ELECTIONS AND VOCABULARY

Spain has undergone elections recently, on the 28th of May, and as for every time there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven, to paraphrase the Bible, every election has its vocabulary. As you probably know by now, Spaniards love repetition, and phrases were used and overused by the media.

"Ejercer el derecho al voto." People did not go to vote, no iban a votar sino a ejercer el derecho al voto.

"Votar en libertad." This cliché is difficult to understand because if you are not free to vote then, what´s the point? Lo importante es votar en libertad was repeated often.

"Consolidar la democracia." People did not vote in order to support a candidate but, according to the media, to reinforce democracy. Another cliché.

"Lo importante es votar" was repeated ad nauseam by all tv announcers and also by those who were interviewed. 

And finally, "la votación discurre con total normalidad." This cliché is hard to understand. Did they expect riots and shootouts and lootings? 

We shall indeed hear those clichés, and more, again, come July 23rd of this year. 

IDIOM: DO WRONG ONCE AND...

 

Do wrong once and you´ll never hear the end of it Por una mosca que mató, matamoscas le llamaron

Robert has made just one mistake and as he has done wrong once he´ll never hear the end of it Roberto ha cometido un solo error, y ahora por una mosca que mató, matamoscas le llamaron

— “Do wrong once and you´ll hear of it a thousand times.” Curtis Hutson, Punch Lines, 2000. US.

A TEACHING PHRASEOLOGICAL BILINGUAL DICTIONARY

The dictionary I am working on, a bilingual phraseological dictionary, of English and Spanish, which thus far has over 685,000 words and 27,000 idioms, will be a workbook where equivalents will be found and a teaching book. A teaching dictionary is one where the user can learn so as to broaden his knowledge of phraseology in both languages. The more phraseology you have, the better you will be able to understand native speakers and each language's literature. I have been working on it for the past 4 years at a daily pace of 3-4 hours, 7/7 No less. I am expanding and improving and completing the one I published in 1994.     

MODISMO: DORAR LA PÍLDORA

 

Dorar la píldora Sugar (guild) the pill, soften the blow, butter someone up, lay it on thick

Para que comprásemos la casa nos doró la píldora con plazos To get us to buy the house he guilded the pill offering easy terms

— “Es verdad, a los oficiales con huevos, trujillistas hasta el tuétano, no se les dora la píldora.” Mario Vargas Llosa, La fiesta del Chivo, 2000. Perú. 

IDIOM: THROW DIRT ENOUGH AND SOME....

 

Throw (fling) dirt (mud) enough and some will stick Calumnia, que algo queda

They lie about me because throw dirt enough and some will stick Dicen mentiras de mí por aquello de calumnia que algo queda

— “I understand the theory which governs direct marketing, that if you throw enough dirt at a wall, some will stick.” Telegraph.co.uk, 4 Jan 2004. UK.

IDIOM: RUN RINGS AROUND SOMEONE

 

Run rings around someone Dar cien vueltas a, dar vuelta y media a, ser más listo que el hambre, dar cien patadas a

Mary can run rings around all her classmates Mary les da cien vueltas a sus compañeros de clase

— “I will run rings around you. I will. In the final hour I´ll run rings around you.” Mo Hayder, Pig Islan, 2008. US

MADRID BOOK FAIR - 2023

Today is the opening of the Madrid Book Fair. It is raining, per usual. This year I was not invited to sign. Last year I declined the invitation because I was not up to it physically. While having a cup of coffee, this morning, I was watching a television report about the opening, showing interviews with authors, and shots of umbrellas under the rain. It brought reminiscences of times past. Also, I was shocked to realize how lost in touch with the literary scene I have become. Let me mention only three of the interviewees: Rodrigo de Pablo, Manuel Espejo, and Juan Luis Cano. The three writers have authored several successful books, according to the reporter. And here I am, in the dark: never heard about them. Tomorrow, and without fail, I will rush to El Retiro Park and learn about the new Spanish literary scene.  

HARUKI MURAKAMI: TRANSLATION INTO ENGLISH AND SPANISH

I have often explained my intellectual shortcomings in my language abilities. I must read most world literature in translation. And although I gratefully acknowledge translators' efforts in rendering originals into English and Spanish, I am still weary. I remember my reading of Dowstoweski´s The Idiot where the main character, Prince Mishkin, was el príncipe Mishkine. Why so? I finally discovered that the translation into Spanish was from French, not Russian. I had been reading a translation of a translation. In order to keep the sound of Mishkin, the French translator added an "e" to the name and the Spanish translator followed suit, unnecessarily.  In a recent post, I complained lightly about Murakami´s Norwegian Wood translation into English. As I speak no Japanese (and no Danish, Tagalog, Chinese, Korean, etc.), I decided to check Lourdes Portal´s rendering of that novel into Spanish. Both translations are suspiciously similar. I must venture that Lourdes Portal leaned heavily on Professor Jay Rubin´s English version. A translation of a translation.  I repeat I do not speak Japanese, but I know a bit about translations and translators and language mastery. (In my sophomore year I tried to learn Japanese with the Cortina method!)

