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bells and whistles

Spanish translation: bombos y platillos

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GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

English term or phrase:	bells and whistles
Spanish translation:	bombos y platillos
Entered by:	Stuart Allsop

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15:24 Aug 12, 2004

English to Spanish translations [PRO]
Bus/Financial - Finance (general) / Banking services

English term or phrase: bells and whistles

One of those untranslatable cliches...

Context: "While many of the early ***bells and whistles*** of the dot-com bubble made their way through Latin American financial markets....".

I've heard "pitos y flautas" used for this, but are there any other equivalent terms?

Stuart Allsop KudoZ activity Questions: 538 (7 open) (3 closed without grading) Answers: 840 Chile
Local time: 07:19

bombos y platillos

Explanation:
This is it... I'm certain!

Selected response from:

Joanna Leigh

Grading comment

This is what I was looking for! Thanks to everyone for their input.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

5 +5

bombos y platillos

Joanna Leigh

5 +3

fanfarria / deslumbrante fanfarria

xxxElena Sgarbo

campaneos y silbidos

xxxTadzio

señuelo

Judy Rojas

alboroto/ ruido

Andra Parvu

4 +1

rasgos que caracterizaron

George Rabel

deslumbre

Susana Galilea

florituras

Maria Marin

extravagancias

Graciela Carlyle

superficialidades

María Teresa Taylor Oliver

Answers

12 mins confidence:

campaneos y silbidos

Explanation:
"Cualidades avanzadas y exageradas del software".
Fuente: Dicc. Babylon Pro.

xxxTadzio
Native speaker of:

Spanish
PRO pts in category: 79

9 mins confidence:

alboroto/ ruido

Explanation:
Stuart, "pitos y flautas" is generally used in other contexts, like when you avoid an obvious enumeration... :)

what "bells and whistles" means here is sth. like commotion, fuss... (though it could be in the positive sense...) And that's ALBOROTO or RUIDO
Ex: "tanto alboroto se armó, que tuvimos que salir a ver qué pasaba"
or in the well known expression: "mucho ruido y pocas nueces" (much ado about nothin')

Good luck! :)

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 14 mins (2004-08-12 15:38:22 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

the sentence qould go like this:

MIENTRAS QUE EL TEMPRANO ALBOROTO DEL DOT-COM LLEGABA A LOS MERCADOS FINANCIEROS LATINO-AMERICANOS....

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 16 mins (2004-08-12 15:40:22 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

the sentence Would go (not qould go)... sorry for the typo
:)

Andra Parvu
Argentina
Local time: 07:19
Native speaker of:

Romanian,

Spanish

19 mins confidence:

señuelo

Explanation:
Ventajas adicionales que se incorporan a un producto para satisfacer o impresionar al mayor número de consumidores.
Diccionario inglés de publicidad y marketing

Judy Rojas
Chile
Local time: 07:19
Works in field
Native speaker of:

Spanish
PRO pts in category: 52

20 mins confidence:

extravagancias

Explanation:
o "elementos extravagantes" podría ser otra opción a la de María Teresa.

"Bells and whistles" da la idea de cosas extra, que no son tan necesarias. En Argentina diríamos "Mientras que muchos de los 'chiches' de..."

También, una forma informal podría ser "pitos y matracas" (no "pitos y flautas" que es otra cosa).

Vos verás qué se ajusta mejor a tu texto.
Suerte,
Grace.

Graciela Carlyle
United Kingdom
Local time: 10:19
Native speaker of:

Spanish
PRO pts in category: 4

21 mins confidence:

deslumbre

Explanation:
en el sentido de que el "fulgor" de los elementos superficiales no te permite ver claro

Susana Galilea
United States
Local time: 04:19
Native speaker of:

Spanish
PRO pts in category: 38

22 mins confidence:

florituras

Explanation:
.

Maria Marin
Local time: 11:19
Native speaker of:

Spanish

27 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +5

bombos y platillos

Explanation:
This is it... I'm certain!

Joanna Leigh
Native speaker of:

Spanish
PRO pts in category: 4

Grading comment

This is what I was looking for! Thanks to everyone for their input.

5 mins confidence:

superficialidades

Explanation:
According to Collins:
bells and whistles (informal) noun plural
(esp computing) elementos mpl accesorios (pejorative) florituras fpl

"pitos y flautas" in Spanish is not the same thing:
Collins again:
entre pitos y flautas (informal) what with one thing and another

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 mins (2004-08-12 15:30:29 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

\"elementos superfluos/innecesarios\"

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 7 mins (2004-08-12 15:32:01 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

According to the DRAE:
entre pitos y flautas.
1. loc. adv. coloq. U. para expresar que algo se debe a diferentes causas o motivos. Entre pitos y flautas, se me hizo tarde.

It doesn\'t fit the context.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 10 mins (2004-08-12 15:34:58 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Merriam-Webster

Main Entry: bells and whistles
Function: noun plural
: items or features that are useful or decorative but not essential : FRILLS

(I\'m trying to find an expression that fits here... Not done yet, wait :P)

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 19 mins (2004-08-12 15:43:25 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I think they are referring not only to the \"alboroto\", but also to the \"frills and thrills\" that the Internet business represented.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 31 mins (2004-08-12 15:56:11 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

a bombo y platillo, o a bombo y platillos.
1. locs. advs. Dicho de anunciar o de presentar una noticia o un suceso: Con extremada publicidad.

\"Con bombos y platillos\" also means the same as \"alboroto\". Which I don\'t think it\'s wrong, but it\'s only part of the answer. They are referring to the \"frills\" offered in such a manner.

María Teresa Taylor Oliver
Panama
Local time: 05:19
Works in field
Native speaker of:

Spanish
PRO pts in category: 32

42 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

fanfarria / deslumbrante fanfarria

Explanation:
Hola Stuart

En Argentina, una forma común de decir "with all the bells and whistles" sería "con todos los chiches"--- pero en tu contexto creo que además de las varias opciones ofrecidas x los colegas, iría bien "fanfarria".

Suerte!

Elena

Del DRAE:

fanfarria.
(De fanfarrear).
1. f. Conjunto musical ruidoso, principalmente a base de instrumentos de metal.
2. f. Música interpretada por esos instrumentos.
3. f. coloq. Baladronada, bravata, jactancia.
4. m. Ar. Persona que se precia y hace alarde de valentía o de otros valores.

xxxElena Sgarbo
Native speaker of:

Spanish

47 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

rasgos que caracterizaron

Explanation:
...Aunque muchos de los rasgos que caracterizaron inicialmente al furor de las compañías de Internet hicieron su aparición en los mercados financieros latinoamericanos...

Lacking a specific equivalent term or expression, I´d opt for the safety of the neutral. Bombos y platillos has a totally different meaning than bells and whistles, By the way, bells and whistles are not always superflous or unnecesary. They can be useful enhancements. I have translated the expression before, but in a different context, (with all the bells and whistles = "con todos los extras") but in this case that does not work. I would never use anything as literal as "campanas y pitos" which is totally meaningless in Spanish, regardless of wheather some incompetent translator translated as such and the translation found it´s way to Google or Babylon.

George Rabel
Local time: 05:19
Native speaker of:

Spanish
PRO pts in category: 35

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