How best to render a tricky Spanish word or expression in English or one from some language in Spanish.
10
votes
3answers
2k views
How do you differentiate between walnuts and pecans in Spanish?
It recently occurred to me that the Spanish nuez can be translated to English as both "walnut" and "pecan." Is the same word really used for both types of nuts? How would you specify which nut you're ...
3
votes
1answer
95 views
Noun and adjective word order and meaning of “atomic power engineering sites” in Spanish
I am reading a product description and I want to translate it:
The dosimeter may be used at atomic power engineering sites, physics laboratories, health care organizations as an electronic ...
6
votes
3answers
220 views
What does “La hora de los loros” mean?
"La hora de los loros" is an idiom in Spanish. I've seen it writing and heard it in conversation.
How would you say the equivalent in English? Not literally, but figuratively. Is there an ...
3
votes
2answers
117 views
¿Cómo se dice “Christmas caroling” en español?
Creo que la palabra mejor para "Christmas carol" es villancicos, pero ¿hay una forma como verbo?
Por ejemplo, en inglés se puede decir:
We are going Christmas Caroling tonight at 8.
Pero en ...
10
votes
5answers
630 views
How do you say “I got you!” in spanish
If I threw a snowball (or dodgeball) at someone and it hit them, how would I say "I got you!" in spanish?
4
votes
1answer
118 views
Spanish words for couple, few, handful, several, etc
In English, there are various words to express a small quality of something:
a couple (two of something)
a few (a small number, maybe around 3-5)
a handful (another vague expression for a small ...
8
votes
4answers
544 views
Waterfall: cascada vs. catarata
What is the difference between cascada and catarata as translations for the English "waterfall"? Are they synonyms, or is there a difference?
7
votes
1answer
381 views
¿Cómo empezar una carta de manera formal/oficial?
Tengo que escribir una carta formal y quiero escribir de la misma manera y con el mismo respeto que en inglés (dear sir, dear madam), son dos personas que no son parientes pero quiero ser cortés con ...
8
votes
2answers
225 views
What is the spanish translation for “Account” when referring to a user account on a website?
The English > Spanish translation of account on Google Translate comes up with various forms of the word cuenta.
However, the Spanish > English translation of cuenta returns words relating to ...
3
votes
3answers
2k views
“Dale pues” in Nicaraguan Spanish
In Nicaragua, the phrase "dale pues" is very frequently used. What does the phrase mean, and in what contexts can it be used?
2
votes
1answer
57 views
How to express the concept “for each disctinct grouping of column value combinations” in spanish
ENGLISH
I am translating a line of text
"for each disctinct grouping of column value combinations"
I came with
"para cada grupo distinto de combinaciones de valores por columna"
but I ...
2
votes
2answers
63 views
How to translate Extensibility mechanisms
I have a title in english
SQL extensibility mechanisms
Which would be a good spanish translation?
Cual sería la mejor traducción para ese titulo?
5
votes
1answer
68 views
Translate something that is in a fashion way
English
I have a line of text thats describes something that can be done in a fashion way, How would you translate it to Spanish?
This allow the user to extend scalar data type system in an
...
3
votes
2answers
73 views
Scientific concept into spanish issue
I have the definition of a mathematical model in english and I have translated it, but I do not think is correct, I can not figure it out how to translate a littel part of it...
can you please ...
4
votes
3answers
141 views
Better translation of the word 'estafa" in reference to a female
I heard a women described as "una estafa" in Spanish (from Spain) and my translation is roughly "a fraud". So, beyond being a fraud, does the speaker mean anything else in regards to her ...
4
votes
2answers
150 views
¿Es correcto decir “esto no tiene sentido”?
Es muy común la frase en inglés "this does not make any sense" para indicar que algo es ilógico o incoherente.
La pregunta es, es correcto decir "esto no tiene sentido" para indicar lo mismo, o es un ...
9
votes
6answers
500 views
¿Qué significa la frase “Estoy más puesta que un calcetín”?
Una amiga mexicana me dijo la frase "Estoy más puesta que un calcetín." ¿Qué significa eso?
