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mátalas callando

English translation: your silence is your weapon

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Spanish term or phrase:mátalas callando
English translation:your silence is your weapon
Entered by: Vladimir Martinez

18:31 Jul 2, 2008
Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature
Spanish term or phrase: mátalas callando
It's in a poem, the poet actually used it as one word, as if it were the character's last name, and I can´t think of a suitable translation into English that can also be used as a last name...
Any thoughts?
Thanks
Eugenia Noriega (X)
Mexico
Local time: 09:42
your silence is your weapon
Explanation:
an option!

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Note added at 2 hrs (2008-07-02 21:17:45 GMT) Post-grading
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Thanks a lot!
Selected response from:

Vladimir Martinez
Spain
Grading comment
I took a bit of a license and got rid of the last name thing, it just wasn´t working. I did like TranslatedDCP's anwer, but discarded it precisely because it sounds a lot like the song, the poem has a very latin feel to it nd it just didn't fit, but thank you all for your help, it was very useful!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +2kill-with-silence//silent-kill//silence-kill'em
Lydia De Jorge
3 +2Killingsoftly
Denise Nahigian
4kill them, falling silent.
anelape
4hush-kill'em
Carla_am
4quietly getting your own way
bcsantos
4Hushandkill
Steven Huddleston
4Silent but deadly
Edward Tully
4softly/quietly does it
bcsantos
4Butterwouldn'tmelt
DonM
4your silence is your weapon
Vladimir Martinez


Discussion entries: 8





  

Answers


4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
kill-with-silence//silent-kill//silence-kill'em


Explanation:
.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 mins (2008-07-02 18:37:05 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

kill'em silence

Lydia De Jorge
United States
Local time: 10:42
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 133

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Romado: kill-with-silence
12 mins
agree  María T. Vargas
13 hrs
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9 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
kill them, falling silent.


Explanation:
Think it works with the rest of the poem?

anelape
Argentina
Local time: 12:42
Native speaker of: Spanish
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16 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
Killingsoftly


Explanation:
Just a suggestion based on the song "Killing Me Softly" sung by Roberta Flack. I think it has a last-name kind of ring.

Denise Nahigian
United States
Local time: 10:42
Works in field
Native speaker of: English

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Ruth Rubina: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_Me_Softly_with_His_Song
1 hr
  -> Thanks, bbt-ruth!
agree  Jessica Noyes: Yes, it does sound sort of like a last name.
1 hr
  -> Thanks Jessica!
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19 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
hush-kill'em


Explanation:
or write it however you prefer. It's just another option for an appropriate last name.
You could also say Kill'em-by-hush.

Carla_am
Argentina
Local time: 12:42
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 4
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27 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
quietly getting your own way


Explanation:
mátalas callando.

1. loc. sust. com. coloq. Persona que con maña y secreto procura conseguir su intento.

From Real Academia
See:http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltObtenerHtml?LEMA=matar&SUPIN...

bcsantos
Gibraltar
Local time: 17:42
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 36
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36 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
Hushandkill


Explanation:
Pretty cool, I think!

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 37 mins (2008-07-02 19:08:57 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Remember it’s a play-on-names

Steven Huddleston
Mexico
Local time: 09:42
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 39
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41 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
Silent but deadly


Explanation:
another option!

Edward Tully
Local time: 17:42
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 152
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48 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
softly/quietly does it


Explanation:
Just occurred to me.

bcsantos
Gibraltar
Local time: 17:42
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 36
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
Butterwouldn'tmelt


Explanation:
(Or indeed "Butter-wouldn't-melt".) As shorthand for the phrase "butter wouldn't melt in his/her mouth". My Concise OED defines this phrase as follows: "appear innocent while being the opposite", which corresponds very closely to the RAE definition for "matarlas" (see bcsantos's link) and the definition referenced by P Forgas. Whereas "Butterwouldn'tmelt" (i.e. without the "in his/her mouth") is not a phrase in English as "mátalascallando" is in Spanish, it's still suggestive of the colloquial phrase "butter...mouth", which, like "mátalascallando", is colloquial and has a long pedigree.
Whether this is useful obviously depends on the context of the poem (e.g. if the poet is using wordplay - playing also on the literal meanings of these words - this certainly won't be useful).

DonM
Ireland
Local time: 16:42
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 18
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3 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
your silence is your weapon


Explanation:
an option!

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2008-07-02 21:17:45 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------

Thanks a lot!

Vladimir Martinez
Spain
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 8
Grading comment
I took a bit of a license and got rid of the last name thing, it just wasn´t working. I did like TranslatedDCP's anwer, but discarded it precisely because it sounds a lot like the song, the poem has a very latin feel to it nd it just didn't fit, but thank you all for your help, it was very useful!
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)



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