IDIOM: GO THE WHOLE HOG

 

Go the whole hog Ir a por todas, poner toda la carne en el asador, jugarse el todo por el todo

I went the whole hog and invited all my friends to the best restaurant in town Fui a por todas e invite a todos mis amigos al mejor restaurante de la ciudad

— “If I were you I'd go the whole hog and set up a large invertebrate aquarium.” Practical Fishkeeping, BNC, 1992. UK.

EL GÉNERO INGLÉS

CAMBIAN:

Brother - sister

Nephew - niece

Bull - cow

Dog - bitch

Cock - hen

Uncle - aunt

Sir - madam

Man - woman

Gentleman - lady

Male - female

NO CAMBIAN:

Friend - friend

Teacher - teacher

Doctor - doctor

Nurse - nurse

Secretary - secretary

Student - student

en estos casos, y para diferenciar los sexos, empleamos female (hembra) y male (varón.) 

A male teacher: un profesor

A female teacher: una profesora.

También podemos emplear man o woman:

Policeman - policewoman

Salesman - saleswoman

Chairman - chairwoman

-ESS

Master - mistress

God - goddess

Host - hostess

Waiter - waitress

Count - countess

 

HARUKI MURAKAMI

 

Haruki Murakami has just been awarded the Spanish Princesa de Asturias premio a las Letras (€50,000). On one of her recent visits from San Francisco, my daughter Laura left behind for me to read, Murakami´s Norwegian Wood. I read and liked it but it left in me a funny feeling, a sensation that something was amiss, that something was faux. Jay Rubin, Takashima Professor of Japanese Humanities Emeritus at Harvard University, is Murakami´s main translator into English. Most of my readings in world literature are in translation because, except for three, I ignore all the other 6,500 languages spoken on Earth. I cannot compare Professor Rubin´s rendering from the Japanese and must accept his translation as good. His English is spotless, of course, and I could understand the novel well. No problems. Yet, there was something missing, something faux in his translation. The characters did not seem Japanese to me, they did not sound Japanese. I was given the impression that the young people in the narrative were Americans, Americans in New York, not Tokyo. Did Professor Rubin go too far in his translation? I feel he has Americanized the Japanese world of Murakami. If an American author had written the same novel, just as Jay Rubin presents it, we would understand. He would have been looking in from the outside. This translation is a looking out from the inside. 

EL PORQUÉ DE LAS FRASES HECHAS

 Todo sobre las frases hechas, los lugares comunes, los clichés... 

MODISMO: VENIR CON HISTORIAS

 

Venir con historias Give the song and dance

No me vengas con historias de que no puedes pagar Don´t give me the song and dance that you can´t pay

— “Yo ya le aconsejé que desistiera. Ahora no me venga con historias.” Eduardo Mendoza, La verdad sobre el caso Savolta, 1975. Esp.

IDIOM: BARK UP THE WRONG TREE

 

Bark up the wrong tree Pedir peras al olmo

I think you are barking up the wrong tree. An impossibility  Creo que le pides peras al olmo. Un imposible

— “You’r barking up the wrong tree about the other address.” Fiona Pitt-Kethey, Misfortunes of Nigel, 1991. UK. || “If he expects me to give him a job, he’s barking up the wrong tree.” RH.

DON´T TAKE ANY WOODEN NICKELS

Do not be deceived. Do not go through life taking wooden nickels, use your common sense, that inner voice that, like Jiminy Cricket, whispers into your ear and warns you of impending perils. Some wooden nickels come in the guise of learning languages in 15 days without effort. The mermaid´s voice tries to lure us into thinking that without toil and a few dollars, we can acquire mastery of a foreign language. Deception is everywhere on the internet well dressed in the shape of ads, commercials, pop-up banners, and the support of influencers. Do not be deceived and listen to your private Jiminy who tells you that by purchasing a particular book you will be happy forever, or that by applying a well-known cream your face will be wrinkle-free. Deep down we know all that is humdrum, yet... Please forgive me for harping on this once again. I never tire of warning my readers, friends, and students. And never will. 

HABLAR Y ESCRIBIR CON CORRECCIÓN

 

WHAT DOES BEING BILINGUAL REALLY MEAN?