El contexto es que ella me ofrece una lección de baile.
Ella: Yo te doy unas clasesitas de baile.
...
4
votes
5answers
278 views
Translation of “should have”
What are the possible translations of "should have", as in "I should have told you earlier"? What are the differences between "debería (de)", "debí (de)", "debiera (de)", "debía (de)", etc.?
10
votes
2answers
115 views
¿Hay una mejor traducción para up-vote y down-vote que voto positivo y voto negativo?
En StackOverflow y la red StackExchange, existe el concepto de upvote y downvote, que todos usamos diariamente para calificar las preguntas y respuestas que encontramos en los sitios de la red.
No ...
4
votes
5answers
327 views
Translation of “guilt trip”
How can I translate the concept of a "guilt trip" into Spanish? The Free Dictionary provides this definition:
guilt trip
n. Informal
A usually prolonged feeling of guilt or culpability.
...
6
votes
2answers
208 views
“a propósito” vs “de paso” to say “by the way”
How do you say "by the way" in Spanish, as in:
By the way, what's your name?
By the way, where do you live now?
By the way, I met Javier the other day ...
Google Translate shows a ...
6
votes
2answers
528 views
Translation of “checking in” and “following up” (on/with someone)
In English, there are two related phrases that I haven't found an idiomatic Spanish translation for: "to check in (on someone)" and "to follow up (with someone)."
Some examples of what I mean:
I ...
3
votes
3answers
1k views
Most accurate translation of “possum”
What is the most universal Spanish word to describe a possum? What regional variations exist? Does the translation refer specifically to the same animal as the English word, or does it cover a larger ...
3
votes
3answers
156 views
Throughput in Spanish?
I just wanted to know the best (preferably a single-word) translation of the English word throughput. Would you opt for capacidad, rendimiento or función de transferencia?
Thanks
Artur
4
votes
2answers
108 views
What would be a good translation of “becario”?
Let me explain myself, the official definition is "scholarship holder", but in some places it is a position in a company, sometimes is a pro bono position but most of the times is an entry level job.
5
votes
3answers
172 views
Coffee with legs / The cafe with legs
So there's an infamous coffee shop in Santiago which goes by the name Café con piernas.
Everywhere I've seen, including the Wikipedia article linked above, it's translated as "coffee with legs".
...
4
votes
3answers
581 views
Understanding ya vs. todavía vs. aún
English speakers learning Spanish have a hard time understanding the similarities and differences between ya, todavía, and aún (or aun). They don't perfectly match up with the similar English words ...
0
votes
2answers
84 views
What are the lyrics at the end of Ojos De Brujo's Piedras Contra Tanques
There are some lyrics at the end of the live version of Ojos De Brujo's Piedras Contra Tanques on Spotify That I'm having trouble translating.
It is during the Salsa jam at the end. It's something ...
6
votes
1answer
139 views
¿Existe un equivalente en español para “foo”, “bar”, “baz”?
En programación es usual encontrar los términos foobar, foo, bar, baz y qux como variables metasintácticas (placeholders, en inglés) que sirven para referirse a variables, funciones o a comandos cuyo ...
4
votes
2answers
123 views
Spanish words for “loop”
I was recently reading a review of a Spanish-English dictionary that picked "loop" as a good example of a word with many possible translations into Spanish. I looked around and found several ...
4
votes
4answers
852 views
Translation of mild, medium, and hot (food spiciness)
In English, salsa, hot sauce, or other spicy foods are often classified as either mild (not very spicy), medium (moderately spicy), or hot (very spicy). Does Spanish have similar adjectives to ...
7
votes
3answers
620 views
Translation of “Welcome back!”
In English, if someone has been gone for a while and has recently returned, it's common to greet them by saying, "Welcome back!" (or "Welcome back from your trip!", etc). What is the most natural way ...
2
votes
1answer
133 views
¿Qué es una “máquina de coser para costura over”?
A friend is asking me to check the price for a maquina de coser para costura over in the U.S., to see if it's worth bringing with me to Mexico when I visit soon. I don't know what that is. She ...
