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Comensal

English translation: table companion

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Spanish term or phrase:Comensal
English translation:table companion
Entered by: EirTranslations

06:13 Apr 28, 2011
Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Food & Drink
Spanish term or phrase: Comensal
I have a problem with the following text as the translation I'm thinking of would not work in English...pls see below (UK English) anyone have any suggestions for this? The only thing I could think of is "diner" and problem is this is also for teenagers...so no complicated vocabulary... Thanks!

Llamamos comensal a la persona que se sienta en una mesa a comer.
El origen de esta palabra tiene cientos de años, del latín cum, que significa “con” y mensa, que significa “mesa”.
EirTranslations
Ireland
Local time: 22:31
table companion
Explanation:
At least you can keep the "mesa". 13 Oct 2010 ... table companion Sustantivo. Plural: table companions · compañero de mesa, comensal, convidado a la mesa; Sinónimos: fellow diner, diner, ...
www.wordmagicsoft.com/.../en-es/table companion.php - En caché

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Note added at 1 hr (2011-04-28 07:38:53 GMT)
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The term "table" is derived from a merger of French table and Old English tabele, ultimately from the Latin word tabula, "a board, plank, flat top piece". In Late Latin, tabula took over the meaning previously reserved to mensa (preserved in Spanish and Portuguese mesa "table").http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_(furniture); - So maybe you could say "A table companion is a person that you sit down at a table to eat with." Examples: When you sit down to eat with a ruler, observe carefully what is before you, ... a person of honour, dignity, and authority; and to sit at table with such ...
bible.cc/proverbs/23-1.htm - En caché - Similares; do you sit down at a table to eat a meal or do you eat elsewhere, or do you eat standing up? ... We will never reveal your name to the person you ask. ...
www.formspring.me/almondsandhoney/q/187688046093691643; Something leads her to sit down for a snack in a crowded cafeteria where ... victim is depicted as significantly younger than his table companion. ...
www.snopes.com/crime/safety/cookies.asp - Similares;
Selected response from:

Jenni Lukac (X)
Local time: 23:31
Grading comment
thx
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +4fellow diner (guest)
Yasutomo Kanazawa
4 +2table companion
Jenni Lukac (X)


  

Answers


12 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +4
fellow diner (guest)


Explanation:
In the original sentence the word for comensal is stated as a person who sits at the table to eat. The second sentence also explains the origin of the word, Latin "cum" meaning "con" (with) and Latin mensa, meaning "mesa" (table).
According to what you thought as "diner" is not completely off-the-track, and I would translate this word as fellow diner or a fellow guest, a person or persons with whom you would sit together at the same table to eat.

http://www.spanishdict.com/translate/comensal

Yasutomo Kanazawa
Japan
Local time: 06:31
Native speaker of: Native in JapaneseJapanese

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Evans (X): this sounds more natural in English
2 hrs
  -> Thank you!
agree  Yvonne Gallagher
6 hrs
  -> Thank you very much.
agree  Rafael Molina Pulgar
7 hrs
  -> Thank you very much!
agree  eski
10 hrs
  -> Gracias Eski y saludos!
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
table companion


Explanation:
At least you can keep the "mesa". 13 Oct 2010 ... table companion Sustantivo. Plural: table companions · compañero de mesa, comensal, convidado a la mesa; Sinónimos: fellow diner, diner, ...
www.wordmagicsoft.com/.../en-es/table companion.php - En caché

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2011-04-28 07:38:53 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

The term "table" is derived from a merger of French table and Old English tabele, ultimately from the Latin word tabula, "a board, plank, flat top piece". In Late Latin, tabula took over the meaning previously reserved to mensa (preserved in Spanish and Portuguese mesa "table").http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_(furniture); - So maybe you could say "A table companion is a person that you sit down at a table to eat with." Examples: When you sit down to eat with a ruler, observe carefully what is before you, ... a person of honour, dignity, and authority; and to sit at table with such ...
bible.cc/proverbs/23-1.htm - En caché - Similares; do you sit down at a table to eat a meal or do you eat elsewhere, or do you eat standing up? ... We will never reveal your name to the person you ask. ...
www.formspring.me/almondsandhoney/q/187688046093691643; Something leads her to sit down for a snack in a crowded cafeteria where ... victim is depicted as significantly younger than his table companion. ...
www.snopes.com/crime/safety/cookies.asp - Similares;

Jenni Lukac (X)
Local time: 23:31
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 24
Grading comment
thx

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  eski: Claro que también vale! Saludos, Jenni: eski
9 hrs
  -> Thanks, Eski.
agree  Cecilia Gowar: This would be my choice although the translation makes no sense to me since the following explanation only applies to the Spanish version. "Commensal" exists in English but not normally used with that meaning.
10 hrs
  -> The idea was to give her a way to produce the same amount of text. She could do that by adding a little etymology.
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)



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