Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
noisy blazing Sunday
English answer:
noisy, sweltering Sunday
Added to glossary by
Marcelo González
Mar 6, 2006 23:21
18 yrs ago
English term
noisy blazing Sunday
English
Other
Linguistics
It was a noisy blazing Sunday in early August, and it was not easy to find somebody who knew something for the streets were crowded with tourists.
I'm translating from Spanish. I made some changes as regards the style.
The word order of the original:
It was a Sunday in early August, blazing and noisy, and it was not easy
Era un domingo de principios de agosto, ardiente y bullicioso, y no era fácil...
Is it better to keep order of the original or does it sound strange? In my view, the second translation doesn't sound natural. I'd like to know your opinion.
ONe more thing:
In early August / of early August.
Many thanks...
I'm translating from Spanish. I made some changes as regards the style.
The word order of the original:
It was a Sunday in early August, blazing and noisy, and it was not easy
Era un domingo de principios de agosto, ardiente y bullicioso, y no era fácil...
Is it better to keep order of the original or does it sound strange? In my view, the second translation doesn't sound natural. I'd like to know your opinion.
ONe more thing:
In early August / of early August.
Many thanks...
Responses
| 4 +6 | noisy, sweltering Sunday |
Marcelo González
|
| 4 +4 | keep the original |
Brie Vernier
|
| 4 +3 | it was a noisy blazing hot Sunday |
Anna Maria Augustine (X)
|
| 3 +2 | busy/loud Sunday and extremely hot |
RHELLER
|
| 4 | fine as is |
Marie Scarano
|
Responses
+6
3 mins
Marcelo González
United States
United States
Native in English
&
English
Specializes in field
United States
PhD in Translation Studies
Native in: English (Variant: US) 
Works in: Spanish to English, English to Spanish
Related KudoZ points
:
4
Selected
noisy, sweltering Sunday
+
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Note added at 4 mins (2006-03-06 23:26:43 GMT)
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swelter (swèl´ter) verb
sweltered, sweltering, swelters verb, intransitive
To suffer from oppressive heat.
verb, transitive
1. To affect with oppressive heat.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition copyright © 1992.
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Note added at 21 mins (2006-03-06 23:42:49 GMT)
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Apparently, "sweltering" can mean both "hot and humid" and "oppressively hot" (see definition #2).
swel·ter·ing (swĕl'tər-ĭng)
adj.
Oppressively hot and humid; sultry.
**Suffering from oppressive heat.**
http://www.answers.com/sweltering&r=67
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Note added at 30 mins (2006-03-06 23:51:54 GMT)
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Hello Lakasa,
If you use "blazing," I'd suggest including the word "hot" as well (since it forms a collocation). The adjective in Spanish (i.e., ardiente) is clear and sounds perfectly fine alone, but "blazing" is often intensified with "hot."
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 mins (2006-03-06 23:26:43 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
swelter (swèl´ter) verb
sweltered, sweltering, swelters verb, intransitive
To suffer from oppressive heat.
verb, transitive
1. To affect with oppressive heat.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition copyright © 1992.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 21 mins (2006-03-06 23:42:49 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Apparently, "sweltering" can mean both "hot and humid" and "oppressively hot" (see definition #2).
swel·ter·ing (swĕl'tər-ĭng)
adj.
Oppressively hot and humid; sultry.
**Suffering from oppressive heat.**
http://www.answers.com/sweltering&r=67
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 30 mins (2006-03-06 23:51:54 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Hello Lakasa,
If you use "blazing," I'd suggest including the word "hot" as well (since it forms a collocation). The adjective in Spanish (i.e., ardiente) is clear and sounds perfectly fine alone, but "blazing" is often intensified with "hot."
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
RHELLER
: sweltering is good IF this takes place somewhere humid//see American Heritage Dictionary-Oppressively hot and humid; sultry.
1 min
|
|
It will be interesting to see if other people/sources agree with what you suggest (i.e., that sweltering implies a degree of humidity). My understanding is that sweltering is extremely/oppressively hot (dry or humid). // Thanks, Rita!
|
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| agree |
conejo
52 mins
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thank you, conejo!
|
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| agree |
Isodynamia
1 hr
|
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Thank you, Constantina!
|
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| agree |
Alfa Trans (X)
5 hrs
|
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Thank you, Marju!
|
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| agree |
Sandra Petch
: "Sweltering", great word! Rita's comment is interesting. Merriam Webster definition is "oppressively hot" with no indication of humidity, tho' if I said a place was sweltering, I would be inferring a damp heat".
14 hrs
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I agree; it's a great word, whose primary definition includes the idea of "oppressive heat" (often, but not always, implying humidity). Thank you, Sandra!
|
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| agree |
NancyLynn
22 hrs
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Thank you, NancyLynn!
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "gracias"
+2
3 mins
busy/loud Sunday and extremely hot
better to keep the original
blazing - very hot
blazing - very hot
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Romanian Translator (X)
6 mins
|
|
thanks, Awana :-)
|
|
| agree |
Andrey Belousov (X)
6 hrs
|
|
thanks Andrey :-)
|
+3
3 mins
Anna Maria Augustine (X)
France
Native in English
&
English
Works in field
Related KudoZ points
:
28
it was a noisy blazing hot Sunday
*
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Note added at 4 mins (2006-03-06 23:26:14 GMT)
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in early August
It was not easy to find somebody
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Note added at 4 mins (2006-03-06 23:26:14 GMT)
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in early August
It was not easy to find somebody
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Marcelo González
: If "blazing" is used, I'd suggest "hot" be included. It's a common collocation.
1 hr
|
| agree |
Morad Safe (X)
5 hrs
|
| agree |
Sandra Petch
: yes, "blazing hot" rather than just "blazing"
14 hrs
|
+4
8 mins
Brie Vernier
Germany
Germany
Native in English
&
English
Specializes in field
Germany
Bridging the language gap since 1995
Native in: English (Variants: British, UK, US)
Works in: German to English
Related KudoZ points
:
20
keep the original
It looks to me like this is a literary translation, and I don't think that translators should take the liberty of changing the author's style. There may be better English adjectives to describe the kind of Sunday it was, as my colleagues have suggested, but the author could have chosen to place them differently in the sentence and did not, so I don't think the translation should, either.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Jack Doughty
: Yes, I think the original word order is perfectly good English anyway. But I prefer sweltering to blazing.
18 mins
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Thank you, Jack -- I thought it was fine, too.
|
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| agree |
Melanie Nassar
: and sweltering means oppressively humid to me, whereas blazing suggests the sun beating down mercilessly
6 hrs
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Thanks, Melanie
|
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| agree |
Mwananchi
: Hot, bright and noisy, but the author has his own footprint.
11 hrs
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Thanks, Mwananchi
|
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| agree |
Amal Al-Arfaj
1 day 4 hrs
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Thanks, Amal
|
5 hrs
fine as is
I tend to like your first translation, especially stylistically. It renders the concept with more original rather than clichè terms as would a great writer...maybe Hemingway or some recent authors who I have seen use "alternative" terms to colour their prose.
I would keep "noisy, blazing Sunday"...perhaps only adding a comma.
...in early August
I would keep "noisy, blazing Sunday"...perhaps only adding a comma.
...in early August
Discussion