"Reloj" as a timer?

Question

Transcribed from an interview about Sendero Luminoso: "En forma rudimentaria hacen unaaaa...se puede decir...un reloj que hace estallar la bomba."

In this case would "un reloj" more accurately refer to a watch? a timer? an alarm clock? Or is there not enough context to determine the exact translation? I'm thinking a McGyver-style digital countdown...but my assumption just might could be based on cultural bias.

Any thoughts would be appreciated! Thanks.

Answer 1

Yes, reloj is used as a timer and a clock or a watch. El reloj de la bomba llego a cero antes de que la misma detonara.

An alarm clock is translated as un reloj despertador o simply despertador.

Llegó... - Dakie, Feb 22, 2011

Answer 2

In that case it could be a timer but in Spanish we call reloj to all of them so we always need a context, maybe the only one with another name is the reloj de bolsillo. How do you call it in English?

Sure, alarm clock =despertador. - Dakie, Feb 22, 2011

Pocket watch. - KevinB, Feb 22, 2011

Thanks Kevin. - Dakie, Feb 22, 2011

see the dictionary for a list of "reloj de..." - 0074b507, Feb 22, 2011

Answer 3

Welcome to the forum. There are other words for timer, etc. Reloj is just generic for a clock or a watch. Without more specific context, I'd just go with clock. Sometimes you can't get an exact word-for-word translation. You just have to go with the meaning.

Answer 4

Thank! I knew reloj had several translations but wasn't aware how versatile it is!