[details=“English Translation”]She wasn’t sure when to start.[/details] I understand the use of the double negative in Italian, but this particular construction doesn’t seem cut and dried. Ironically, I’m uncertain about its meaning. Most of the constructions I’ve found combining “non” and “incerto” (apart from this one) seem to be about not doubting, which is a common concept, as with a jury. I’m reminded of a line from Giovanni Caccamo’s song, “Puoi fidarti di me”: “Non esiste incertezza” . Would an Italian construe this sentence to mean certain or uncertain?
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I’d wager it’s a mistranslation. This is not a sentence that calls for the double negative.
The translator was probably at a loss about whether to write “non era certa” or “era incerta”.
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I see what you mean. The “incerta” is giving us problems here. A dopo…
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This is a bad translation: “Non era incerta” means she was sure.
I would use “Non era certa su/di quando iniziare”.
“She was unsure when to start” would be “Era incerta su quando iniziare”.
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