 If you are intrigued, then check Huffpost.US with link below. Copy and paste:

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/what-does-being-bilingual_b_10630424

MODISMO: CARGAR CON EL MUERTO

 

Cargar a uno con el muerto (mochuelo) Put (pin) the blame on someone, take the rap, pass the buck on someone, get the short end of the stick, leave holding the bag

Me hacen cargar con el muerto siempre They always put the blame on me

— “Tú no me creas que me vas a cargar a mí con el muerto, que te veo venir.” José Luis Alegre Cudós, Minotauro a la cazuela, 1982. Esp.

ARE YOU A VICTIM OF LANGUAGE DISCRIMINATION?

 Check this then in Huffpost.us

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/language-discrimination-i_b_9491452

MODISMO: Y COLORÍN, COLORADO...

 

Y colorín colorado, este cuento se ha acabado Snip, snap, snout, this tale´s told out, you´ve had your fun, the tale´s done

Ya está niños. Y colorín colorado, este cuento se ha acabado That´s it, kids. Snip, snap snout, this tale´s told out

— “… y colorín, colorado, este cuento se ha terminado.” Isabel Allende, Eva Luna, 1987. Chile.

NUEVAS PROFESIONES

 

En mi último escrito hablaba de oficios y profesiones de antaño y anuncié otro sobre nuevas profesiones. Esto es más peliagudo porque si un capador era uno que capaba animales, un editor de contenidos no es fácil de explicar. Ya la palabra contenido es vaga y difusa en este caso. "El que organiza facilita la lectura coherente de un contenido multimedia, cuida los formatos de estilo, corrige la ortografía, puntuación, a la par que revisa el vocabulario..." (Universidad de Barcelona.) Sin saberlo, yo soy content editor ya que hago todo eso y mucho más en mis artículos, en mi Blog y en mis libros. (Y yo sin saberlo.) Otra profesión: Gestor cultural. UNIR, La universidad en Internet me cuenta que es "una profesión emergente" y su función es "acercar la cultura a la sociedad."  Tiene que hacer propuestas culturales, elaborar presupuestos, negociar con entes públicos, dirigir equipos de trabajo, y planificar eventos. Total: un camelo. Ni el Editor de contenidos, ni el gestor cultural necesitan una formación universitaria específica, ni necesitan tener cultura alguna ni saber redactar un artículo. Hay más, pero todas estas nuevas profesiones "camelo" me aburren y demuestran dónde hemos ido a parar. 

OFICIOS DE ANTAÑO Y SUS NOMBRES

Hoy andaba yo mohíno, cabizbajo y pensativo y le daba vueltas a Manrique y sus cualquier tiempo pasado es mejor. Y me ha dado por pensar en los cambios que ha sufrido el idioma y la cantidad de profesiones, y palabras, que ya no están con nosotros. ¡Qué tiempos aquellos! Hoy el idioma adelanta que es una barbaridad y deja en la cuneta muchas palabras que antaño eran de curso diario y normal. Por ejemplo:

Cerillero: vendedor de cerillas. En los cafés había siempre uno que además vendía tabaco.

Pajillero-a: persona que masturbaba a otros a cambio de dinero. Practicaba su profesión especialmente en cines. Creo que ya no existen.

Colillero: recogía colillas que otros tiraban. Luego revendían el tabaco.

Plañidera: mujer a quien se pagaba para que llorase en los entierros. Los deudos del difunto sólo ponían cara de circunstancias.

Capador: persona cuyo oficio es capar animales.

Celestino-a: mediador en relaciones amorosas. Alcahuete.

Palafrenero: criado que llevaba del freno al caballo del señor.

Paragüero: persona que hace o vende paraguas.

Alcabalero: recaudador de las alcabalas.

Sereno: hombre que vigilaba la calle durante la noche.

Qué pena que estas profesiones y oficios hayan desaparecido, pero el progreso es el progreso. En un próximo escrito mencionaré los nuevos oficios y preofesiones, que son muy chuscos algunos.

THE SOUND OF /b/ IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH

We all know that Spanish has two sounds represented by /b/ and /v/. One is occlusive (hard): "hombre, ámbar, tambor." (Occlusive but not explosive.) The other sound is fricative (soft): "bueno, vino, beber." (lips hardly touch.) This latter sound appears in English in words such as: wound, wool, would, and wood. If you pronounce these two sounds well, both your English and Spanish will improve your accent a lot. But remember that practice makes perfect.   

