Translation Help...I think something is a little off
Okay, for a class assignment, which I missed due to getting 4 wisdom teeth pulled, we had to write a letter to Santa telling him what we wanted for Christmas. We are allowed to use translators at either Google.com/translate or Yahoo Translate, and we are also allowed to ask others for help in writing this letter (we are first year of high school spanish students). The only requirement is that it has to be correctly translated. This is what I want to write:
I want nothing for Christmas. Rather, I would like you to use my share of presents to help the less fortunate in Africa and in Haiti. I will be content knowing I am doing good for others, and for me that is a present in itself.
And this is what the translator gave me:
No quiero nada para la Navidad. Más bien, me gustaría que usted utilice mi parte de los regalos para ayudar a los menos afortunados en África y en Haití. Voy a estar contento sabiendo que estoy haciendo bien a los demás, y para mí eso es un regalo en sí mismo.
I had a friend from Spanish 3 look at this, and he said that the word "rather"in sentence 2 was translated incoreectly but he couldn't tell me what it should be.
So im asking for help. Please post the entire translation, with what you corrected BOLDED, so I know what I should have fixed. Also, if you could, please explain why the translator is wrong (I really do want to learn Spanish, so this would help). Also, I think, but not sure, that im missing some accent marks. Im not realyl good at them yet, so if I missed a few please put them in.
Thanks, Chris
3 Answers
Actually Chris, the translation is technically correct. You could use it that way and nobody should be able to say that it is incorrect. However, it does not sound natural to me, which is a different matter altogether.
If I were trying to express what you wrote in Spanish, I'd say something like:
No quiero nada para la Navidad. Más bien, me gustaría que uses lo que ibas a gastar en mis regalos para ayudar a los menos afortunados en África y en Haití. Me sentiré feliz sabiendo que estoy haciendo bien a los demás, y para mí eso es un regalo en sí mismo.
If someone is giving you presents, most likely you are in "tú" terms, rather than "usted".
The same idea could of course be expressed in several different ways, so it's mostly a matter of taste and style, but your text is correct.
Hi chris! Welcome to the Forum! I think that yours is a pretty good translation, but if you want opinions, this is my suggestion.
No quiero nada para la Navidad. Más bien, me gustaría que mi parte de los regalos la empleases para ayudar a los menos afortunados en África y en Haití. Me sentiré satisfecho sabiendo que estoy haciendo un bien a otras personas y, para mí, eso ya es un regalo en sí mismo.
I couldn't explain why, but the expression "voy a estar contento", although is correct, sounds slightly awkward.
I looked back at the sheet and had to make a minor change to the first sentence of my post. I have to (according to the instructions) start off with "para el dia de los tres reyes magos, me gustaria"
Therefore, With help from Gekkosan my translation stands at:
Para el diá de los tres reyes magos, me gustaría nada. Más bien, me gustaría que uses lo que ibas a gastar en mis regalos para ayudar a los menos afortunados en África y en Haití. Me sentiré feliz sabiendo que estoy haciendo bien a los demás, y para mí eso es un regalo en sí mismo.
Anything else I need to fix?
