EnglishisEasy/Elinglésesfácil

So, the duster does work! A CLEAN SLATE es otra manera de decir A NEW BEGINNING, es decir UN NUEVO COMIENZO. Muchos lo buscan porque quisieran comenzar de nuevo y sienten que donde están no podrán hacerlo. Para la mayoría de los latinomaericanos ese nuevo comienzo está en los Estados Unidos, pero eso puede ser una ilusión. No es que no haya oportunidades, lo que pasa es que no todo es fácil. Si usted quiere viajar y hacer un CLEAN SLATE allá, considere si en realidad esa es su única posibilidad. Lo mejor es informarse y preguntarse si lo que persigue es una ficción. Tal vez con una actitud diferente pueda encontar lo que busca aquí mismo o en un destino que no sea necesariamente los Estados Unidos, pues hay otros países que podría considerar.

"Can I be held ACCOUNTABLE for all these lightbulbs?" ACCOUNTABILITY is said to translate as RESPONSABILIDAD, and it is but not completely. For example, Ecuadorian politicians use ploys to avoid ACCOUNTABILITY for their actions . In Spanish: Los políticos ecuatorianos usan tácticas para evitar RESPONSABILIDAD por sus acciones . This translation is only acceptable because it is somewhat lacking. A much better option would be: Los políticos ecuatorianos usan tácticas para evitar HACERSE RESPONSABLES de sus acciones . HACERSE RESPONSABLE DE ALGO, ACEPTAR or ASUMIR RESPONSABILIDAD POR ALGO express more accurately in Spanish the real meaning of this word in English.      

So this  "So, this DIZQUE term is often used when gossiping. Can you believe it?" D IZQUE is an interesting word in Spanish since it is really the contraction of the expression SE DICE QUE (IT'S SAID THAT). DIZQUE can function as an adverb and also an adjective. when it's an adverb, it means SUPPOSEDLY or APPARENTLY. She was sick, APPARENTLY. --> Ella DIZQUE estaba enferma.   The word DIZQUE in this case has a connotation. The speaker could have used the term APPARENTLY, but the fact that DIZQUE was preferred indicates the speaker thinks it's a lie. This is why DIZQUE is more often used when gossiping. When DIZQUE is an adjective, it translates as SO-CALLED. There is that SO-CALLED lawyer, Bryan A. --> Ahí está ese DIZQUE abogado, Bryan A. DIZQUE and DISQUE may have similar sounds, but they are not the same since DISQUE is a verb in imperative form and it means: "DIAL!"      

"GEE! If I get any closer I'll fall down and drown!" GEE is an interjection mostly used in the United States that expresses mild astonishment, and it is little by little becoming archaic because fewer people are using it these days.  In Spanish, there are two interjections that are close in meaning and they are CARAMBA and CARAY. Just like GEE, these two words are becoming archaic in Spanish as well. Though not necessarily the same in meaning, these expressions are also possible: SANTO DIOS or DIOS MÍO. Funny, but also quite rare these days (you will find it only in the funny pages), there is also RECÓRCHOLIS.  

"A real party is when you party all the way till sunrise!" To understand the real meaning of AMANECERSE you need to know that AMANECERSE is not the same as Amanecer (to Dawn). In Spanish, we say: "Bailamos hasta que amaneció" which in English is "We danced until it dawned." But we could also say: " Nos amanecimos bailando." Literally, in Spanish, we say: "We dawned dancing" which does not make any sense in English. AMANECERSE in Spanish means to be engaged in this or that activity all night long until the sun rises.  So, for example if you want to say in English: " Me amanecí trabajando en el proyecto" you say "I worked on the project until sunrise" but not "I dawned working on the project."  

"Hey, where's my crab?" (only Ecuadorians will understand)   First of all, a judge cannot "Declare you guilty" since that is not what they do exactly (though there are cases in which judges must take upon themselves such prerogatives). A judge's role is, among several others, to give a proper sentence to those who have been FOUND GUILTY of some crime. The correct term is that precisely: TO FIND someone GUILTY  because it is the jury, not the judge who makes that decision.  The members of the jury (called jurors) decide on the facts presented and based on the evidence they FIND the defendant GUILTY or NOT GUILTY.

"I'm pregnant, not EMBARRASSED."      This is one of those situations when you must be careful if you are translating. The word EMBARRASSED is quite similar to another one in Spanish: Embarazada.  If one word in a language is spelled similarly to another one in Spanish and the meaning of both is the same, we call that a Cognate.  If the meaning is different, we call that a False Cognate. Embarazada is a False Cognate because it translates as Pregnant, not EMBARRASSED. The correct translation of EMBARRASSED in Spanish is AVERGONZADA or AVERGONZADO.

