''A day´s worth''

Question

Hey i could use some input in the translation of this phrasing. Feel free to approach it from different angles.

''I could use some input. Besides i´ve got a days worth of work ahead of me and its not going to do itself.''

Interesting question. - annierats, Dec 15, 2012

I thought you were looking for something a bit different too, but unfortunately, can't begin to conjure it in Spanish. It's a phrase I use a lot in English (when estimating jobs) so I look forward to the responses you receive. - rogspax, Dec 15, 2012

Answer 1

I'm not quite sure which language you want, so I've tried making an example. I'm not sure if the Spanish version is correct, but I think it's understandable.

For Christmas this year, I will give my daughter a day's worth of work, because she needs help to make her new flat habitable.

Mi regalo de Navidad a mi hija este año será un día trabajando por ella, porque quiero ayudarle con la tarea de hacer su nuevo piso habitable.

With Franco's help, a better version: Mi regalo de navidad para mi hija este año será un día de trabajo gratuito ayudándola a reparar su piso. Gracias Franco, shorter and more to the point.

Corrections appreciated. - annierats, Dec 15, 2012

thats not the idea im looking to give, ''a days worth'' or ''a years worth'' gives the extremity of something.. for instance ''i owe her a lifetimes worth of apologies'' - Ox-Y-Gen, Dec 15, 2012

Oh, maybe you could give another example.. A day's worth of work, neans just that to me, a day of hard work.. - annierats, Dec 15, 2012

Mi regalo de navidad para mi hija este año será un día de trabajo gratuito ayudándola a reparar su piso. - francobollo, Dec 17, 2012

Muchas gracias, Franco. It was rather experimental. Trhthfully, a year's worth of apologies or similar sounds , well, odd. Maybe it's more American? - annierats, Dec 17, 2012

Answer 2

¿Qué hay de? trabajo suficiente para un día ...

También puede ser. - francobollo, Dec 17, 2012

thanks for the confirmation Franco :) - Kiwi-Girl, Dec 17, 2012

Answer 3

It´s very idiomatic, and thus hard to translate, so I´d think at best, one could hope for something with a similar sense of both meaning and humor.

The ¨Me serviría su opinión¨ sounds good. Possibly with ´aportes´ instead of ´opinion´??

In general, ¨something won´t VERB itself¨ is a humorous way we say ¨We´re going to have to do that ourselves¨ (Because it won´t take care of itself)

Well, my homework isn´t going to do itself. Debo empezarla.

Pues, mi tarea no va hacerse. I should start it.

IF I understand ´más que yo´ correctly (meaning besides or except) then that sounds good.

It´s fun to dig into these a bit.

Aporte could work. It's just style. And "nadie más que yo" means nobody besides me. - francobollo, Dec 17, 2012

That humor using "It won't take care of itself" can work sometimes. I just did not think it did in this case. But you can say, la cena no se va a hacer sola (dinner won't cook itself). - francobollo, Dec 17, 2012

Answer 4

I think your whole phrase is idiomatic and it would be interesting to translate it all:

I could use some input. Besides i´ve got a days worth of work ahead of me and its not going to do itself.''

Me serviría una opinión/ayuda. Además, me queda un día de trabajo por hacer y no hay quien lo haga más que yo.

Me parece esto bien. Pero quizás con ¨aporte¨ en lugar de ´opinón´ ? - rogspax, Dec 17, 2012