femmenelli

English translation: fairy, pansy, queen (with note) or rentboy

14:24 Nov 8, 2007

Italian to English translations [PRO]
Poetry & Literature

Italian term or phrase: femmenelli

A me mi sono venuti a prendere a casa perché quando fecero la retata i femmenelli denunciarono anche me perché dissero che mi cercavano come il pane… E mi hanno dato così tante botte che prima di portarmi qui, mi hanno dovuto ricoverare…” Alfredo lo abbraccia e lo bacia, davanti a tutti, senza alcun ritegno...

(again I need a term suitable to the World War II era.)

thanks to everyone for their help with this project.
Regards,
Lorraine

Lorraine Abbey KudoZ activity Questions: 648 (4 open) (8 without valid answers) (18 closed without grading) Answers: 180 Ireland
Local time: 03:07

English translation:fairy, pansy, queen (with note) or rentboy

Explanation:
Rentboy is generally non offensive (depending how its used) and means male prostitute. The others perhaps fit your text better but are for male homosexuals, the non offensive part is difficult, depends how it is used and intended.

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Note added at 4 hrs (2007-11-08 18:41:10 GMT) Post-grading
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That's fine by me, my interest goes no further than the terminology :-)

Selected response from:

James (Jim) Davis
Seychelles
Local time: 06:07

Grading comment

I think I might go with rent boy.
Thanks Jim
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

3 +2

femmenelli (male prostitutes)

Adele Oliveri

4 +1

sissy/sissy boy/sissy baby

Alessandra Renna

3 +2

fairy, pansy, queen (with note) or rentboy

James (Jim) Davis

Discussion entries: 1

Answers

11 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

femmenelli (male prostitutes)

Explanation:
io non lo tradurrei - è un termine dialettale caratteristico che difficilmente può trovare un equivalente adatto in un'altra lingua. è quasi come se fosse un nome proprio.

potresti lasciare in italiano e magari metti una nota del traduttore o una breve spiegazione in parentesi del significato...

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Note added at 12 mins (2007-11-08 14:37:30 GMT)
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tra l'altro mi sorge il dubbio che, essendo napoletano, andrebbe scritto "femmenielli":

http://www.google.com/search?hl=it&q=femmenielli&btnG=Cerca&...

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Note added at 25 mins (2007-11-08 14:50:19 GMT)
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un'ultima cosa:

nella spiegazione specificherei che si tratta di un termine dialettale napoletano con un connotato (vagamente?) dispregiativo dell'omossessualità (o bisessualità) dei soggetti

Adele Oliveri
Italy
Local time: 04:07
Native speaker of:

Italian
PRO pts in category: 12

1 hr confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

femmenello sissy/sissy boy/sissy baby

Explanation:
Ho visto il testo d'origine: si tratta di un'intervista ad un omosessuale perseguitato dal fascismo.
http://www.oliari.com/storia/peppinella.html
Non sono del parere di non tradurlo.
"Sissy" mi sembra una soluzione adeguata a tradurre "femminiello" poichè è anch'esso un vezzeggiativo. Inoltre contiene la connotazione femminile, poichè deriva da "sister" e, pur non avendo la stessa bonarietà del termine napoletano, risulta comunque vezzoso.
"Il femminiello gode quindi di una bonaria tolleranza in tutti i quartieri poveri della città, dove collabora attivamente all'arcaica economia del vicolo e dove, per la cultura popolare, non è mai un deviato, ma al massimo uno stravagante, che ama travestirsi ed imbellettarsi come una donna, assumere movenze e tonalità vocali caricaturali, amplificate da una gestualità quanto mai espressiva."
http://digilander.libero.it/achillelauro/omosex.htm
"Because of its origins in a feminine nickname, sissy is also a pejorative for a boy or man to indicate or imply that he is like a sister, that is, effeminate and fails to behave according to the traditional male gender role. Generally, it implies a lack of the courage and stoicism which are thought important to the male role. It might also imply interests seen as strikingly un-masculine. This pejorative may be given to anyone as an insult. Several variations, such as "sissy boy" or "sissy baby", exist and any term can become pejorative or insulting if preceded by "sissy" and applied to a boy or a man. Sissy is the male converse of tomboy, but has none of the latter's positive connotations. Even amongst gay men, behavior thought of as sissy or camp produces mixed reactions. Some men reclaim the term for themselves."
http://www.answers.com/sissy

Alessandra Renna
Local time: 04:07
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

Italian
PRO pts in category: 20

47 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

fairy, pansy, queen (with note) or rentboy

James (Jim) Davis
Seychelles
Local time: 06:07
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 130

Grading comment

I think I might go with rent boy.
Thanks Jim

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English translation: fairy, pansy, queen (with note) or rentboy

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