Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Spanish term or phrase:
si la Guaira es lejos, es porque ya he ido
English translation:
Been there, done that, got the t-shirt
Added to glossary by
Mauricio Martinez
Nov 16, 2020 21:10
3 yrs ago
34 viewers *
Spanish term
si la Guaira es lejos, es porque ya he ido
Spanish to English
Art/Literary
Folklore
Estoy traduciendo un libro lleno de refranes en donde aparece esto que usamos mucho en Venezuela para decir que si "digo que esto es así, es porque tengo evidencia". La Guaira es una ciudad costera a 1 hora de Caracas y los caraqueños la utilizamos mucho en este sentido. Ahora, quisiera conocer la opinión de ustedes con mis propuestas y, si tienen una propuesta más exacta, pues bienvenida sea. Trato de buscar un equivalente en inglés a modo de refrán que sea comprensible y que no deje al lector más confundido. Pensé en colocar a modo más general "if I say China is far, is because I have been there", o también parafraseando otro dicho venezolano / colombiano que reza "If I say the donkey is black is because I have its hairs in my hand", pero creo que esta opción podría ser igualmente confusa y no transmitirá la idea directamente.
¡Agradezco de antemano sus contribuciones!
¡Agradezco de antemano sus contribuciones!
Proposed translations
(English)
Change log
Nov 21, 2020 10:20: Mauricio Martinez Created KOG entry
Proposed translations
+3
1 hr
Selected
If I say so, it's because I've already been there
"Been there" doesn't have to be a physical place. See the song: "Been there; done that!" and the following definition:
been there, done that - Urban Dictionarywww.urbandictionary.com › define › term=been there, ...
An expression used to say that one has been in the situation or experienced that which another is talking about. It is usually a negative scenario that is being ...
I think this solution fully captures your explanation of the idiom without going too far fetched--which I understand was your concern.
been there, done that - Urban Dictionarywww.urbandictionary.com › define › term=been there, ...
An expression used to say that one has been in the situation or experienced that which another is talking about. It is usually a negative scenario that is being ...
I think this solution fully captures your explanation of the idiom without going too far fetched--which I understand was your concern.
Peer comment(s):
agree |
Carol Gullidge
: yes, or possibly even (and along the same lines) "...already been down that road"
43 mins
|
Thanks, Carol! I love your added piece. Very nice.
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agree |
Jacqueline Lamb
10 hrs
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Thank you, Jacqueline!
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agree |
Michele Fauble
20 hrs
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Thank you, Michele!
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Excellent, Muriel. This fully captures the idea without making it too complicated for the reader. Thank you for the suggestion!"
4 mins
If La Guaira seems far away, it's because I've already been there.
I see nothing wrong with translating it literally, to get across the idea.
Note from asker:
Thank you very much for the suggestion! |
+4
37 mins
If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.
A well-known and fairly self-explanatory English idiom, conveying a similar idea: it IS a duck, because all the evidence points to this...
Note from asker:
Thank you, Carol! This is a very useful option for this context that I will keep in mind. Maybe a little bit long for putting it in the book but definitely helpful to keep it in the glossary. |
Peer comment(s):
agree |
David Hollywood
: nice
6 hrs
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thanks, David!
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agree |
Natalia Pedrosa
10 hrs
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thanks Natalia!
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agree |
Shilpa Baliga
: Nice, but a bit long?
12 hrs
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thanks Shilpa! Yes, I'd have preferred a shorter quote, but there is usually some translation loss with metaphors, etc, and one has to prioritise. Perhaps "Facts is facts' would be better, possibly from Dickens, but I can't find any proof!
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agree |
Haleigh Lecklitner
: I agree with this statement, this is a very famous saying in English.
19 hrs
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Many thanks, Haleigh!
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+3
7 hrs
and I know my onions
idiomatic rendering
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Note added at 7 hrs (2020-11-17 04:25:45 GMT)
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What's the meaning of the phrase 'Know your onions'?. To be experienced in or knowledgeable about a subject.
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Note added at 7 hrs (2020-11-17 04:27:07 GMT)
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and you could add "on that score"
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Note added at 7 hrs (2020-11-17 04:27:42 GMT)
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meaning "in that regard"
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Note added at 7 hrs (2020-11-17 04:41:35 GMT)
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depends on how idiomatic you want to be in this context
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Note added at 7 hrs (2020-11-17 04:25:45 GMT)
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What's the meaning of the phrase 'Know your onions'?. To be experienced in or knowledgeable about a subject.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 7 hrs (2020-11-17 04:27:07 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
and you could add "on that score"
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Note added at 7 hrs (2020-11-17 04:27:42 GMT)
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meaning "in that regard"
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Note added at 7 hrs (2020-11-17 04:41:35 GMT)
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depends on how idiomatic you want to be in this context
Note from asker:
Thank you very much, David! This option would work well in this context too. |
Peer comment(s):
agree |
Jacqueline Lamb
3 hrs
|
thanks Jacqueline
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agree |
Shilpa Baliga
: Nice!
6 hrs
|
thanks Shilpa
|
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agree |
Carol Gullidge
: ye, i.e., "I know what I'm talking about"
8 hrs
|
thanks Carol
|
+1
11 hrs
Spanish term (edited):
Si la si la Guaira es lejos, es porque ya he idoGuaira es lejos, es porque ya he ido
Been there, done that, got the t-shirt
This means that a person knows something from personal experience
Example sentence:
It isn´t easy to bring up five children on a very small income
Been there, done that, got the t-shirt
Note from asker:
This is actually a very accurate idiomatic expression which I did not come across in my head before for unexplainable reasons. Very evident. Thank you very much for your suggestion. |
Discussion
La Guaira es una ciudad de Venezuela, cercana a Caracas. Aunque actualmente hay vías de comunicación, antes solo había una carretera difícil de transitar. Cuando te hagan esta pregunta, lo que en realidad quieren saber es cómo puedes dar muchos detalles de un sitio o de algo que supuestamente no conoces. O quizás no quieran saberlo… sino solo informarte que no confían mucho en tu opinión.
http://matadornetwork.com/es/frases-que-los-venezolanos-siem...