Italian: Chi presta, tempesta; e chi accetta, fa la festa.English translation: He who lends a book is stupid. Some borrowers keep the books and think they are smart. 
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| GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW) | | Italian term or phrase: | Chi presta, tempesta; e chi accetta, fa la festa. | | English translation: | He who lends a book is stupid. Some borrowers keep the books and think they are smart. | | Entered by: | Pnina |
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Italian to English translations [PRO]
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings | | Italian term or phrase: Chi presta, tempesta; e chi accetta, fa la festa. | | "Mia nonna mi diceva sempre: "chi presta, tempesta; e chi accetta, fa la festa." Ho sempre odiato prestare. Ho sempre odiato avere i miei adoratissimi libri a vista." |
| PninaKudoZ activityQuestions: 157 (all closed) Answers: 1251
Israel
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| Clarification request(s) and responseMirra_: 2:04pm Jun 5, 2008: it's called Peter and comes back to the giver ;D
Seriously... Non ho mai sentito questo detto, ma, scusa, 'tempesta' vuol dire che tempesta di richieste per riottenere i suoi averi, o, che soffre?
Pnina: 6:30pm Jun 5, 2008: Thank you everyone - Have found the solution elsewhere. Here it is:
"He who lends a book is an idiot. He who returns the book is more of an idiot."
www.finestquotes.com/author_quotes-author-Arabic%20Proverb-...
I am going to use this one because my context is about a girl who is reluctant to lend books to her friends. This saying demonstrates that some lenders lose and some borrowers enjoy what they have borrowed.
Pnina: 6:43pm Jun 5, 2008: Ciao Mirra - Leggi il commento di James (Jim) Davis che riguarda la risposta di Potlatch.
Pauley: 6:51pm Jun 5, 2008: thanks for the two points, pnina, but i must say i doubt the suitability of your arabic quotation, which suggests that people who give back what they borrow are idiots. not only is this socially unacceptable but i don't see that it's in the original quote
Pnina: 7:03pm Jun 5, 2008: Dear Pauley - When there is no equivalent of a certain proverb, I choose the second best. The Arabic saying fits in my context (A girl remembered that her grandmother told her that it was better not to lend things). It demonstrates that the lender puts himself in the hands of the borrower.
Pauley: 7:08pm Jun 5, 2008: That's true. Indeed, my Shakespearean proposal was also only half applicable.
Mirra_: 8:31pm Jun 5, 2008: Grazie Pnina, ma io volevo sapere il significato di 'tempesta' (supponendo che, visto che tu già lo conoscevi, lo sapessi e/o c'avessi già pensato), al senso generale del proverbio c'arrivavo... ;D
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| | neither borrower nor lender be | Explanation:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22neither+borrower+nor...
it's not exactly what the grandmother is implying (whe's telling him/her not to lend), but a borrower "fa la festa" only for a certain time. that's why, for example, paying by instalments is somethimes called getting things "on the glad and sorry" (i.e glad you have the object immediately, sorry you then have to pay for it).
at any rate, mine is one option.
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Note added at 11 mins (2008-06-05 09:27:46 GMT)
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"Neither a borrower nor a lender be; For loan oft loses both itself and friend, And
borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry". (Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Act I, scene
iii). |
| Selected response from:
 Pauley
Italy
| Note from asker to answererThank you for the quotation of the advice of Polonius in Shakespeare's Hamlet. Have decided to grant you 2 points for your effort.
2 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer |
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9 mins confidence:   peer agreement (net): +5 |
| neither borrower nor lender be
Explanation:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22neither+borrower+nor...
it's not exactly what the grandmother is implying (whe's telling him/her not to lend), but a borrower "fa la festa" only for a certain time. that's why, for example, paying by instalments is somethimes called getting things "on the glad and sorry" (i.e glad you have the object immediately, sorry you then have to pay for it).
at any rate, mine is one option.
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Note added at 11 mins (2008-06-05 09:27:46 GMT)
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"Neither a borrower nor a lender be; For loan oft loses both itself and friend, And
borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry". (Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Act I, scene
iii).
| Pauley
Italy
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:  English
PRO pts in category: 22
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| Note from asker to answerer| Thank you for the quotation of the advice of Polonius in Shakespeare's Hamlet. Have decided to grant you 2 points for your effort. |
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The translation workplace 
