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komma förbi stuprören
Feb 18, 2013 18:35
11 yrs ago
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Swedish term

lyfta blicken

Swedish to English Bus/Financial Journalism Interview response
I wonder if any of you might have a nice, idiomatic solution to this Swedish phrase. It is a response to a question in an interview.

"Att våra möten faktiskt ger oss en chans att lyfta blicken och fundera på vad vi egentligen gör till vardags är också väldigt tillfredsställande."

Thanks in advance for any suggestions you may have.
Proposed translations (English)
4 +2 take a step back to look at things (at the bigger picture)
4 broaden our perspective
4 extend one's view
3 broaden/widen the horizon
3 shift ones focus from the here and now to the there and then

Discussion

Richard Green (asker) Feb 19, 2013:
Thanks Kristian! Thanks for this, I hadn't seen it. Normally ProZ notifies you if a similar term has already been asked in the past. I wonder why it didn't? Thanks anyway!
Kristian Andersson Feb 19, 2013:
@ Richard I just noticed that this term has been asked before. You may or may not find it interesting:
http://www.proz.com/kudoz/swedish_to_english/tourism_travel/...
Richard Green (asker) Feb 19, 2013:
Yes, I had exactly the same image of a hike up a mountain, and looking around rather than looking at the floor, especially as the immediate surrounding context of this particular instance in the text talks about the challenges encountered by the business.
Deane Goltermann Feb 18, 2013:
hiking up the mountainside This idiom reminds me of hiking/skiing up the mountainside -- you must watch where you put your feet every step ... but you have to stop to take a look up and around to see where you're going and why you're doing it (the view). I like broaden/widen/extend ... the big picture/view/perspective ... good luck!

Proposed translations

+2
3 hrs
Selected

take a step back to look at things (at the bigger picture)

might seem weird at first but in view of what follow in the Swedish, I think this might well be the expression we'd use in English.

And the hits are there to prove it.
Reference:

http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/take+a+step+back

http://www.guardian.co.uk/teacher-network/2012/jul/10/bigger-picture-teaching

Peer comment(s):
agree Lene Johansen : That was my first thought as well.
1 hr
agree Christopher Schröder : I like take a step back
15 hrs
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "I especially like "look at the bigger picture""
20 mins

broaden/widen the horizon

My suggestion!
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58 mins

broaden our perspective

....and move beyond the restrictions of our everyday life...

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Note added at 1 hr (2013-02-18 19:45:09 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

When you lift your eyes (lyftar blicken) you are widening your perspective, and are able to see and understand more of the world around you, as opposed to having a narrow (narrow-minded) view of things.
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53 mins

shift ones focus from the here and now to the there and then

:o)

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Note added at 1 hr (2013-02-18 20:06:15 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Shorter and better: "raise one's sight"

P.S.
It has absolutely nothing to do with "broaden" or with "widen".
Peer comment(s):
neutral Norskpro : "raise one's sights" has more to do with setting higher goals, whereas "lyfta blicken" has more to do with seeing/taking in more than your immediate surroundings, I thought.
2 hrs
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3 hrs

extend one's view

In the context given.
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