What does keep calm mean? What does "Keep Calm" mean in Russian? “Calm down, we’ll break through! Use in modern culture
When buying clothes or a bag with a foreign inscription, it is not harmful to ask how it is translated, if only to avoid being subjected to the caustic ridicule of more linguistically enlightened fellow citizens. What if something obscene or inconsistent with the beliefs of someone who was flattered by the beautiful bright font and colorful background is written there?
For example, what does “Keep Calm And Carry On” mean - a phrase that can often be seen on the chest or back of some fans of foreign fashion? To find out about this, it is not enough to know English. You should also briefly dive into the history of the 20th century.
In 1939, it so happened that the only real force opposing German Nazism was Great Britain. Doubts arose from time to time that this confrontation would end successfully, despite the fact that this country at that time was huge, the largest in the world. This situation persisted until Hitler's attack on the USSR.
The colonies, on which, poetically speaking, the sun never set, were sometimes tens of thousands of miles away from the mother country. The islands were vulnerable, which the German fleet took advantage of by blocking trade routes. Every day tragic news came that another ship, or even several ships, had sunk to the bottom, hit by German torpedoes or bombs.
An echo of the events of those years has become a popular motto today, widely replicated on tea cups, T-shirts, sports bags and other household items. What does "Keep Calm And Carry On" mean when written in English?
If we translate it literally, then, as in most similar cases, the meaning will not be fully conveyed. Just a call to stay calm and hold on. Nothing, the Russian language is expressive enough to convey the expressive motto no less succinctly.
Probably, in order to understand what “Keep Calm” means, you can remember how we ourselves sometimes say “calm down, we’ll break through!” Perhaps this expression would be a semantically correct translation of the old English motto.
Only we sometimes get excited and pronounce such words, saturating them with temperament, and sometimes adding a couple of Russian folk idioms, and the inhabitants of Albion will say this calmly, keeping calm and for them it is already clear what “Keep Calm” means. Do your job, don’t be afraid of anything, persevere through all difficulties.
The history of the poster, which became the prototype of modern replicas, was already fairly forgotten, and by 2000 the number of surviving copies turned out to be insignificant. One of them was found by the grandson of the author of this propaganda masterpiece in a second-hand bookstore. He chose not to disclose his last name, especially since the phrase itself is common expression in English, similar to the given Russian analogue. Thus, the descendant of the unknown poster-maker could not receive financial dividends, including due to the expiration of the copyright. However, the motto itself became very popular at his suggestion, not only in Britain, but also in many other countries, whose citizens, when buying a bright T-shirt, do not always know how “Keep Calm” is translated.
What is the secret of the popularity of this old slogan? The war ended long ago, but each of the people living on our planet is constantly faced with situations that threaten catastrophic consequences. Someone may lose their job, another may become dangerously ill, a third may have problems in their family. It is important to remain calm and look for a way out difficult situation. And then the eye falls on the bright inscription, which at one time encouraged the British. “Keep Calm”, which means “Nothing, let’s break through! It didn’t happen that way.”
There is nothing newer than the long-forgotten old. This is what happened with the poster from the Second World War, when all the inhabitants of Europe were afraid of the onset of fascism. By that time, the UK Ministry of Information had decided to issue a poster with the inscription "keep calm and carry on" translation of which "keep calm and keep up the good work". The poster was published in 2.5 million copies, but was not widely distributed among the masses, despite the fact that it was printed with the image of the British crown, which was supposed to inspire the British and raise morale.
Poster with inscription keep calm and carry on was supposed to become a kind of engine pushing people to decisive action in 1939, but, as it turned out, nothing supernatural happened and they forgot about it. So it lay there until 2000, until one fine day it was accidentally discovered. Stuart Manley co-owner of the used book store Barter Books. He and his wife were sorting through a box of things when Stuart saw a large piece of paper folded at the bottom. He showed it to his wife and they decided it should be framed and hung on the wall. That's how it all started.
As time passed and ownership of works produced in Great Britain expired after 50 years, the poster with the inscription became public knowledge.
Let us note that the year 2000 was marked not only by the emergence of new trends and directions, but also by a change in the human worldview: people proudly entered the 21st century, which means they could confidently do everything to become famous.
9 years have passed and group "Stereophonics" released an album called "Keep calm and carry on", which made the expression even more famous. By that time, almost every second person knew this expression, and the more determined began the global production of goods with this inscription, as well as a parody of this expression.
As you know, parodies spread around the world quite quickly, so today on the Internet you can see many variations on the theme, for example: “shop now and riot late”, "stay calm and keep cooking".
