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  3. Business/Commerce (general)

stava (in this context)

English translation: ...knew absolutely nothing about

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Swedish term or phrase:stava (in this context)
English translation:...knew absolutely nothing about
Entered by: Cristian Iscrulescu

19:07 Jan 9, 2009
Swedish to English translations [PRO]
Bus/Financial - Business/Commerce (general)
Swedish term or phrase: stava (in this context)
Sentence:

När jag började på 70-talet kunde man inte ens stava till upphandling.

The sentence is talen from a newspaper aritcle that can be found at http://www.svd.se/naringsliv/nyheter/artikel_2260925.svd

Thank you.
Cristian Iscrulescu
United States
Local time: 13:38
...knew absolutely nothing about
Explanation:
Here, "kunde inte ens stava till" means "knew absolutely nothing about." ("Kunde inte ens stava till," of course, literally means "couldn't even spell." That literal translation might work as well, though I think it feels a bit exaggerated in English.)

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Note added at 1 hr (2009-01-09 20:19:32 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

"Didn't know an iota" would also work. There are lots of possibilities. :)
Selected response from:

Tim Kynerd
Sweden
Local time: 22:38
Grading comment
Thanks a lot.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
5 +2...knew absolutely nothing about
Tim Kynerd
4 +2...couldn't even spell the word.
Anna Herbst


  

Answers


4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +2
...knew absolutely nothing about


Explanation:
Here, "kunde inte ens stava till" means "knew absolutely nothing about." ("Kunde inte ens stava till," of course, literally means "couldn't even spell." That literal translation might work as well, though I think it feels a bit exaggerated in English.)

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2009-01-09 20:19:32 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

"Didn't know an iota" would also work. There are lots of possibilities. :)

Tim Kynerd
Sweden
Local time: 22:38
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 19
Grading comment
Thanks a lot.
Notes to answerer
Asker: Maybe something like "didn't know an iota"?


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Hugh Curtis: "couldn't even pronounce" would be good too..."hadn't a clue"
14 mins
  -> Yep, also good suggestions. Thanks! :)
agree  Maria Dellqvist (née Ahlfors) (X): This is not at all about spelling but having no knowledge in a subject.
21 hrs
  -> Tack, Maria! :)
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
...couldn't even spell the word.


Explanation:
Why not just translate the phrase the speaker uses rather than explain it?

Anna Herbst
Australia
Local time: 06:38
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in SwedishSwedish, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 19

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  George Hopkins: Yes.
11 hrs
  -> Tack George!
agree  Kathy Saranpa
1 day 6 hrs
  -> Tack Kathy!
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