Glossary entry

Russian term or phrase:

пофигизм

English translation:

total indifference

Added to glossary by Ekaterina K
Jul 8, 2009 20:09
14 yrs ago
1 viewer *
Russian term

пофигизм

Russian to English Art/Literary Slang
"Спокойное, безэмоциональное, сбалансированное состояние и пофигизм"

Каков американский аналог, подскажите, пожалуйста?

Discussion

Alexandra Taggart Jul 9, 2009:
Could it be a smarter Italian word? like "relaxation Americana"? There is a subtle flavour to "fig" as it stands for a fig leaf covering Adam's fig.Russian Фиг=English fig because this tree is Biblical.As to Jack - his suggestion is absolutely correct:"I don't give a fig?" but that is about something particular, while in the sentence above - there is a kind of a general "пофигизм"ю
Michael Korovkin Jul 9, 2009:
in such a case I stand up for Italian! At this point, instead of 'je-m'enfich-ism', why not put "menefreghismo"? In italian it's almost literally "pofighism" – even sounds similar! Comes from "me ne frega", as Rumanian Ayast shoul no doubt know. Alternatively how 'bout "whogivesashit'ism"?
Oleksandr Yastremskyi Jul 9, 2009:
good one Jack. not sure this will help, but there's something similar in French: je m'enfich, which could be extended to 'je-m'enfich-ism'
Alexandra Taggart Jul 9, 2009:
"пофигизм" Sorry for prev "Romans had used" as they are the ancients."Пофигизм" describes:1)caresslessness of adolescence;2)a vandalism;3)irresponsibility;4) a complete switch off from the rules of life.
Alexandra Taggart Jul 9, 2009:
"Фиг" is a symbol Romans have used this symbol expressed in body language ( in the same way as "thumb up","thumb down"- to spare life-to put him down) in order to say "f... you".A thumb squeezed between a middle finger and pointing finger in one fist-is a "фиг".A ring made of pointing finger and thumb means the same."Пофигист" is a person which is not considered to be mentally normal 100 per cent as he is never responsible for the wild things he does."Пофигизм" is negative, unless you wish to praise the crazy.That's exactly the reason why it was used in this advertising sentence.
Jack Doughty Jul 8, 2009:
Perhaps from the English "I don't give a fig?" As in the song "Would You Like to Swing on a Star?"

A pig is an animal with dirt on his face.
His shoes are a terrible disgrace.
He has no manners when he eats his food,
He's fat and lazy and extremely rude,
But if you don't give a feather or a fig,
You may grow up to be a pig!"

Proposed translations

+10
10 mins
Selected

a couldn´t care less attituted (a screw it all attitude)

indifference; couldn't-care-less attitude (ctirip)
разг. a "screw it all" attitude; a "who cares" attitude (полное равнодушие ко всему окружающему complete disinterest in one's surroundings and future); the blahs; total indifference; I-couldn't-care-less attitude
Peer comment(s):

agree Angela Greenfield : or "I-don't-give-a-damn attitude"
43 mins
thank you, Angela !
agree Olga B
46 mins
thank you !
agree Elena Iercoşan
48 mins
thank you !
agree Anna Bordanova (Semyonova) : или как вариант a laid-back attitude. однако не знаю, насколько Ваш вариант американский.
50 mins
thank you !
agree Judith Hehir : Erika's suggestion is equally good.
1 hr
thank you !
agree Rachel Douglas : coudn't-care-less attitude; screw-it-all attitude (a bit more aggressive indifference); who-cares attitude are all fine AE expressions to characterize indifference.
1 hr
thank you !
agree koundelev
1 hr
thank you !
agree Oleksandr Kupriyanchuk : "the/a screw it attitude," because this is a sort of euphemism and a slightly opprobrious connotation is needed here. On the contrary, "a coudn't-care-less attitude" IMHO does not qualify for the same reasons.
3 hrs
thank you !
agree russki : just correct the spelling of "attitude"
11 hrs
thankt you !
agree Jim Tucker (X) : good; use the hyphens
1 day 8 hrs
thank you ! with hyphens, yes.
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you! I'll choose 'total indifference'"
-1
10 mins