In 2011, the unexpected happened. Keep Calm and Carry On Ltd. registered the expression as a trademark, demanding to stop the production and sale of souvenirs, but third-party companies filed a request to cancel the registration, citing the fact that the phrase had become quite popular and could not be used as a trademark.
As you understand, it was this decision that helped us all understand history better "keep calm and carry on", and also get acquainted with numerous memes on the Internet. By the way, this expression became the third after “Your courage, your cheerfulness, your resolution will bring us victory”, and "freedom is in peril". From August 1939, two early posters began to appear in shop windows as well as on railway platforms and were much more greater success than the last one.
Today, every tourist can buy anything with the inscription keep calm ( translation: keep calm) from mugs to sweaters, from rugs to children's clothing. Today, that same Stuart Manley has already sold more than 100,000 posters. Mike Koop, owner of keepcalmandcarryon.com, says he sells 300-500 posters every week.
What do social psychologists say?
Alain Samson from the London School of Economics says that hard times people come together to find shared values and goals, exactly what the crown and the inscription on the poster symbolized. Words have great meaning. They provide encouragement in times of uncertainty and cynicism.
Dr. Leslie Prince, lecturer on social psychology at the University of Birmingham, says it is "the quiet, calm, authoritative voice of reason." People were promised land, but today they worry about their houses, bank account, money, pensions. The poster with the inscription just helps to understand that people are not alone, there is someone who knows that everything will be fine. Therefore, if difficulties happen in life, remember that you just need to “keep calm”, and everything else will work out exactly as it should.
If you want to master English, take a look at the site, where you will not only receive a dose of useful material, but also be able to read fascinating and useful articles that will certainly expand your worldview.
Most likely, you have a T-shirt, a cup, a notepad, or, at worst, an avatar or status on social network, starting with the phrase “Keep calm and...”. The phrase has become so trendy and popular that only a hermit in the mountains would not know about its existence.
Translation options
It's time to put on the mask of Boris Burda or Anatoly Wasserman and open " terrible secret": the history of the expression "Keep calm and carry on" has its roots in the Second World War. The phrase was used as a British propaganda slogan designed to reinforce belief in British victory and resilience.
The translation of the phrase “Keep calm and carry on” is most often found in two versions: "Keep calm and hang in there!" or "Keep calm and keep up the good work". However, the Russian land has not dried up with talents who offer their translations of the phrases: “Be calm and keep it up!”, “Do what you must, and let it be what will be” and even “We smile and wave.”
It was assumed that the poster would be used to maintain the morale of residents in the event of occupation Nazi Germany. Of course, you are unlikely to find archival photos from 1939 that show unruly Britons torn from their afternoon tea drinking with “Keep calm and carry on” signs, pacing Trafalgar Square. The name of the author of the masterpiece is unknown. The miraculous lines of the British anthem saved the queen, the nation, and the paper, which never spread throughout the United Kingdom a call to remain calm and hold on back in 1939.
In 2000, grandson anonymous author, who also remained anonymous, discovered a copy of the poster by chance in an antique bookstore. The copyright protection period expired, and the phrase became known to the world community. Attempts by Keep Calm and Carry On Ltd to trademark the slogan were unsuccessful because the phrase was too well known to limit its distribution. The popularity of this phrase can only be matched by the number of views on YouTube clip Psy-"Gangnam style". However, in the number of options on the theme, the musical masterpiece is still inferior to the famous expression.
It’s the 21st century, no threat of Nazi occupation is foreseen, showing perseverance and heroism is not so relevant, and the phrase, inconspicuous at first glance, continues to break records in the number of variations, modernizations and publications on the Internet and beyond. Perhaps the video will shed light on the mystery of the poster's popularity?
The magical combination of red and white, topped with the symbolic crown of Britain, helped to avoid terrible tragedy in the 40s of the twentieth century. At the turn of the millennium, the poster continues to work its magic, supporting the “militant” mood among the masses with the help of its main weapon - humor. Let's take a look at the most successful fruits folk art which the Internet is replete with:
It’s great if the poster inspires you to get creative). Maybe you have your own favorite interpretations of the phrase “Keep calm and...”? Don't be shy and leave your answers in the comments!
Friends, you, of course, have heard and seen the expression “Keep calm and carry on” and its derivatives, which are so often replete with the Internet in Lately. The history of this phrase is very interesting.
As you may have guessed, today we will dot all the i’s regarding this expression.
The history of the phrase “Keep calm and carry on” goes back to the UK, back in 1939, when all of Europe was gripped by concerns about the threat of fascism and the outbreak of the Second World War.
