context, this is what I would put. [Don't know if I am really allowed a second go, but in this case, the context was so poor to start with....

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2008-07-23 13:14:26 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained" is probably the most frequenty used idiom in this sort of circumstance at least in the UK. Whilst I'm generally with Shakespeare, I have to say that I don't think 'no guts, no glory' is particularly well known, although it does have a certain ring about it in the blood and guts Russian business context.

Helen Shiner
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:46
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 74

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Susan Madden: "Nothing ventured, nothing gained" sums it up for me.
1 hr

neutral  Armorel Young: but surely the expression is "nil desperandum"
2 hrs
  -> excuse typo
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): -1
Get your guts together and do it!


Explanation:
als Alternative hier das Pferd von hinten aufgezäumt :-) Vielleicht passt das ja; hängt natürlich vom Kontext ab. Zu Tode g'fürcht ist auch g'storbn ist eine sehr übliche Phrase in Österreich.


silvia glatzhofer
Local time: 13:46
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 16

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Helen Shiner: Sorry, that doesn't sound too good in English: images of disembowelling.....
1 hr
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
Cowards die many times before their deaths


Explanation:
If we're going to quote Shakespeare, let's at least get him right.

Cowards die many times before their deaths: The valiant never taste of death but once.
[1599 Shakespeare Julius Caesar ii. ii. 32]

Armorel Young
Local time: 12:46
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 134
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19 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
The faint-hearted face failure


Explanation:
If "It's a standard idiom in Austria", I would guess that it not meant in such a desperately overpowering way and that adaptation is de rigeur (if you'll pardon my French).

And consider that awesomely appropriate alliteration ;-)

Textklick
Local time: 12:46
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 32
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