EXCLAMATION MARKS IN SPANISH

The Spanish Royal Academy (Real Academia Española) and all the affiliated academies from all the Spanish-speaking countries, dictate what is right or wrong in Spanish, what is accepted, and what rules to follow. However, we must take their rulings with a grain of salt because they often err. One such is that it´s ok to use the exclamation mark several times for emphasis. For example: "¡¡¡Hola!!!". It is overkill because the exclamation is not more exclamatory because excessive exclamation marks are used. I corresponded with an editor in a big publishing company who would start her emails thus: "¡¡¡¡¡Buenos días!!!!! which I found offensive and gave me a poor opinion of her. One exclamation or interrogation mark is more than enough. I would advise not to type "¿¿¿Cómo estás???" or "¡¡¡¡Viva el rey!!!!" but "¿Cómo estás?" and "¡Viva el rey!". The small stuff is important when we want to make an impression. And never forget the beginning marks: ¡, ¿, ¿?, ¡!

HUMANISTAS, CIENTÍFICOS Y CITAS

 

Compilando mi Diccionario panhispánico de citas, espigando estas frases de mis lecturas, me ha asaltado la idea del profundo abismo que separa las humanidades de las ciencias. Parece que, a los humanistas, a la gente de letras, la ciencia y el rigor les tienen sin cuidado, que van por sus veredas, ajenos a todo, lanzando ideas y conclusiones a la buena de Dios, a ver qué pasa, dando longevidad a conceptos absurdos impropios de nuestro tiempo. A los científicos no se les permite escribir por escribir, sin base ni rigor; a la gente de letras, sí. Quizá por eso así nos van las cosas. Y dentro del saco de humanistas meto a políticos, economistas y juristas, los peores, ojo.

WILLIAM F BUCKLEY AND JORGE LUIS BORGES

I always found William F. Buckley (1925-2008) unbearable, effete, and pedantic to the full extent of those words. His manner of speech was patronizing and stuck in his high horse. He is described by Wikipedia as "an American conservative writer, public intellectual, and political commentator." He always gave me the impression that he thought he was above the riffraff, the ragtag and bobtail of the American public. An obnoxious character. Check him out on YouTube. Today I listened to an interview he held with Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1886), again on YouTube, that treasure trove of arcane information. I was struck upon hearing Borges in English. He had the cadence, and sing-song musicality of Argentinian Spanish transferred to the English language, slurring most words into obscure sounds. Whether an interview is successful depends on the interviewer as much as on the interviewee and in this instance, Mr. Buckley blundered. Still, I urge you to hear Borges in English.       

ISABEL DÍAZ AYUSO Y LA ILUSIÓN RECOBRADA

 

Isabel Díaz Ayuso, Presidenta de la Comunidad de Madrid, me trae a la memoria mi juventud y la campaña electoral que lidió John F. Kennedy contra Richard Nixon. Jack Kennedy nos ofrecía a los jóvenes ilusión, ganas de trabajar, de hacer cosas, de comerse al mundo, de ver el futuro de manera alegre... en contraposición a un Nixon caduco y avejentado, anclado en los años 50. Isabel Díaz Ayuso transmite seriedad, alegría y ganas, empleando un castellano preciso y culto muy alejado del que habla su oposición, como hacía Jack Kennedy, en aquellos tiempos tan lejanos. Quiere, como Kennedy, devolver la ilusión perdida a todos aquellos que todavía tienen ganas de un país mejor donde todo sea posible, que no es poco. Isabel me ha devuelto la ilusión en 2023 que me dio Kennedy en 1960. Isabel tiene "... promises to keep and miles to go before she sleeps, and miles to go before she sleeps."  

OLIVER SACKS ON WRITING

 

"The act of writing... gives me a pleasure, a joy, unlike any other. It takes me to another place -irrespective of my subject- where I am totally absorbed and oblivious to distracting thoughts, worries, preoccupations, or indeed the passage of time. In those rare, heavenly states of mind, I may write nonstop until I can no longer see the paper. Only then do I realize that evening has come and that I have been writing all day." (Oliver Sacks, On the Move, 1915.) 

DO NOT READ BESTSELLERS

In the book industry, more is held to be better. If a novel sells 200 million copies, it is considered better than another that sold "only" 50 million copies. And Best Seller lists are published to "guide" readers on the best titles. Number one on the list is the facto better than number 10. And I was musing today about some best sellers of old that have not stood the test of time, because, in books, the test of the book is in time. Who remembers Love Story? It was all the rage in 1970 when the whole world and his wife were reading and weeping over it. Erich Seagal, a professor of Classics, was denied tenure at Yale because of it. A movie was made and millions were sold. The Bridges of Madison County was also a best-seller by Robert Waller, in 1992, a romance that sold many copies.  Maryl Streep and Clint Eastwood were the main actors in the movie that followed. Many, many copies of this potboiler were bought and probably read. And then we had Sophie´s World, a 1991 history of philosophy disguised as a novel by Jostein Gaarder. I am certain that it went over the heads of most of the readers who bought this history of philosophy thinking it was a romance. The three of them have faded into obscurity, along with their translations into many languages. Do not purchase or read bestsellers, they are the payola promotions of today.