Hi,

Just to help to "complete" the discussion: I think it would be interesting to see that expression being used, for example, look at this Oscar-winning french movie:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baisers_vol%C3%A9s
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geraubte_K%C3%BCsse
http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baisers_vol%C3%A9s

By the way, the expresion "beijo roubado (stolen kiss)" or "roubar um beijo (to steal a kiss)" is realy common here in Brazil.

I'm sorry to not use e
Esperanto or use proper English grammar. =(

darkweasel:According to Wikipedia, Kabe said that: por havi bonan stilon nepre estas necese koni minimume tri diversajn lingvojn

Surely that's the quote I was looking for. I felt that it was an Esperantist who said it (and in my mind I was thinking of, perhaps, Kalocsay Kalman), but I couldn't remember, so I thought I'd keep it generic. Good eye!

Clearly the ladies in Germany are so generous with their favours, that the concept of stolen kisses is not recognized outside the dictionary.

But we have now established that in Portugese, in Spanish, in French, in Polish in Estonian and in English. one can speak of such a thing.

Of course, the Latin countries and the English are well known for their demonstrative behaviour in the romance field.

Bemused:

darkweasel:

sudanglo:
Anyway, the interesting point, is not whether you are personally familiar with the expression, but the fact that German uses for this idiom a verb cognate with Esperanto's rabi rather than stehlen cognate with Esperanto's ŝteli.

+1

~ darkweasel, who is also not familiar with that expression - but does anyone care about my familiarity with it? No.

I care.

@Bemused: Following remembers me to your response.

Today at German radio broadcast station BR 2 - Bavaria 2 I heard two very interesting talks. Its possible to download them podcasts-like (mp3). But its in German only and it comes with lot of philosophical questioning.

Empathie und Mitgefühl - Bausteine des Überlebens - 14.12.2011 / Empathy and Commiseration - modules of surviving. mp3

Solidarität - Einer für alle, alle für einen - 14.12.2011 / Solidarity - One for all; all for one mp3

I assume BR2 - Bavaria 2 choosed that topic because of ongoing trouble inside EU and ongoing discussion how to build-up somewhat of common (European) identity awareness.

I'm still to figure out, what in detail could that high faszinating of that Interna ideo and why it should be unique to Esperanto community only. Furthermore that podcast did let me think a lot about how to translate that kind of how I understand "Gemeinschaftssinn" into Esperanto (I will open an translation help thread at the German forum section. done.) Grupkunsento doesn't seem to meet it excactly. It seems to do something with empathy, which seems to be very triggered (or result?) inside brain by such called Mirror neurons. Maybe Gemeinschaftssinn could be "malkonkurenca mensostato"? Do, that podcasts are full of hints to philosophers of the field of morals philosophy (Kant, Schophenhauer, Plato etc.) Maybe I will transcript it. Would be good reason to test f4. I like that kind of questioning. Of course it could give Esperanto community also lot of base community understanding apart En la mondo bla, bla, bla etc. Btw. there seems to excists an accepted(?) alternative inside UEA circle.

sudanglo:Cflat, I can't fully explain why, but rabkisi (or ŝtelkisi) seems too compact, or to describe something of a different nature, possibly habitual or repeated, rather than describing what happened on some occasion.

What was his crime - monŝtelo.

What did he do - li ŝtelis monon.

I would expand rabkisis to either rabis (or ŝtelis) kison. Actually, despite my previous comments, I prefer ŝteli to rabi in this context. It has a lighter tone.

For the last line I would say 'Ho, sciiu, ke mi ne ŝtelis kison de ŝi, sed de iu alia'.

Fianĉigo seems to me to describe the process of getting engaged rather than the state of engagement.

For the first line I might say 'Kial vi kaj Marjorie ne plu intencas geedziĝi', though perhaps 'Kial Marjorie nuligis la fianĉiĝon' is OK.

I appreciate the feedback Sudanglo and thanks to the other forum members who helped in discussing this issue.

sudanglo:
Edit: to faciltate the rapid production of translations into Esperanto of speeches, novels, commentaries, etc., it would be very useful to have a translator's dictionary with good solutions for the translations of fixed expressions.

But such translations could not, I think, acquire the status of being the only correct translations, since this would lead to a undesirable fossilization of the language.

I agree, verified translation assets inside database of TMS system would be quite usefull for rapid translation support (not full automatic).

cFlat7:How best to translate the idea of stealing a kiss? I.e. is "He stole a kiss," just an English idiom?

Perhaps "sxtelkisi"? or "nepermese kisi"?

OP, I included your idiom in this thread, so we'll see if it is understandable across languages.