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Showing posts from October, 2021

What is a MAIDEN VOYAGE in Spanish?

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Can you call it a MAIDEN VOYAGE without real maidens inside? Well, if you were considering Viaje de Doncella , that certainly is a no-no.  Of course, the translation is correct, but it is not what we say in Spanish.  Is there a specific expression as in English? Not really, we only say VIAJE INAUGURAL or just PRIMER VIAJE.  Another thing, in Spanish we never use the pronoun SHE to refer to vehicles such as cars or ships, they are objects (despite the affection we may feel for them), not people.  What we do share is the custom of naming ships with feminine names. Understandable, they are beautiful after all, just like all women are.  

Can you say AISLAN in English?

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 Oh, yes, definitely you can.  Especially, if you mean to say  the name of this country: So AISLAN is an AILAN? That country is called ICELAND, pronounced AISLAN in Spanish. To say ICELAND when you mean ISLAND is a common, but understandable and therefore predictable, mistake that Spanish speakers make when learning English.  It is better not to forget how to pronounce each word correctly so as to avoid awkward situations such as when you mention that The Galapagos are a group of ICELANDS!  

How do you say HOJA DE CÁLCULO in English?

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All these numbers and codes...it's like another language in itself, don't you think? T his is another example of what we know of False Cognates only the opposite way.  We know Hoja (Sheet) De (Of) and Cálculo (Calculation), but the sum of all those words: Sheet of Calculation is definitely not the right translation of HOJA DE CÁLCULO.  The right term is SPREADSHEET.  Practical, right? One word instead of three. Why in Spanish do we say the HOJA DE CÁLCULO? Well, because that is what is intended for: to make calculations. So, in Spanish, the purpose is clearly stated in the name.  Does SPREADSHEET do the same? I don't think so: Translation, more often than not, requires a deep understanding of the language and the culture that is connected to it.