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pompas de jabón

English translation: smoke and mirrors ((see below))

08:04 Jul 24, 2000
Spanish to English translations [Non-PRO]
Spanish term or phrase: pompas de jabón
I'm translating an interview on e-business solutions, and the interviewee is speaking on a specific program that has been designed. The entire phrase is "Existe una cierta inseguridad e incertidumbre y uno se pregunta si solo se trata de pompas de jabón o de algo con fundamento, algo sobre lo que se puede continuar construyendo..."
Ginny
English translation:smoke and mirrors ((see below))
Explanation:
" tratar de pompas de jabón" (literally, "pumping soap") sounds like a close cousin to the American idiomatic phrase "blowing smoke." However, taking your sentence as a whole, I'd like to suggest the following rendering (a loose translatation, bearing in mind the flavor of articles in Wired and other techhy periodicals): "There's a certain amount of doubt and uncertainty, and the question has to be asked: It is all just smoke and mirrors, or is there something real here -- something that we can can continue to build on..." -- Hope this helps!
Selected response from:

Heathcliff
United States
Local time: 19:38
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
nasmoke and mirrors ((see below))
Heathcliff
na"soap bubbles"
Baruch Avidar
nafroth
Robert Anderson


  

Answers


6 mins
smoke and mirrors ((see below))


Explanation:
" tratar de pompas de jabón" (literally, "pumping soap") sounds like a close cousin to the American idiomatic phrase "blowing smoke." However, taking your sentence as a whole, I'd like to suggest the following rendering (a loose translatation, bearing in mind the flavor of articles in Wired and other techhy periodicals): "There's a certain amount of doubt and uncertainty, and the question has to be asked: It is all just smoke and mirrors, or is there something real here -- something that we can can continue to build on..." -- Hope this helps!

Heathcliff
United States
Local time: 19:38
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in pair: 843
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56 mins
"soap bubbles"


Explanation:

I would say English:

"There is a certain unsecurity and uncertainty. The question I am asking myself is if we deal with just "soap bubbles", or is it something with a solid base, something that enables to continue building on it...\"

Good Luck!


Baruch Avidar
Israel
Local time: 05:38
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in pair: 92
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4 hrs
froth


Explanation:
"Froth" is commonly used to describe something without substance.
I would say: "There is a certain insecurity and uncertainty, and one wonders whether it is a question of mere froth or something substantial, something upon which one can continue building."

Robert Anderson
Local time: 20:38
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 229
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