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Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature | | Italian term or phrase: in rotellina | it's a robots' story for kids, so the protagonist, a robomouse, is not "in gamba", he's "in rotellina"... how would you translate this pun into English?
Thanks! |
|  Alessandro DrenaggiKudoZ activityQuestions: 42 (none open) ( 10 closed without grading) Answers: 137
Italy
| | Local time: 06:57
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| | English translation:has his wheels on the ground / screwed on the right way | Explanation:
You could try adapting one of these English expressions to create a similar meaning: 1) to have one's feet on the ground (meaning practical and sensible) or 2) to have one's head screwed on the right way (common sense and level-headed). You could then adapt it with "wheels", "roller" or whatever suits the character best. |
| Selected response from:
Catherine Da Costa
Local time: 05:57
| Grading comment smart & funny!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer |
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| Discussion entries: 0 |
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1 hr confidence:  
1 hr confidence: has his wheels on the ground / screwed on the right way
Explanation:
You could try adapting one of these English expressions to create a similar meaning: 1) to have one's feet on the ground (meaning practical and sensible) or 2) to have one's head screwed on the right way (common sense and level-headed). You could then adapt it with "wheels", "roller" or whatever suits the character best.
Example sentence(s):- Robomouse really has his wheels on the ground! Robomouse really has his head screwed on the right way!
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1 hr confidence: scroller/scroll wheel
Explanation:
Scroller might be the better option as it sounds so close to "stroller" which is the US English word for a pram. It therefore enhances the idea of wheels, "strolling" (walking) whilst keeping it specific to computers.
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Note added at 2 hrs (2011-07-05 10:31:53 GMT)
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Hi Alessandro,
You could say "on a scroll"...play on words between scroll wheel and "on a roll" as Debora suggests?
| | | Notes to answerer
Asker: thanks heloise, the thing is, I should maintain the "essere in gamba" meaning, i.e. being smart... do you think I still could say "in scroller"?
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2 hrs confidence: peer agreement (net): -1
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The translation workplace 
