Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
Chance would be a fine thing!
Greek translation:
Πού τέτοια τύχη!
English term
'Chance would be a fine thing!'
"You should relax a bit more." "Chance would be a fine thing."
Is there a modern idiomatic Greek equivalent for this expression, often used in English? τώρα σωθήκαμε is the nearest I can think of but it does not quite fit the bill.
May 13, 2011 01:33: Georgios Tziakos changed "Edited KOG entry" from "<a href="/profile/1121522">Hellinas's</a> old entry - "\'Chance would be a fine thing!\'"" to ""Πού τέτοια τύχη;""
Proposed translations
Spain
DipTrans / 12 years Tech&Marketing l10n
Native in: Greek (Variants: Modern, Katharevousa) 
Works in: English to Greek, Greek to English, Greek, and 3 more.
Πού τέτοια τύχη;
Not an overtly idiomatic expression, but one that still fits the bill finely, I think. You have both elements of 'woe is me/I wish!' and 'luch'/'chance', in the sense of dear, fickle Fortuna. Very commonly used, in many sorts of not-too-formaul situations.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2011-05-10 16:43:52 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Most often used without questionmark, but with a full stop or exclamation mark, exactly as the original.
\'Πού τέτοια τύχη\' -> meaning -> \'δυστυχώς δεν έχω τέτοια τύχη\' (from dictionary given in Web references)
| agree |
Nick Lingris
3 hrs
|
|
Ευχαριστώ πολύ για το χρόνο που διαθέσατε.
|
|
| agree |
Aspasia Merkouri
15 hrs
|
|
Ευχαριστώ πολύ για το χρόνο που διαθέσατε.
|
|
| agree |
Olga Hatzigeorgiou
16 hrs
|
|
Σας ευχαριστώ για το χρόνο που διαθέσατε.
|
Cyprus
Validated translations MAPI Institute
Native in: English 
, Greek
Works in: English to Greek, Greek to English
Αχ και να ερχόταν η ευκαιρία!
η ελπίδα πεθαίνει τελευταία
Greece
Your limit up in translation!
Native in: Greek (Variant: Modern) , English (Variants: US, UK)
Works in: English, Greek to English, English to Greek, and 4 more.
μακάρι να γινότανε
| agree |
FYSILADE
: Και ότι είναι Να γίνει .. Θα γινει
1 day 5 hrs
|
|
Ευχαριστώ πολύ, Καλημέρα!
|
Greece
Reliable and always on time…
Native in: Greek
Works in: English to Greek, French to Greek
Αν είναι τυχερό να γίνει, θα γίνει!
Greece
28 years of pro translation experience
Native in: Greek
Works in: English to Greek, Greek to English
Φέξε μου και γλίστρησα
taken from the magenta En-Gr & Gr-En dictionary
(literal translation = shed some light - I've slipped)
Αν είναι νά 'ρθει, θε να 'ρθεί...
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 17 hrs (2011-05-11 08:53:48 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
The full verse is Αν είναι νά 'ρθει, θε να 'ρθεί, αλλιώς θα προσπεράσει
Discussion