Ella Mykhailova Jan 14, 2011:

Paulina, In this example, "хлопоты" has the meaning "problems", whereas the verb "хлопотать" in your translation question implies efforts made on behalf of some person. In this view, Rachel's remarks seem to be reasonable. If you need to emphasize that something has been done secretly, you may use the phrase "pull strings" mentioned by Rachel, although I do not see such a connotation in the context you've provided. Anyway, the decision is up to you.

PaulinaK (asker) Jan 14, 2011:

Eric:
Sure, *хлопотатъ* it is a mundane word, when used in the household sense (*хлопотать по хозяйству*); but it is not so mundane in the law/city planning / business sphere.

Here's a slightly off-topic example, to illustrate my point (which I'll relate in Russian, the language it happened in):

По слиянию обстоятельств, нас с мужем свели с очень влиятельным Москвичем, как в бизнесе так и в государственной сфере. В итоге, мы с ним сдружились. Один раз во время беседы, наш друг-олигарх задумчиво заметил: "как же мой конкурент не понимает - если он перейдет мне дорогу, я ведь устрою ему хлопоты!" Мы с мужем потом долго вспоминали эту фразу и смеялись!

Eric Candle Jan 14, 2011:

"хлопотать" is a rather mundane word.
It doesn't require an eccentric delivery

Rachel Douglas Jan 14, 2011:

Thanks, Kiwiland Bear I'm bailing out. I only put all those additional options on the table because of what Paulina said she thought the sense of it was. So, I think that the original suggestions from you, me, Judith, Eric, Dennis, and Ella all do a pretty good job of conveying that they got in there are pulled some strings, or whatever they did, on behalf of the person.

Kiwiland Bear Jan 14, 2011:

Hmm, not the "raised the roof/ruckus"... ... I think. Original "хлопотать" doesn't have the meaning of noisy or attention-seeking activity (like appealing to the media or public opinion). It's more like an insider job, using connections, pushing for something beyond your normal efforts level but still keeping it in the house so to say.

Rachel Douglas Jan 14, 2011:

Not "hustled" No, don't write that, it might suggest to some readers that they gave bribes or something. Made a fuss / raised the roof / raised a ruckus / went all out before the City Council. Maybe one of those, if you think хлопотать requires emphasizing the intensity of the activity, rather than just that it was an intervention.

PaulinaK (asker) Jan 14, 2011:

Judith: I love your alternative, and wish you'd submitted it for points.

Rachel: I'd like to add that *хлопотатъ* elicits the same exact associations for me in Russian, as those you listed for "hustled about" in English. The use of this word in this context is not standard in Russian, either. That's exactly what makes it an idiom, in my opinion.

How about:
"My school hustled at the City Council on my behalf" ?

Otherwise, I'll go with Judith's revision.

Rachel Douglas Jan 14, 2011:

I don't know To my ear, "to hustle about" is what I said, and "to hustle" is just... to hustle: either to move very fast, or to do something slightly shady. I can't see that it has anything to do with intervening on somebody's behalf.

What Judith just said could work, that the school "made a fuss" on behalf of this student, but really I think that Judith's earlier suggestion, and, in fact, all the other suggestions you received except for the one you chose, are better:

My school [advocated my case / took up my case / pleaded my case / pushed for me / interceded on my behalf / went to bat for me] before the City Council, and, after many tribulations, I finally received a fantastic apartment...

Judith Hehir Jan 14, 2011:

Alternative translation: made a fuss

PaulinaK (asker) Jan 14, 2011:

What if I simply use hustle, without adding "about"?

Rachel Douglas Jan 14, 2011:

You're right. It surprises some of us.

The reason the choice to "to hustle about" is surprising, is that it is so distant from the sense of intervening on somebody's behalf, regardless of how much effort the intervention may have required. If you say somebody "hustled about," the image that arises is of somebody running to and fro, doing a large number of tasks in a great hurry, not necessarily in a very organized way, in order to get something done fast. Not the sense of your original, as far as I can see.

PaulinaK (asker) Jan 14, 2011:

Grading comments Once again, I've had a very difficult time selecting an answer since all submissions had their own strengths and would ultimately fit the sentence.

Were I the author of this text, I would surely have used a more formal word such as * advocated / petitioned / interceded *.

However, using a formal word - when the original *хлопотатъ * sounds so chatty (especially followed by the use of * мытарств *) - strikes me as taking liberties with the translation.

Plus, these words don't adequately describe the effort conveyed, as Judith succinctly noted in her comment. The effort factor is especially important to express here due to the consequent use of *мытарства*.

The answer I selected may surprise some of you, but ultimately it flowed best in the translation, while simultaneously maintaining a colloquial feel and sense of effort.