Please check my translation: singing contest
Hola:
Por favor, puede checar mi traducción.
Párrafo número cuatro me da el problema mayor.
Gracias,
Martyn.
El texto original en español:
Sólo tiene 19 años, pero se ha metido a la audiencia en el bolsillo gracias a su prodigiosa voz, que se adapta a cualquier tipo de canción.
Aunque hace unas semanas no se presentase tan bien, es ahora el concursante que mayor número de votos tiene para estar en la gran final.
Antes de entrar en el concurso, trabajaba como cajero y estaba a punto de entrar en una facultad de medicina cuando se dio cuenta de que lo que le gustaba de verdad era cantar y emocionar a los demás.
Así, se presentó al famoso concurso y desde entonces se ha llevado muy bien con el resto de los concursantes, aunque en el fondo es un chico reservado y difícil de conocer y detrás de esa cara de niño frágil se esconde un joven impulsivo con una tremenda fuerza de voluntad.
"No pensaba que fuese importante cultivar una imagen pública, pero hoy en día me doy cuenta de que tengo hacer un esfuerzo fenomenal", dice.
Ahora, lo único que queda es que los telespectadores escojan un ganador...
Mi traducción en ingles:
He's only 19 years old, but he has put the audience in his pocket thanks to his prodigious voice, that adapts to any type of song.
Even though a few weeks ago he didn't present himself so well, he is now the contestant who has the largest number of votes, in order to be in the grand final.
Before entering the contest, he used to work as a cashier and was at the point of entering a medical school when he realised that what he liked in truth was to sing and to touch people.
In this way, he entered the famous contest and since then he has taken well to the rest of the contestants, even though at the start he was a reserved lad, difficult to get to know, and after (.'.) he hid a young impulsiveness with a tremendous force of will.
"I didn't used to think that it was important to cultivate a public image, but nowadays I realize that I have to make a phenomenal effort", he says.
Now, the only thing that remains is that the viewers at home choose him as winner...
9 Answers
LadyDi said:
Hi Martyn. The rest looks good except for the very last part. The Spanish part says "que escojan un ganador" so in English it should say "choose a winner..."
Doh! I'm going blind - it must be all the snow. Thanks.
Sí, "really" es mejor que "in truth", lo veo ahora.
Leeré tu artículo otra vez.
Me encanta este sitio - gracias por tu ayuda.
Hi Martyn. The rest looks good except for the very last part. The Spanish part says "que escojan un ganador" so in English it should say "choose a winner..."
Apart from that "in truth", lo demás parece estar bien.
Por cierto, si quieres saber por qué hay un "se" en "se esconde", lee la sección 9 de este artículo:
[url=http://my.spanishdict.com/forum/topic/show'id=1710195%3ATopic%3A1126028]http://my.spanishdict.com/forum/topic/show'id=1710195%3ATopic%3A1126028[/url]
Gracias - actually I was toying with, "and behind[...] hides" in preference to "and behind[...] there is hidden".
Were the remaining paragraphs ok'
Ahora sí tiene sentido. Fíjate en la sugerencia de LadyDi, por cierto.
P.S. "de verdad" en el texto de arriba se traduce normalmente como "really", en vez de "in truth".
lazarus1907 said:
Try these suggestions for paragraph 4:
en el fondo = deep down
Llevarse bien con alguien = get along well with someone
detrás de esa cara de niño = behind that child's face
se esconde un joven =there is a hidden young man
Gracias - qué piensas?
In this way, he entered the famous contest and since then he has got along well with the rest of the contestants, even though deep down he is a reserved lad, difficult to get to know, and behind that child's face there is a hidden, impulsive young man with a tremendous force of will.
"...and behind that boyish delicate face hides an impulsive young man with tremendous willpower."
Try these suggestions for paragraph 4:
en el fondo = deep down
Llevarse bien con alguien = get along well with someone
detrás de esa cara de niño = behind that borish face
se esconde un joven =there is a hidden young man
I'd have have translated "estaba a punto de entrar" as "he was about to enter".
(le gustaba) de verdad = really (liked)