This site uses cookies. Some of these cookies are essential to the operation of the site, while others help to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used. For more information, please see the ProZ.com privacy policy.
Cookie settings

Translation - art & business » Literature / Poetry »
Literature: book translation - Italian wordplay "cinofilo"-"cinefilo"
Thread poster: Martina MM

Martina MM  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 20:53
Member (2016)
English to Italian
+ ...
Feb 17, 2017

Hello everyone,
I'm having trouble translating the following wordplay from Italian to English:

«Oggi sei in vena di metafore da esperta cinefila?»
«Per fortuna non hai detto cinofila, come faceva sempre il mio stupido ex.»

Any suggestions?
Thank you!
Martina
 

Jo Macdonald  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 12:53
Member (2005)
Italian to English
+ ...
Kudoz Feb 17, 2017

Hi Martina,
You could post this as a kudoz question and maybe get more answers.

«Oggi sei in vena di metafore da esperta cinefila?»
«Per fortuna non hai detto cinofila, come faceva sempre il mio stupido ex.»

So you want to tie in cinefila - cinefile/film buff/film expert with cinofila - dog lover/dog expert.
 

Martina MM  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 20:53
Member (2016)
English to Italian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks! Feb 17, 2017

Yes, that's an Italian joke/mistake, usually indicating that, the person who says one word instead of the other, is not really cultured.
I would skip translating that if I could, but then I would have to find a way to bring the "ex boyfriend" in the conversation between the two characters and I really don't know how to.

I will post it on kudoz as well, thank you!
 

Michael Wetzel  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 20:53
German to English
cinephile and cynophile? Feb 17, 2017

I don't know if that works or not. "Cinephile" is a perfectly normal and comprehensible word in English, even if it is not particularly common.

"Cynophile" is very obscure, not readily comprehensible for anyone without much familiarity with Latin or Latinized Greek, and may or may not suggest bestiality to some readers. ("Canophile" would be easier to understand, but does not really seem to be the right term and is useless in terms of the joke.)

"Cinephile" and "cynophile" sound very similar, but not identical, which fits perfectly. However, someone's knowledge of the word "cynophile" would tend to represent him or her as highly educated, so this pair of words may not help at all.
 

Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 19:53
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Impossible Feb 17, 2017

Martina MM wrote:

Yes, that's an Italian joke/mistake, usually indicating that, the person who says one word instead of the other, is not really cultured.
I would skip translating that if I could, but then I would have to find a way to bring the "ex boyfriend" in the conversation between the two characters and I really don't know how to.

I will post it on kudoz as well, thank you!


I saw the kudiz question, pondered it for a while, and came to the conclusion that it's impossible to convey that wordplay in English (although you'll probably get lots of ungainly suggestions that don't work).
 

Michael Newton  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 14:53
Member (2003)
Japanese to English
+ ...
Wordplay Feb 18, 2017

Perhaps "sinophile" and "cinephile"
 


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:

Moderator(s) of this forum
NancyLynn[Call to this topic]
Maria Castro[Call to this topic]
Fernanda Rocha[Call to this topic]

You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

Literature: book translation - Italian wordplay "cinofilo"-"cinefilo"

Advanced search







SDL MultiTerm 2019
Guarantee a unified, consistent and high-quality translation with terminology software by the industry leaders.

SDL MultiTerm 2019 allows translators to create one central location to store and manage multilingual terminology, and with SDL MultiTerm Extract 2019 you can automatically create term lists from your existing documentation to save time.

More info »
SDL Trados Studio 2019 Freelance
The leading translation software used by over 250,000 translators.

SDL Trados Studio 2019 has evolved to bring translators a brand new experience. Designed with user experience at its core, Studio 2019 transforms how new users get up and running and helps experienced users make the most of the powerful features.

More info »

Recent posts | FAQ | Rules | Moderators | Article knowledgebase

Your current localization setting

English

Select a language

More languages...
Close search
Forums
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search