handle i affekt

07:46 Oct 9, 2007
This question was closed without grading. Reason: No acceptable answer

Norwegian to English translations [PRO]
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
Norwegian term or phrase: handle i affekt
When one acts "i affekt", does this necessarily require some kind of strong emotional motivation (passion, anger etc), or could it also be interpreted as equivalent to the expression "to act in haste" (which does not require such conditions)?
Sentence: "Noen motiver har en karakter som gjør at det ikke er enkelt – og kanskje heller ikke mulig – å få mening ut av de tilhørende handlingene. Folk kan for eksempel være impulsive eller handle i affekt."
brigidm
Norway
Local time: 09:40


Summary of answers provided
3 +4act of passion
Diarmuid Kennan
4 +1act irrationally
Per Bergvall
4act in affect
Vedis Bjørndal
3moment of passion
Frode Aleksandersen
3emotionally unstable
Hilde Granlund


Discussion entries: 3





  

Answers


15 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
moment of passion


Explanation:
I feel like there should be a better expression out there, but this is the best I can come up with on short notice. "Handle i affekt" requires there to some kind of strong overriding emotional motivation - you can't just use it for an act in haste.

Frode Aleksandersen
Norway
Local time: 09:40
Native speaker of: Native in NorwegianNorwegian, Native in EnglishEnglish
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks, Frode, that answers my question.

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19 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +4
act of passion


Explanation:
I have checked 4 dictionaries, but they all give passion/temper/excitement, but not haste.

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Note added at 23 mins (2007-10-09 08:09:57 GMT)
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I see Kunnskabsforlaget's Norsk Ordbog gives only one definition for 'affekt': sterk sinnsbevegelse.

Diarmuid Kennan
Ireland
Local time: 08:40
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Frode Aleksandersen: This was the one I was originally thinking of, but I had a temporary brainfart and had to resort to moment one :)
38 mins

agree  LinguaLab.net: Hence the term "crime of passion" ;o)
1 hr

agree  Thomas Deschington
2 hrs

agree  absciarretta
1 day 8 hrs
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
act irrationally


Explanation:
All this passion stuff is all very well, but what we are discussing here is siomeone doing something other than what a calm, rational person would do. The 'affekt' could be anger, joy, disgust, panic, fear, love, or hysteria among a good few others.

Per Bergvall
Norway
Local time: 09:40
Native speaker of: Native in NorwegianNorwegian
PRO pts in category: 31

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Hilde Granlund: denne er også god - syns ikke så mye om lideskapen i denne sammenhengen - det blir noe annet etter mine begreper
5 hrs

neutral  Thomas Deschington: Jeg tenkte på denne selv, men blir ikke "irrational" et overbegrep for å handle impulsivt og i affekt? // Det er det jeg mener: at "å handle i affekt" er en spesifisering eller et underbegrep av "irrasjonelle handlinger".
18 hrs
  -> Jeg synes ikke det - snarere det motsatte, ettersom det er fullt mulig å begå irrasjonelle handlinger også uten å være i affekt.
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47 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
emotionally unstable


Explanation:
I would translate your sentence like this:

People can, for instance, be impulsive or emotionally unstable.

That should be close enough, I think.
"act of passion" sounds a little melodramatic to me.

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Note added at 9 hrs (2007-10-09 16:55:26 GMT)
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Er dette før eller etter pølsefesten? ;-)

Hilde Granlund
Norway
Local time: 09:40
Native speaker of: Native in NorwegianNorwegian
Notes to answerer
Asker: He, he... Det er mye vi kan klage over, men variasjon i arbeidsoppgaver er ikke en av dem. ;-)


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Frode Aleksandersen: "Handle i affekt" is melodramatic though :). Someone who's normally stable is perfectly capable of having that one moment where everything goes *poof*.
16 mins
  -> and would be unstable at that moment? I think "handle i affekt" sounds more like court proceedings than melodrama
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1 day 23 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
act in affect


Explanation:
Oppgitt som brukbart av en psykolog jeg kjenner.

Vedis Bjørndal
Norway
Local time: 09:40
Native speaker of: Norwegian
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