English translation: they put the table near the doorway, where the air was cooler
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GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Spanish term or phrase:
Pusiéronle la mesa por el fresco
English translation:
they put the table near the doorway, where the air was cooler
Spanish to English translations [PRO] Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / El Quijote
Spanish term or phrase:Pusiéronle la mesa por el fresco
Same paragraph as before, from "El Quijote"
"They prepared thim a table outside"?
“… que en Castilla llaman abadejo y en Andalucía bacalao y en otras truchuelas”
"A dicho acertó a ser viernes aquel día, y no había en toda la venta sino unas raciones de pescado, que en Castilla llaman abadejo y en Andalucía bacalao y en otras truchuelas. Preguntáronle si por ventura comiera su merced truchuela, que no había otro pescado que dar a comer... **Pusiéronle la mesa por el fresco**, y trájole el huésped una porción de mal mojado y peor cocinado bacalao"
Explanation: Full text:
Pusiéronle la mesa a la puerta de la venta, por el fresco, y trújole el
huésped una porción del mal remojado y peor cocido bacallao,
The idea is that the location of the table was determined "because of" its proximity to the fresh air. A literal reading would be "They put the table at the doorway of the inn, because of the fresh air, and ..."
Possible renderings:
They moved the table to the doorway of the inn, ...
They placed the table at the entrance of the inn, ...
where the air was cooler
where the air was fresher
because of the fresh air
They prepared/set a table for him outside, I might put it, I think.
Automatic update in 00:
Answers
9 mins confidence:
They prepared his table in the (cold) draught
Explanation: As far as I can tell it should be:
Le pusieron la mesa a la puerta de la venta, por el fresco
'draft' for US.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 28 mins (2011-09-23 09:34:10 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Just to clarify, my full translation would be:
"They prepared his table at the door to the inn, in the cold draught"
or
"They prepared his table in the cold draught at the door to the inn"
Explanation: Full text:
Pusiéronle la mesa a la puerta de la venta, por el fresco, y trújole el
huésped una porción del mal remojado y peor cocido bacallao,
The idea is that the location of the table was determined "because of" its proximity to the fresh air. A literal reading would be "They put the table at the doorway of the inn, because of the fresh air, and ..."
Possible renderings:
They moved the table to the doorway of the inn, ...
They placed the table at the entrance of the inn, ...
where the air was cooler
where the air was fresher
because of the fresh air
cnelson Local time: 00:21 Meets criteria Specializes in field Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 4
Reference information: Sorry to do this to you again, Lisa, but since I got the books out for the other question I might as well take advantage of them again!
Shelton (1612):
"Then there was straight laid a table at the inn door, that he mought [sic] take the air"
Ormsby (1885):
"They laid a table for him at the door of the inn for the sake of the air"
Rutherford (2000):
"A table was set at the door of the inn, where it was cooler"
Grossman (2003):
"They set the table at the door of the inn to take advantage of the cooler air"
I still like Rutherford, myself.
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 56 mins (2011-09-23 10:02:19 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
Oh, and while we're at it, here's Walter Starkie (1957)
"As the air was cool they placed the table at the door of the inn"
-------------------------------------------------- Note added at 1 hr (2011-09-23 10:25:42 GMT) --------------------------------------------------
The translation workplace 
peer agreement (net): +1
