Rachel Douglas May 11, 2016:

@Macro Concerning your points 2 and 3, I think there is a difference between deliberately incongruous registers, and something that is incompatible by meaning.

On point 4: "faith"? If someone is translating into a language in which he is not native, it's better that those who would like to help double-check to make sure the translator "gets" what the phrase he plans to use actually means, rather than believing on faith that the translator will not make a mistake of this type.

I still don't see how kicking somebody can possibly be called "taking liberties." It's not a question of register, but of what it means. If a polite expression is absolutely required, then "How dare you!" without "liberties" would be OK. You could embellish it, to make it sound archaic if that is required, though it's more difficult with kicking than with hitting. The latter could be "How dare you raise your hand against her!" But don't write "raise your leg" - that sounds like a dog and a fire hydrant.

Anna Kostorna (asker) May 11, 2016:

In my translation I wrote "What liberties are you taking, Sir?". Old-fashioned, this corresponded the source text the best. Thanks everyone for your help:)

Frank Szmulowicz, Ph. D. May 11, 2016:

1) I assume that the Asker chose appropriately for the context, either “How dare you” (as recommended by Larissa) or the full phrase.
2) “Taking liberties” was deliberately included not as much for its quaint quality but for its incongruity, given the situation.
3) It reminded me of that time when as a child I saw two men in front of a beer kiosk whacking each other with glass beer bottles, blood flowing down their faces. A few men in the crowd tried to separate them, saying, “Gentlemen, gentlemen, let us behave like gentlemen.” Rather incongruous, I would say. (I was unharmed, thank you.)
4) Let us have faith in the Asker.

Rachel Douglas May 11, 2016:

After the fact... The asker has already selected, but I would like to point out that "to take such liberties" sounds old-fashioned, like maybe from the 19th century. And, in any century, it's incongruous in a context involving a physical attack. Kicking someone is not "taking a liberty"! Taking a liberty would have been something like sitting up very close and putting his arm around her shoulders. Dictionary definitions: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take liberties (Note that Merriam-Webster correctly annotates it as "old-fashioned" with regard to persons; it is more frequently used these days with respect to texts - like what editors or translators do!)
Rough frequency chart: https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=take liberties...

Frank Szmulowicz, Ph. D. May 4, 2016:

Mockingly, "Didn't your mama teach you not to hit ladies?"

Anna Kostorna (asker) May 4, 2016:

согласна, sidewinder. Однако такая наша работа - переводить как есть и в соответствии с контекстом....

Denis Zabelin May 4, 2016:

To Asker.
Мне кажется, после того, как мужчина ударил женщину, требуется фраза, напротив, менее уважительная и более резкая, чем "what do you think you're doing".

Anna Kostorna (asker) May 4, 2016:

(this phrase was said after a man kicked a woman)