La cara y la boca

Question

I was reading some of the responses in this forum and came upon one that discussed the book "La Noche Boca Arriba". I researched and found it to mean "The Night Face Up".

The spanish word for face is la cara and the word la boca is mouth. So I am confused. I would also like to know the meaning of the story as inferred from the title of the book. Gracias.

Answer 1

You are correct the Spanish word for face is "la cara". The phrase "boca arriba" is an idiom. Every language has idioms, which are unique ways of saying something, usually figurative language rather than literal use of words.

So, here, "boca arriba" is an idiomatic expression for "face up". Idioms give language an additional richness that literal expressions lack.

An example in English: I could say "I was down to my last dollar" (literal meaning for running out of money) or I could say "The wolves were at my door." (figurative meaning for I was broke, a much more dramatic, emphatic way of saying I had no more money. Such is the functions of idioms, and since they are unique to each language, they are not usually literally translated, Hence, in your example, 'boca arriba" is better translated into English as "face up" which has meaning in English, rather than "mouth up" which doesn't make sense in English.

Sorry to be so wordy, but the translation of idioms from one language to another is a fascinating subject to me.

Lorenzo

You weren't wordy at all. I appreciate the literal translation & the painting you did explaining how each language has it's own richness. But what is the real meaning of the title? - tcretella, Jun 25, 2010

Not having read the book, I really don't know what the author means by the title. lorenzo45 - lorenzo45, Jun 25, 2010

Answer 2

Good morning.

"Boca arriba" means "Face up" as in when you're lying down and your mouth, eyes, face are all "facing up." A book, for example, can be "face down" or "face up."

So, the term "Boca arriba" has nothing to do with your mouth...it's just the expression used to say that something is in the "face up" position.