  "Your CUÑADO? Not anymore! Byeeee!" You can't say CUÑADO (A)  in English, not at least in one word. A CUÑADO is your wife's brother (if you are a man) or your husband's brother (if you are a woman). A CUÑADA is your wife's sister (if you are a man) or your husband's sister (if you are a woman). There are, of course, other ways to call these members of the family in English: CUÑADO is BROTHER-IN-LAW and CUÑADA is SISTER-IN-LAW. There is also a cultural difference since in Spanish we tend to use the terms CUÑADO or CUÑADA quite frequently and also informally. It is possible that in parts of Latin America people welcome you by calling you "CUÑADO (A)" instead of your name if you have created that kind of tie already. The same would be unlikely in an English-speaking country.

Ah, Global Warming...now I can go fishing anywhere!        An ANGLER is a Fisherman, but a Fisherman is not necessarily an ANGLER. A Fisherman is anyone who does that precisely: they go fishing.      ANGLER is a very specific term, it refers to someone who goes fishing by only using a line and a hook, so no traps, nets, or anything like it.        The Spanish translation of Fisherman is PESCADOR, but there is not a word for ANGLER, so what we say in this case is PESCADOR.

  "four, three, two, one...(I'm Ok, just playing Hide and Seek)" The word Deception does exist in English, but it does not mean DECEPCIÓN.  According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the meaning of Deception is "the act of causing someone to accept as true or valid something that is false or invalid."  The translation of Deception in Spanish is then Engaño , but not DECEPCIÓN. The Spanish word DECEPCIÓN refers to what you feel when you are unable to reach the goals you set for yourself or what you desired did not happen as you expected.  And that is plain DISAPPOINTMENT.

"This country is uncharted, oh, no... it's Ecuador"    One thing is for certain: Fuera del Mapa is not the best translation for UNCHARTED.  In fact, Fuera del Mapa is best translated as Off the Map, not UNCHARTED, but that is how the movie (yes, there is a movie with that title and a video game series) was introduced in the Spanish-speaking market. Synonyms of UNCHARTED are Unexplored, Undiscovered, Untraveled, and Unmapped. Among all those, the best possible translation would be INEXPLORADO or SIN DESCUBRIR.  

"Why do I feel like playing Tic Tac Toe all of a sudden?" MIERCOLES DE CENIZAS is ASH WEDNESDAY in English and is mostly a Catholic tradition. It is important because it marks the end of Carnival and the beginning of Lent. Lent commemorates the forty-day period Jesus spent fasting and praying in the desert. What Catholics do is attend mass on this day which is usually the first Wednesday in March. This mass event is different from others because there is one more rite added: the imposition of the sign of the Holy Cross on the attendees' foreheads. In order to draw the cross sign, catholic priests use ash, hence the name ASH WEDNESDAY. ASH WEDNESDAY also demands from observant Christians the practice of fasting and abstinence, but very few seem inclined to do so these days. 

"Don't have one... Ask me again in 2023, please."       The answer is nothing. To call or consider someone our Valentine is not something we do over Latin America.       We do offer presents and gifts to our beloved ones, but we do not assign them any specific term.       A similar thing is a game called El Amigo Secreto (Secret Santa), but for that, you need to keep your identity concealed until the moment you deliver your present onto your friend's hands. It is only then that you reveal your identity to your friend. so it's not really the same idea!      In any case, in both English and Spanish speaking countries this is not a holiday, but some sort of tradition that gives us the perfect excuse to give away presents to people who are special to us.     Happy Valentine!         

Another difference is the color: in the U.S. they seem to prefer white eggs. The answer is simple A DOZEN EGGS, but there is a problem. Once Spanish speakers learn that a DOCENA DE HUEVOS is a DOZEN EGGS, they tend to add the word OF like this: A DOZEN OF EGGS. It occurs more often than not. This curious phenomenon is called Mother Tongue Interference which happens when students transfer from L1 to L2. In Spanish we say: "UNA DOCENA DE HUEVOS" Unconsciously, then students fill that inexistent gap between the words DOZEN and EGGS by adding OF. If you are a teacher, be aware of this little thing and assume it is going to happen before it actually happens. You will save yourself and your students time and avoid unnecessary frustration!

  Al least air pollution decreased a little. I n Spanish, CONFINAMIENTO is a measure taken in order to reduce or prevent the widespread of a viral infection. The translation is not Confinement. In English, that word indicates the state or action of being confined so it is not the measure, but its result. The right translation for CONFINAMIENTO is then LOCKDOWN which is defined as an emergency situation in which people are not allowed to move freely for some imminent threat such as COVID 19 spread.