apathy

IMHO
Peer comment(s):

disagree erika rubinstein : Пофигизм - это безразличие, а не апатия.
4 mins
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+3
13 mins

http://www.multitran.ru/c/m.exe?l1=1&l2=2&HL=2&EXT=0&s=%EF%EE%F4%E8%E3%E8%E7%EC

Здесь много вариантов плюс:

attitude of «I don't give a damn!»
Peer comment(s):

agree Olga B : I like this "not giving a damn" attitude
42 mins
agree The Misha : ... and not giving a damn. Skip "attitude" altogether. Other options offered are perfectly fine too, but I just can't see a way of working them into a smooth, authentic-sounding phrase. Maybe it's the writer in me.
4 hrs
agree elena elena (X)
11 hrs
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13 mins

pervasive indifference/disregard

*

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Note added at 31 mins (2009-07-08 20:40:42 GMT)
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http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/freaking

freaking
–adjective, adverb Slang. (used as an intensifier).
Origin:
1965–70; freak 1 + -ing 2 ; euphemistically echoing frigging and fucking
Peer comment(s):

neutral erika rubinstein : Но это же не жаргон.
1 min
Да, меня и самого это немного смущало. Тогда, возможно, имеет смысл заменить "pervasive" на "freaking"
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+1
51 mins

a laxity of a nut

Carelessness of an eccentric:the consequences of that which (whatever he did) and general concern about (whatever happens around) do not bother him, he is totally relaxed.
http://www.memidex.com/nut eccentric
Peer comment(s):

agree Anna Bordanova (Semyonova) : Похожее слышала от американских коллег)
7 mins
Thanks!The general usage of пофигизм as well as "laxity of a nutcase" is in it's negative, I hope that exercising it in a positive meaning would work well.
neutral The Misha : Sounds totally murky to my semi-American ears. But that's me, you are the native here.
3 hrs
Ask someone you know.Sure, you'll get a very similar exp as above."Nut"(a screwed, posessed,with very uncommon desires) and everything with "nuts" describes attitudes and behaviour of "пофигист" just perfectly.
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11 hrs

nonchalance/not giving a shit

depends how vernacular, or not, you wanna be
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12 hrs

mehism, meh attitude

These are quite new creations, I have not found the in a dictionary.
May be they will best qualify as slang?

Here are the examples of their usage (from Goolgle):
The first is, as I take it, about the mock religion of 'meh':

Mehism is a pathway to not only enlightenment but peace and control over difficult choices and feelings- those of the nasty sort. In order to embrace Mehism, one must truly look inside themselves and ask one simple question: Should I care? It is the beginning to every possible Mehist answer. If one is willing to open their mind and souls to the power of Meh, only then can they truly open the doors into the realm of divine indifference.

The second seems to be more common:
Example sentence:

Yes, apparently I'm indifferent to robots. Which is the kind of attitude which will ... Yes, regarding robots, I seem to have a decidedly <b>“meh” attitude<b>.

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19 hrs

not caring a damn

Just one of the possible versions.
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23 hrs

oblivion, obliviousness

I am surprised noone mentioned it yet.
State of oblivion - complete disregard of the surroundings.
State of extreme indifference, for example, when alcoholics go on a drinking spree - they reach the state of oblivion. It's mentioned many times in the Big Book of Alcoholics...

oblivion - unawareness caused by neglectful or heedless failure to remember or care

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Note added at 23 hrs (2009-07-09 20:03:31 GMT)
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http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oblivious
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4 days

a suggestion

From the Russian slang dictionary:
пофигист (m) [pofigist]: Nihilist, individual of an indifferent turn of mind.

Да никакой ты не скромняга, а тунеядец и пофигист!

(Виктор Левашов, Журналюга)

Perhaps you can take if from there...
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