How best to render a tricky Spanish word or expression in English or one from some language in Spanish.
5
votes
1answer
69 views
What is the correct translation for “licensed file”?
I want to know what would be a correct translation for a "licensed file", as in "Requesting a download for a licensed file" I just don't know what is correct:
Archivo licenciado
Archivo con ...
5
votes
2answers
353 views
Translation of “how often” questions
What is the most idiomatic translation of "how often" into Spanish in questions like:
How often do the buses stop here?
How often does it rain in November?
How often do you get headaches?
How often ...
5
votes
2answers
269 views
Different words for “stop”
In English, we have a fairly generic verb "to stop" that can be used in many different contexts. For example:
Stop talking to me!
The driver saw the red light and stopped his car.
You really need to ...
5
votes
5answers
205 views
Computer science, software engineer/developer, and programmer
When visiting Spanish-speaking countries, I've been told various ways to translate these terms:
Computer Science (as in a university degree program)
Software Engineer
Software Developer
Programmer
...
5
votes
2answers
165 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
410 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
1answer
454 views
Is there a translation for 'Piloncillo'?
The dictionary says brown sugar but azúcar moreno is brown sugar. Besides piloncillo is solid and not a powder. I'm having a hard time explaining to Americans what piloncillo is.
5
votes
1answer
48 views
What does “barrocanrolera” mean?
In the novel Los años con Laura Diaz by top Mexican author Carlos Fuentes there is a word, "barrocanrolera", which is not in the DRAE, the Gran diccionario Larousse, Wiktionary, or Google Translate.
...
5
votes
1answer
66 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
5
votes
1answer
325 views
“Echar” vs “tirar” vs “lanzar” vs “arrojar” vs “disparar” (to throw)
The basic meaning of them all as I understand it is:
To throw
Disparar seems to pertain exclusively to shooting or throwing something for the sole purpose of harming (maybe to shoot is the best ...
5
votes
3answers
206 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 ...
5
votes
4answers
238 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?
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votes
2answers
247 views
How should we translate “everything but the kitchen sink” or “the whole enchilada”?
There is an idiom that is popular (and old) in English that states "everything but the kitchen sink". This is a phrase that means "everything that could be conceived".
Som examples:
"I realized ...
5
votes
2answers
118 views
Can Spanish distinguish between “lonely” and “alone”?
I learned that solo in Spanish means both "alone" (the simple fact of not having anyone else around) and "lonely" (feeling sad because of being alone). Is there any way of distinguishing between these ...
5
votes
1answer
223 views
A good word for “quest” in Spanish
The translation for Quest is "búsqueda" but it just does not work properly. In English we say "I'm on a quest for the holy grail" this is not quite the same as "I'm searching for the holy grail." So ...
5
votes
1answer
90 views
Tanto X como Y - ¿importa el orden?
Estoy traduciendo una frase de inglés:
Instructions are available in both English and Spanish.
La estructura que me parece más natural para este uso de both es tanto ... como ...:
Las ...
4
votes
5answers
196 views
“Fall in love with” (non-romantic)
English:
In English, you can use the phrase "to fall in love with" with people who you aren't literally in love with. For example, when talking about children, you might say:
You just fall in ...
4
votes
5answers
269 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.?
4
votes
2answers
122 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
8answers
609 views
How would you translate the word “badass” to Spanish?
I was thinking maybe of "cabrón" or "chingon" ; however I think those two sound too Mexican specific. Does anybody know a better and less region specific equivalent?
4
votes
1answer
232 views
Names of mythical beings/creatures
Another question I asked made me realize that English has many names for mythical beings. Many of these can refer to both a historical myth or superstition as well as a more modern definition (in ...
4
votes
3answers
139 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
202 views
Describing stress in Spanish
In Spanish class, I remember learning that "stress" (as in what someone who is coming up on a deadline feels) isn't commonly spoken of in Spanish-speaking countries for cultural reasons, but it can be ...
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votes
3answers
415 views
Names of children's games
There are many children's games that are played throughout many parts of the world. Do the following games exist in Spanish-speaking countries, and, if so, what are they called? (I found many of these ...
4
votes
1answer
395 views
Translation: “To wish” expressing regret
How would you translate sentences like:
'I wish I had remembered that earlier.'
