Torrente (please see question:translation not sought)
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20:55 Feb 24, 2009
This question was closed without grading. Reason: Other
Italian to English translations [PRO] Geography
Italian term or phrase:Torrente (please see question:translation not sought)
I have also posted this question in the English/English pair category.
If 'torrent' is part of the name of a watercourse is it spelled in lower or uppercase? While the rules are clear for rivers, lakes and oceans (uppercase), there appears to be no such rule for 'torrent'. I am translating an Italian text which names numerous torrents and my instinct is to write these in uppercase, as in the 'Celina Torrent'. I would be interested in hearing other translators' thoughts on this. Thanks.
Thanks for all your comments. I don't entirely agree with those who suggested the word is NEVER used in English, even if it is true that it is rarely used. This, however, is more likely to be due to the fact that we have few mountains in the Uk and hence few torrents!! As I am translating a text about a country with a mountainous terrain, I believe that it is appropriate to use the term. Having posted this question in the English/English pair, where agreement was unanimous on using uppercase 'T', that is what I have decided to use. Thanks again to you all for your useful comments.
Main Entry: torrent
Etymology: Middle French, from Latin torrent-, torrens, from torrent-, torrens, adjective, burning, seething, rushing, from present participle of torrēre to parch, burn — more at thirst
Date: 1582
1 : a tumultuous outpouring : rush
2 : a violent stream of a liquid (as water or lava)
3 : a channel of a mountain stream
from the Merriam-Webster dictionary
The only difference between "fiume" and "torrente" is that the latter has ample and/or seasonal variations in capacity/depth, so it is a "stream" in the dry season and it can be a "river" (and a violent one at that) in the rain season. I would treat it just like a river and therefore capitalize the name initial.
Letting aside that this word seems not to be commonly used, I would definitely keep the same rule as for rivers and lakes as it is a name, I would therefore go with CAPITAL T.
My instinct would be to use lower case - the torrent Celina. Putting the whole thing in caps feels too "translated" to me. I'd also be very interested in hearing what other folks do in such a case, as I've been faced with this situation more than once
Thanks, Tom... I am aware that we don't tend to use the term in the Uk - although I did find a couple of examples of Torrent (capital 'T') in Wales, where this type of watercourse does at least exist. In many cases however, my torrents are too small to be described as rivers but too important to be referred to as 'streams', hence my question.
although "Torrente x" is common in Italian, it is not used in English. Example "Torrente Mugnone" would be "the River Mugnone". Not "the Torrent Mugnone". So it's neither upper case nor lower case.
The translation workplace 
