How would you say "day job"?
I'm trying to translate day job into Spanish. The idea is more to convey a feeling of redundancy or of the mundane. I was thinking that it would be something like trabajo (laburo) cotidiano/diario, or trabajo mundano.
Any help would be appreciated.
23 Answers
Lo que yo digo en casos como estos es, por ejemplo, si el que habla tiene el oficio de mecánico es: " como cómico eres un muy buen mecánico". No es una respuesta al post original. Estoy sólo tratando de dar un ejemplo para la situación que plantea James.
James Santiago said:
I'm bumping this thread to the top because I'd like to hear from native speakers, and because I don't think Nathaniel phrased his question clearly.En inglés tenemos el concept de "day job," que se refiere al trabajo principal de alguien, y de "night job," que se refiere a un trabajo secundario, en que alguien pueda trabajar para aumentar sus ingresos, o solo porque es un trabajo que le interesa a esa persona.Cuando alguien dice un chiste poco gracioso, el que lo oye puede decirle al hablante que no deje su trabajo principal. Es decir, "No puedes trabajar como cómico profesional, así que mejor que no sigas esa carrera."¿Qué se diría en tales casos?
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James Santiago said:
Lo que yo digo en casos como estos es, por ejemplo, si el que habla tiene el oficio de mecánico es: " como cómico eres un muy buen mecánico".
Fascinating! We have almost the exact saying in English: As a comic, you make a great mechanic. This is not nearly as common as saying "Don't quit your day job," however.
My fifth-grade teacher was a horrible teacher, and it was his first year teaching after having played a trumpet in Las Vegas for many years. My mother once said to him, "As a teacher, you make a great trumpet player."
The clasic put down I have heard was from my son in law´s father who was attending an open parents meeting with the teacher. The father, being a very educated man, started to complain about some of the teacher´s methods, to which the teacher replied, "sir, I have been teaching for thirty years". The father´s reply was simply "sir, longevity is not a qualification".
Lo que yo digo en casos como estos es, por ejemplo, si el que habla tiene el oficio de mecánico es: " como cómico eres un muy buen mecánico".
Fascinating! We have almost the exact saying in English: As a comic, you make a great mechanic. This is not nearly as common as saying "Don't quit your day job," however.
My fifth-grade teacher was a horrible teacher, and it was his first year teaching after having played a trumpet in Las Vegas for many years. My mother once said to him, "As a teacher, you make a great trumpet player."
James Santiago said:
Eddy said:
o solo porque es un trabajo que le interesa a esa persona. James Shouldn´t this be sólo.
The RAE and Heidita assure me that the accent is used today only when there is ambiguity. Personally, I would prefer to make the distinction, but who am I to argue with the natives?
I would argue with the RAE, however, not with Heidita,hehe
Eddy said:
o solo porque es un trabajo que le interesa a esa persona. James Shouldn´t this be sólo.
The RAE and Heidita assure me that the accent is used today only when there is ambiguity. Personally, I would prefer to make the distinction, but who am I to argue with the natives'
o solo porque es un trabajo que le interesa a esa persona.
James
Shouldn´t this be sólo.
I'm bumping this thread to the top because I'd like to hear from native speakers, and because I don't think Nathaniel phrased his question clearly.
En inglés tenemos el concept de "day job," que se refiere al trabajo principal de alguien, y de "night job," que se refiere a un trabajo secundario, en que alguien pueda trabajar para aumentar sus ingresos, o solo porque es un trabajo que le interesa a esa persona.
Cuando alguien dice un chiste poco gracioso, el que lo oye puede decirle al hablante que no deje su trabajo principal. Es decir, "No puedes trabajar como cómico profesional, así que mejor que no sigas esa carrera."
¿Qué se diría en tales casos'
Right, generally speaking however, it is, and I was looking for a way to best describe it in order to get a translation. I was trying to portray an image into peoples heads so that people could think about how they would translate it to most nearly meet their definitions. But, thank you for the clarification.
Nathaniel said:
Estaba preguntando acerca de, como ejemplo si alguien está contando chistes - que son muy malas, aquí en los estados unidos decimos - "Don't quit your day job" como para decir que no deben intentar ser comico, pero que deben seguir con el trabajo que tengan.
I was asking about, for example is someone is telling jokes - that are really bad, here in the United States we say - "Don't quit your day job" as a way of telling them that they shouldn't try to be a comic, but should keep the job that they already have.
We have the same phrase over here, but it is applied to all sorts of situations. It doesn´t necessarily mean that the day job is unrewarding.
Nathaniel said:
Unfortunately I don't know how to clarify it any more than I have. It seems like Gus understands the basic idea that I am trying to get accross. Maybe its an expression just in the United States. A day job is a job that you do to make money to keep living until you find work that you enjoy to do. Some people work at their day job their entire life and never actually do what they want to do, ever.
I understand the meaning of a day job but it does not necessarily have to be "mundane" or "superfluous", ie redundant. Some day jobs can be quite rewarding. You appear to be suggesting that all day jobs are unfulfilling.
Trabajo aburido
Eddy said:
Heidita said:
I dont' understand your post very well. Do you mean:tengo un trabajo de horario diurno.
No, I think he is talking about about a "very boring job"¿Un trabajo pesado?
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I find it hard to believe this is so hard to get. If a person dreams of being an actor, musician, comic, artist, writer, etc... but also likes to eat, and maybe wants to raise a family or have health insurance, he gets a "day job." I once knew a guy who installed heating and air conditioning systems all day, but on weekend nights he fronted the best blues band in town. He was a middle aged family man, and the members of his backup band were talented college students, and people who were not that long out of high school. the heating and air conditioning thing was his day job.
maybe...trabajo del diá
Unfortunately I don't know how to clarify it any more than I have. It seems like Gus understands the basic idea that I am trying to get accross. Maybe its an expression just in the United States. A day job is a job that you do to make money to keep living until you find work that you enjoy to do. Some people work at their day job their entire life and never actually do what they want to do, ever.
Heidita said:
jejeje, trying to be funny eddy? jeje, Nathan is the poster!
In that case, I don't understand the post either.