4
votes
2answers
73 views
Translation for “Tail value at risk”
I'm stuck with this translation.
I know that Value at risk (VaR) is Valor en riesgo. But how do you translate Tail Value at Risk?
Some definitions taken from Loss Models (Klugman S., et al.):
...
5
votes
3answers
172 views
How would you properly say this sentence in Spanish?
"I could not decide what to wear for Halloween last year."
I was told "No podía decidir qué ponerse para Halloween el año pasado..." but I think this sentence can be contracted down some. Help?
6
votes
2answers
474 views
Why does “bomba” mean so many different things?
The word bomba can translate to English as any of the following, depending on the region:
bomb
pump
spray
major piece of news
bubble
fire truck
fire station
gas station
plus a few more...
That ...
13
votes
5answers
371 views
Is there a Spanish equivalent to “-ish”?
In English, we often add "-ish" to the end of a word to make it less exact.
Here are some examples:
I'll be there at 5:00ish.
The shirt was a reddish color.
The woman appeared to be 50ish. ...
11
votes
4answers
249 views
Translation of “bug” to Spanish
What is the best way to translate "bug", as in a misfeature of a computer program or device?
Google translate offers a few options, none of which quite seem to fit, except the term itself:
bug ...
4
votes
1answer
226 views
What's the translation of 'dates'?
When referring to the fruit! (no 'fechas' nor 'meeting')
For those argentinians out there: are there dates in Argentina?
It looks like some sort of 'higo' but that is 'fig', I even thought it is ...
6
votes
3answers
879 views
How do I say “You're making me hungry?”
A friend was describing some food she's making. I wanted to say "You're making me hungry" or "That makes me hungry." What's the proper way to say this?
My first thought was to say something like:
...
5
votes
3answers
71 views
To remark that / faire remarquer: “advertir”?
What about that word now? "Advertir"
I always wondered how to translate "faire remarquer" from french or "to remark that" (sthg, to sb) from english, in spanish.
Would "Advertir" do the job?
3
votes
3answers
55 views
How translate Troubleshoot into this sentence?
¿Cómo puedo traducir la siguiente oración? Ya que no se que función cumple las sentencias all-in-one y troubleshooter.
A technician computer functions like an all-in-one computer troubleshooter
2
votes
2answers
59 views
Transliteration + translation of pangram
La cigüeña tocaba cada vez mejor el saxofón y el búho pedía kiwi y
queso.
How do you transliterate this into US ASCII characters? And what does the phrase mean?
3
votes
1answer
129 views
Translation: más famoso del cine
I've come across the below sentence:
todas han sucumbido a los encantos del espía con licencia para matar más famoso del cine.
What does "los encantos" mean?
What does "con licencia para ...
5
votes
4answers
259 views
What is the difference between “ser cierto” and “ser verdad”?
The English "to be true" can be translated to Spanish as either ser cierto or ser verdad. What is the difference between the two? When would you use one instead of the other?
8
votes
2answers
3k views
Why is “De nada” used as a response to “Gracias”?
De means "of", and nada means "nothing", so why, when put together are they used in response to "Gracias"?
5
votes
4answers
154 views
How to say “the payment cleared”?
I want to tell a friend that his credit card payment for an airline ticket went through (or was approved). How do I say that?
(In case your wondering why he doesn't call and ask himself, it's a ...
6
votes
3answers
376 views
What is the most universal way to say “keep the change”?
Español
He escuchado unas pocas opiniones distintas para decir "quédate con el cambio" (es decir, lo que le dices a alguien a quien acabas de pagar cuando cuando quieres que se quede la diferencia ...
5
votes
1answer
441 views
“cursive” and “printed” writing
In English, we describe writing as either cursive/longhand (joined letters) or printed (block letters). What Spanish words are there to describe these concepts? And how common is the use of cursive in ...
6
votes
7answers
2k views
How might you say a child is “cute” in Spanish?
Suppose you see a mother with a laughing little 2-year-old. In English, we might exclaim, "how cute!"
I've had trouble saying this in Spanish. The word "cute" means something like "beautiful", but it ...