'I wish I had made the most of it while I still could.'
There are a few ways to say I wish in Spanish, but I ...
4
votes
3answers
317 views
Translation of “Take ___ for granted”
I have heard this phrase a lot of times before in forms like:
Take (anything) for granted.
Don't take (anything) for granted.
I'm not sure about how to translate it:
Dar (algo) por ...
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votes
2answers
545 views
Translating “How long does it take to get from <here> to <there>?”
What is the most natural and common way to ask how much time it takes to get from one location to another? For example:
How long does it take to get from Guadalajara to Mexico City?
How long does it ...
4
votes
3answers
93 views
Cómo decir “college dropout”?
Aparentemente no hay una traducción exacta del frase inglés "college dropout" ... la mejor que podria encontrar es "estudiante que abandona la universidad antes de graduarse", cual me parece ...
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votes
2answers
472 views
“Vegetable”: verdura vs. vegetal
What is the difference between verduras and vegetales? In what situations can one be used as a translation for "vegetables" and the other cannot?
4
votes
5answers
204 views
Can “los cristales” be translated as “mirrors” or “looking glasses”?
I'm trying to translate another poem by Jorge Luis Borges into English:
Mis Libros
Mis libros (que no saben que yo existo)
son tan parte de mí como este rostro
de sienes grises y de grises ...
4
votes
1answer
115 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 ...
4
votes
2answers
137 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 ...
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votes
4answers
138 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
1answer
91 views
Is fiscalía related to fiscal?
Fiscalía in Spanish refers to a district attorney or public prosecutor. "Fiscal" (in English or Spanish) describes something related to finances. This always confused me because the words are very ...
4
votes
1answer
142 views
Gusto variant of the verb gustar
When I thought I finally had it figured out... I was confronted with the following phrase which obviously must mean:
I liked the story of your friend.
Which for me logically translates to.
...
4
votes
2answers
546 views
Translating “If (request), that would be great.”
In English, I often use the formula, "If (request), that would be great."
For example:
If you could go to the supermarket after work, that would be great.
If it's possible for you to finish ...
4
votes
2answers
319 views
Translation of “to talk behind someone's back”
What is the typical Spanish translation of the English idiom "to talk behind someone's back" (as in saying something bad about another person to others instead of to them directly)?
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votes
4answers
193 views
¿Existe la palabra “modularizar” en español?
En ciencias computacionales es común utilizar el término "modularizar", para denotar algo que se divide en módulos (herencia del inglés "modularize").
Sin embargo, mi procesador de textos (Word) no ...
4
votes
4answers
783 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 ...
4
votes
1answer
380 views
Translation of “to catch up” (sharing recent happenings with someone you haven't seen lately)
In English, "to catch up (with each other)" can be used to describe two people that haven't seen each other in a while that are sharing recent events in their lives with each other. For example:
"I ...
4
votes
1answer
131 views
Airport baggage vocabulary
On a recent trip to a Spanish-speaking country, I realized I don't know most of the terms involved in the process of retrieving luggage at a destination airport. I thought it would make sense to ...
4
votes
3answers
232 views
How can I translate the expression “sour grapes” to Spanish?
From the Oxford dictionary:
sour grapes
used to refer to an attitude in which someone adopts a negative attitude to something because they cannot have it themselves:
government officials ...
4
votes
1answer
115 views
Translating “break” (during work)
In the US, it is common for workers to take a half-hour or hour lunch break in the middle of the day, plus two ten or fifteen minute breaks in the morning and afternoon. Spanish has many words that ...
4
votes
2answers
371 views
How to translate “It's for the best”?
How does the phrase "to be for the best" translate into Spanish? My first thought was "es para lo mejor", but as this is fairly idiomatic in English I figured the translation might not be that ...
4
votes
2answers
72 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.):
...
4
votes
1answer
191 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 ...
4
votes
1answer
298 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 ...
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votes
5answers
171 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 ...
4
votes
3answers
2k views
What is the difference between “De nada” and “No hay de qué”?
I am learning Spanish and ran across "De nada" and "No hay de qué". Both mean "You're welcome" . What's the difference?
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votes
3answers
466 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 ...
