para exaltar las anchuras de su espalda

English translation: to straighten a bit its slumped shoulders

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

Spanish term or phrase:	para exaltar las anchuras de su espalda
English translation:	to straighten a bit its slumped shoulders
Entered by:	teju

15:15 Mar 31, 2008

Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Art, Arts & Crafts, Painting / Artist statement - art exhibit

Spanish term or phrase: para exaltar las anchuras de su espalda

Su vuluptuosa plástica y refracción artificial, me estuvieron persiguiendo por no sé qué, por algo, durante un tiempo, como suele sucederme en mis procesos. La noche es permisiva, en ella ocurren hechos que no se le permiten al día. Como la basura, pensé. Fue entonces que decidí replantearme su antiestética, no para embellecer su jorobado destino, mas bien ***para exaltar las anchuras de su espalda.*** Al final, como siempre, el resultado no fue mi objetivo, pero sí quedan estas piezas urbanas.

This is from the same artist statement as my two previous questions. Artspeak is never easy to translate. Thanks to all.

teju KudoZ activity Questions: 706 (none open) (14 closed without grading) Answers: 3424
Local time: 09:58

to praise his back's width

Explanation:
could it be, as it seems out of the context

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Note added at 1 hora (2008-03-31 16:21:49 GMT)
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ES UNA METÁFORA, PERO LO MISMO VALDRÍA EN INGLÉS, SE PUEDE PERFECTAMENTE UTILIZAR EL MISMO SÍMIL, EN MI OPINIÓN...

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Note added at 2 horas (2008-03-31 17:18:35 GMT)
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Si os fijáis, en la primera frase dice "Su vuluptuosa plástica y refracción artificial", a la que se remite más tarde como "jorobado destino", para finalmente añadir, utilizando el mismo símil "las anchuras de su espalda". El símil no es muy complicado en castellano, y se puede hacer el mismo juego de palabras en inglés, de forma que se entienda de igual manera...

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Note added at 2 horas (2008-03-31 17:37:07 GMT)
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si es que mis destino es la literatura, pero nada, todos con el software erre que erre...jejeje, gracias teju

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Note added at 5 horas (2008-03-31 20:48:24 GMT) Post-grading
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muchas gracias!

Selected response from:

Lorena_Escudero
Spain
Local time: 17:58

Grading comment

Lorena, te doy los puntos a tí por abrirme los ojos y mencionar que esto era una referencia a lo que decía antes de "jorobado destino". He adaptado la metáfora y acabé poniendo: to straighten a bit its slumped shoulders. Mil gracias.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

to exalt the width of his back

María San Raimundo Vega

to glorify its big shoulders

Kathryn Litherland

to exalt the breadth of its back

eski

to praise his back's width

Lorena_Escudero

Discussion entries: 5

Answers

11 mins confidence:

to exalt the width of his back

Explanation:
an option
good luck!

María San Raimundo Vega
Spain
Local time: 17:58
Native speaker of:

Spanish

19 mins confidence:

to glorify its big shoulders

Explanation:
I should probably go read the third part of the artist's statement, but taking into consideration that these appear to be on an urban theme, I hear a strong echo of Carl Sandburg's description of Chicago as the "city of big shoulders"--a poem which turns the ugly and brutish side of the city of Chicago into a virtue. So even though it's literally "back" here and not shoulders, I'd use that opportunity to make the connection, intentional or no.

Kathryn Litherland
United States
Local time: 11:58
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 20

Notes to answerer

Asker: Kathyn, I'm very impressed with your knowledge of the subject. I must add that this is a very young artist from a small town in Chihuahua, Mexico, and while it's is possible that she might have been making a reference to Sandburg's description of Chicago, I think it's not very probable that she did. I've been translating dozens of essays from young artists like this one, and the one constant in almost all of them is that they ramble on, with long sentences that don't make much sense at all (not my opinion only, my client agrees). So we are left with this bunch of essays that need to be edited, not just translated. We are working on that. When the original essay is in Spanish (this is a binational exhibit), then the curator cannot edit it until I translate. I hope this helps explain the context. Thank you very much for any help you can provide.

12 mins confidence:

to praise his back's width

Lorena_Escudero
Spain
Local time: 17:58
Native speaker of: Spanish
PRO pts in category: 4

Grading comment

Notes to answerer

Asker: ¡Tienes toda la razón! No me había dado ni cuenta de la relación entre "jorobado" y "espalda". Estabas inspirada Lorena :)))

8 hrs confidence:

to exalt the breadth of its back

Explanation:
We're getting into the arbitrary universe of artistic metaphor, here, teju-evidently PERSONAL artistic metaphor, so I incline toward a rather literal, yet agreeable translation.

Example sentence(s):

"...but rather, to exalt the breadth of its back.

eski
Mexico
Local time: 09:58
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English,

Spanish
PRO pts in category: 134

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para exaltar las anchuras de su espalda

English translation: to straighten a bit its slumped shoulders

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para exaltar las anchuras de su espalda

English translation: to straighten a bit its slumped shoulders

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