tak dalam prihatin

English translation: If I had not been in such dire straits/desperate circumstances

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Indonesian term or phrase:Kalau tak dalam prihatin
English translation:If I had not been in such dire straits/desperate circumstances
Entered by: Catherine Muir

09:15 May 21, 2012
Indonesian to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / early 20th Century Indonesian novel
Indonesian term or phrase: tak dalam prihatin
The protagonist is describing her erstwhile situation, when she had been cast aside by her Dutch 'husband' and had vanished from her home for over ten years and was presumed to have killed herself. She had disguised herself as a man to get a job as a houseboy in an inn and then resumed her feminine identity to be a maid to a family she met there.

Years later, she is reunited with her half-brother and begins to tell him about her life during the intervening years. She begins, "Kalau dulu saya tak dalam prihatin, sampai menyamar jadi jongos kemudian jadi babu di losmen “Simpang” Surabaya..."

What is the meaning in this context of 'tak dalam prihatin'?
Catherine Muir
Australia
Local time: 00:27
were not in such a dire circumstances
Explanation:
According collocation dictionary the one of adjectives that goes along with circumstance is "dire" which is desperately urgent.
Selected response from:

Hikmat Gumilar
Indonesia
Local time: 20:27
Grading comment
omit the article 'a': If I had not been in such dire straits/desperate circumstances...
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +1was not in difficult situation
ria ulfah ardhiyani
4If I were not under duress
Budi Suryadi-
4Under the depresssion circumtances
makruf mochamad
3was not in hot water
Helmy Ismail Sani
3not in misery
Wiyanto Suroso
3were not in such a dire circumstances
Hikmat Gumilar


Discussion entries: 9





  

Answers


15 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
was not in hot water


Explanation:
In this context, it seems that the protagonist was in a difficult situation and his situation might get worse if his real identity was exposed.

Helmy Ismail Sani
Indonesia
Local time: 20:27
Native speaker of: Native in IndonesianIndonesian, Native in JavaneseJavanese
PRO pts in category: 8
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8 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
was not in difficult situation


Explanation:
She is telling that at the time she faced difficulty (may be due to the situation with her running away) that she had to choose to be servant in that two places.

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Note added at 20 mins (2012-05-21 09:36:03 GMT)
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Prihatin may imply these conditions:
1) Concern/feeling sorry, as in "Saya prihatin dengan keadaanmu", "Sorry for your condition"
2) Having a difficult situation/facing a hardship, as in your case

ria ulfah ardhiyani
Australia
Local time: 00:27
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in IndonesianIndonesian, Native in JavaneseJavanese
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  David Andersen: I think this is quite a natural way of saying it in English, as long as you add "a": was not in a difficult situation
56 mins
  -> thank you for the comment and correction, Sir
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32 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
not in misery


Explanation:
Salah satu makna "prihatin" itu "mendapat kesulitan" menurut Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia.

Menurut Collins English Dictionary,
misery: intense unhappiness, discomfort, or suffering; wretchedness

"tak dalam prihatin" ini merupakan kependekan "tak dalam keadaan prihatin" yang berpadanan dengan 'not in misery'.

Wiyanto Suroso
Indonesia
Local time: 20:27
Native speaker of: Native in IndonesianIndonesian
PRO pts in category: 30
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
were not in such a dire circumstances


Explanation:
According collocation dictionary the one of adjectives that goes along with circumstance is "dire" which is desperately urgent.

Hikmat Gumilar
Indonesia
Local time: 20:27
Native speaker of: Native in IndonesianIndonesian, Native in SundaneseSundanese
PRO pts in category: 32
Grading comment
omit the article 'a': If I had not been in such dire straits/desperate circumstances...
Notes to answerer
Asker: Yes, that's correct. However, an English speaker is more likely to collocate 'dire straits', 'desperate circumstances', although 'dire circumstances' would be acceptable as well. This is the closest to what I have decided to use. I have translated the sentence (liberally) as "If only my situation had not been so desperate, I would not have needed to work as a houseboy and then as a maid at the Simpang Inn in Surabaya, and if only Anton Esobier had not so closely resembled my own son who had just died, I might not have become so attached to him, and if only I had not made a promise to his dying mother when she was undergoing treatment in Surabaya... Yes, Sondari... it's easy to say 'if only', but at the time, I had no choice."

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5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
If I were not under duress


Explanation:
dalam prihatin seems to be an abbreviated form of
dalam keadaan prihatin

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Note added at 7 hrs (2012-05-21 16:55:11 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

and the full sentence could be:
"If I were not under duress at the time, why would I take the trouble to disguise myself and work as a servant..... "


    Reference: http://kamusbahasaindonesia.org/prihatin
Budi Suryadi-
Indonesia
Local time: 20:27
Works in field
Native speaker of: Indonesian
PRO pts in category: 8
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2 days 18 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
Under the depresssion circumtances


Explanation:
Tak dalam prihatin, i think this sentences is confusing me. As Indonesia native, this sentences is incorrect. The the correct form is..kalau dulu saya tidak hidup prihatin...saya mungkin tidak jadi jongos.... Tak dalam prihatin, it might be reveal from the wrong tools of English to Indonesian translation.

makruf mochamad
Indonesia
Local time: 20:27
Native speaker of: Native in MalayMalay
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