TRANSLATING THE PRONOUN ONE

A sentence with the English impersonal pronoun one can be rendered by a Russian impersonal sentence: One can easily understand peoples’ aspirations for world peace. – Легко можно понять стремление народов к миру во всем мире.131

Another way of translating English indefinite sentences with one is the Russian generalizing personal sentence implying the general ты: One is free to do as one likes so long as one’s habits do not irritate one’s companions. – Делать волен все, что хочешь, пока твои привычки не досаждают окружающим.

Pay attention to using the pronoun one’s in the possessive form, if the sentence subject is expressed by one (the possessive pronoun is not substituted for any other pronoun, for instance, your.): e.g., One has to do one’s best.

There is another way of rendering a universal meaning of an English sentence: with the help of the pronoun you. However, this can be understood as being directed to the receptor and, therefore, it can cause misunderstanding, as was brilliantly shown by J. London in his novel 'Martin Eden': “By the way, Mr. Eden,” she called back, as she was leaving the room, “what is booze? You used it several times, you know.” “Oh, booze,” he laughed. “It’s slang. It means whiskey, and beer – anything that will make youdrunk.” “And another thing,” she laughed back. “Don’t use ‘you’ when you are impersonal. ‘You’ is very personal, and your use of it just now was not precisely what you meant.” “I don’t just see that.” “Why, you said just now to me, ‘whiskey and beer – anything that will make you drunk’ – make me drunk, don’t you see?” “Well, it would, wouldn’t it?” “Yes, of course,” she smiled. “But it would be nicer not to bring me into it. Substitute ‘one’ for ‘you’, and see how much better it sounds.”*

A translator should also know that you and one differ stylistically, you being informal and colloquial, and one sounding very formal and official.

The English one can also function as a noun substitute. In translating to Russian, it is desirable not to repeat the word, but to use a synonym if the noun reduction is impossible: Tokyo – Japan’s most serious problem – and the one that is least discussed – is overpopulation. – Самая серьезная проблема Токио и всей Японии – вопрос, который обсуждается менее всего – это перенаселение.

Russian-to-English translation is challenged by the choice between one and it. Compare, Надень шлем. Нельзя ездить без него. – Put on your helmet. It’s illegal to ride a bike without one. «Мне нравится этот шлем.» «Ну, и купи его.» “I like the helmet.” “So buy it.” The pronoun one represents a general notion; it refers to a specific thing.