This poster was originally produced by the British Ministry of Information ( MinistryofInformation) in 1939 at the beginning of World War II. Despite the fact that two and a half million copies were printed, the poster was not widely distributed or known.
The purpose of this poster was to raise the morale of the British people, to instill fearlessness and optimism in them. After all, the translation into Russian of the phrase « Keepcalmandcarryon" Means "Keep calm and keep up the good work" or "Keep calm and move forward." The famous slogan on the background of the British flag In addition, the very image of the poster inspires pride in the nation and builds morale: the slogan is made on a red field or on an image of the British flag, and above it is the British crown.
There are also two other posters from this series - “Freedom Is In Peril.”Defend It With All Your Might" — Libertyunderthreat. Protectherwithallhisby force, with a circulation of 400,000 copies. AND "Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution Will Bring Us Victory" — Yourscourage, yourscheerfulness, yoursdeterminationwill bringusvictory), with a circulation of 800,000 copies.
Keep calm and carry on in the 21st century
In 2000, a copy of the poster was discovered quite by accident in an antique bookstore. Since the copyright expired long ago, the famous slogan became known to the world community. The phrase became so popular that the picture and inscription began to be used everywhere: on T-shirts, cups, toys, bags, etc.
Once on the Internet, the famous poster became the subject of all sorts of humorous variations and parodies, such as, for example: Keep calm it’s only garlic. Or Keep it brutal and carry brass knuckles.
Released in 2009 music album band "Stereophonics", named after the poster. But in August 2011, the company “Keep Calm and Carry On Ltd” registered the slogan as a trademark and demanded to stop selling souvenirs with the famous slogan produced by third-party companies. Fortunately, a request to cancel the registration was later filed because the slogan was too widely known to be used as a trademark.
Now friends, you know everything about the famous slogan. We wish you good luck and keep calm and carry on!
Description: Keep calm and carry on: translation
Now it is very fashionable to say: “Keep calm (we will find out what this phrase means a little later) and...”. And after and, whatever your heart desires is added. The second part interests us little. We want to find out what keep calm is. This is what our article is dedicated to.
Historically, this phrase goes back to the call indicated on propaganda posters during the Second World War, and it sounds like this: “Keep calm and carry on.” It can be translated as: “Keep calm and stick to your line.” But this is all that can be said about the history of the issue. Go ahead.
Nowadays
In order not to bore the reader, let's start with the most important thing. As we already understood, the translation of the phrase keep calm is: “Keep calm”, or “Keep calm”. Thus, it is now clear why today, in English, anything is added to this, let’s not be afraid of this definition, magical phrase. For example, a call to love someone or do something.
It would seem like a meme, a trifle, a game, but no. Not so simple. Indeed, the first thing you need to do is get your thoughts in order. Psychologists say that you should almost never lose your head. Because it doesn't help matters much.
For example, you are taking exams. You can say, in the spirit of a modern meme: “Keep calm (we already know the translation) and pass exams.” Which in Russian means: “Keep calm and pass your exams.” Otherwise, without peace of mind, the student or applicant will definitely fail the test.
Why are Keep calm pictures so popular?
Ours is a restless age. Everyone is in a hurry, in a hurry. We would all like to slow down a little, find peace, look around and see that there is a big and wonderful world around us.
After all, you can ask in an ironic way, for example, like this: “What does keep calm mean?” In that sense, why should we stop? “Slow down” means “stay behind someone”, “give way”. Most people will not agree to this, even if peace of mind is promised in the end. The paradox of our life is that we work very hard, so that later, someday, we can do nothing to our heart's content.
Thus, Keep expression calm responds to the deep-seated demand of the population for calm, and on the other hand, it seems to challenge the entire structure of civilization. What peace at such and such a time, eh?
Don't worry, be happy
People who are now in their 30s and 40s remember a more straightforward mantra. It promotes non-action in itself literally, no ends for you, just calm. Just “Don’t worry, be happy.” No matter what happens, you shouldn’t pay attention - “Don’t worry, be happy” (this is one of the possible translations English phrase in the subtitle there is a wonderful song by Mikhail Bashakov). You don't have to do anything. You just need to be.
I also remember the Nautilus song “Just to be.” The main idea of which is that any action gets boring, and in the end you just want to exist.
Let's take the liberty and say that most people would get out of the circle of an endless social race, but life is such that you need to “run very fast to stay in place,” as L. Carroll said. Many people are afraid of sinking to the very social bottom. We will say: “Keep calm (now in Russian), believe in your dream and don’t be afraid of anything. In other words: “Don’t worry, be happy.”
