How best to render a tricky Spanish word or expression in English or one from some language in Spanish.
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 ...
2
votes
1answer
136 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 ...
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 ...
7
votes
3answers
622 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 ...
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.
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.):
...
9
votes
6answers
505 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.
...
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
476 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 ...
4
votes
3answers
585 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 ...
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 ...
4
votes
1answer
229 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 ...
11
votes
4answers
251 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 ...
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?
5
votes
4answers
260 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?
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 ...
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"?
6
votes
3answers
882 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
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 ...
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 ...
3
votes
1answer
91 views
Words for on purpose, accidentally, intentionally, unintentionally, etc
English has several words or phrases to express that something was done with or without the person meaning to do it:
purposefully (or on purpose)
accidentally (or on accident)
intentionally
...
7
votes
1answer
399 views
¿Cuál es la diferencia entre honor y honra?
Hace poco me di cuenta de que existen dos palabras en español que equivalen a la palabra "honor" en inglés: honor y honra. ¿Cuál es la diferencia entre estas dos palabras? ¿Cuál es más común?
3
votes
3answers
120 views
Translation of “church planting” vocabulary
In Protestant circles, the process of starting a new church is often referred to as "planting." I haven't found a translation for this in dictionaries I've looked in, and haven't really heard a ...
3
votes
3answers
129 views
How translate “MD5 checksum”?
En una aplicación estan las las siguientes listas:
Size:
Modified:
Contents:
Points to:
MD5 checksum:
Yo trascribí las tres primeras pero las dos últimas no sé a que pueden hacer referencia.
...
2
votes
2answers
75 views
¿Qué significa «En 2.° plano»?
Yo he restablecido mi iPhone hoy, y estoy restaurando la configuración.
En el panel de configuración de Safari, hay una opción «Abrir enlaces» que tiene dos valores posibles:
En página nueva
En 2.° ...
1
vote
2answers
170 views
Translating “shrewd” (as in “a shrewd businessman”)
The English word "shrewd" (as in "a shrewd businessman") describes someone who is sharp, clever, crafty, or cunning. For example, a shrewd businessman might come up with a coupon offer that seems ...
7
votes
1answer
514 views
¿Qué significa “cdta” en una receta?
En esta receta, se dice:
1 cdta. de polvo de hornear
1 cdta. de esencia de vainilla
Google traduce "1 cdta" como "tsp" (teaspoon) y también como "tbsp" (tablespoon). ¿Cuál es la correcta? ¿Y ...
5
votes
2answers
172 views
How to say “Pick up”
Like someone's dropped something, or you found something on the ground. How do tell someone to "pick it up"?
I've heard "recoger" (to collect) works. Is this true?
5
votes
1answer
71 views
Is this a correct translation for “Today I read a book”
Hoy he leído un libro.
I think this is it, but any corrections would be helpful
2
votes
1answer
55 views
Is this a correct translation for “A new world awaits”
This is for an ad I'm making. I translated "A new world awaits" like this:
"Un nuevo mundo le espera"
I think it's correct, but I'm no expert
4
votes
4answers
149 views
Translation needed for “chairman”
Is there also a Spanish word for chairman? The ones I have seen for chairman are "presidente" but that doesn't make sense to me because I immediately think of the word president instead of chairman. ...
4
votes
4answers
80 views
Translation needed for “school board”
Is there a Spanish word for school board? If so, what would the translation be?
4
votes
2answers
60 views
Sostenernos de una sombra
Spanish
Significado difícil: "sostenernos de una sombra". ¿Se refiere a una sustancia superior?
English
Difficult meаning: "sostenernos de una
sombra". Is it said about а superior substance?
...
0
votes
2answers
166 views
¿Me pueden ayudar a deconstruir las siguientes oraciones? Can you help me deconstruct these sentences? [closed]
Un artículo publicado en The Four Hour Work Week blog by Tim Ferriss llamado How to Learn (But Not Master) any Language in 1 Hour sugiere que la deconstrucción de un idioma es una de las cosas más ...
6
votes
2answers
133 views
Traduccion para “as far as I can tell” / Translation for “as far as I can tell”
Español
Como hispanoparlante nativo y, yo considero, con un alto nivel en el manejo del Inglés, varias veces tengo dificultad para traducir expresiones de uso común y me acaba de pasar cuando quise ...
6
votes
3answers
379 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 ...
7
votes
3answers
379 views
Spanish for “douche”?
Is there a Spanish equivalent for "douche", as in the insult?
I've search and found several results which, while being correct, either are too regional or lack the force of the English insult.
0
votes
0answers
29 views
Localization Help [closed]
I'm writing a program and need to know how dates, versions, time, and numbers are formatted in the Spanish Language
Example (in English)
Version 1.0.0 (Build 0)
How would that look in Spanish?
3
votes
2answers
449 views
¿Cómo se dice, “How's it going”?
En inglés, se puede utilizar la expresión, "How's it going?" como una manera de preguntar cómo está alguien.
La frase es informal y tiene un significado similar al "¿Cómo estás?"
Sin embargo, cuando ...
9
votes
3answers
610 views
What is the preferred way of saying “I have to go”?
English
As far as I can tell there are two ways to say, "I have to go."
Tengo que ir.
Tengo ir.
Is the second way even right? And if so, which one is the preferred way to say, "I have ...
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. ...
4
votes
1answer
309 views
Is there an equivalent idiom for “Slow and steady wins the race”?
English has an idiom: "Slow and steady wins the race." It is used to describe situations where slow, steady progress towards a goal is better than a rushed attempt to achieve things all at once (and I ...
4
votes
4answers
323 views
Translating “Slow down!” (in informal contexts)
English
WordReference translates "slow down" as disminuir la velocidad or desacelerar. But those sound pretty precise or technical to me. How would you translate "Slow down!" in other, more informal ...
4
votes
5answers
173 views
Distinguishing “quiz” and “test”
In American English, a "quiz" is like a "test" or "exam," but it is typically shorter (in length and duration) and less heavily weighted. In Spanish class I learned "test" was examen and "quiz" was ...
1
vote
2answers
886 views
“Major” and “minor” (emphasis of study in college)
In many universities in the US, students choose a primary specialty to study (called their "major") and optionally a secondary emphasis (called a "minor"). How would these terms be expressed in ...
2
votes
3answers
2k views
accommodating (as in “Thanks for being so accommodating”)
If someone has been very kind in adjusting their schedule and making sacrifices to help you, in English you might say, "Thanks for being so accommodating!"
What is the most natural translation of ...
6
votes
3answers
318 views
Translation of “by the way”
In Spanish class I learned that the right way to say "by the way" in Spanish was a propósito, but I've recently seen it translated por cierto. How exactly are these two Spanish phrases used, and are ...
