Apr 11, 2007 09:32
17 yrs ago
1 viewer *
Spanish term
Spain
Highly reliable
Native in: Spanish 
Works in: English to Spanish, English to Galician, Spanish to English, and 4 more.
Ante el vicio de pedir, está la virtud de no dar
Spanish to English
Other
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
Hello. I have been searching for more than an hour and can't find how to say
"Ante el vicio de pedir, está la virtud de no dar"
Thanks for your help.
Carolina
"Ante el vicio de pedir, está la virtud de no dar"
Thanks for your help.
Carolina
Proposed translations
(English)
Proposed translations
+1
2 hrs
Chanda Danley
Spain
Spain
Native in English
Spain
Business/Social Services Specialist
Native in: English
Works in: Spanish to English, French to English, English
Related KudoZ points
:
4
Selected
He who pays the piper, calls the tune
It's not an exact translation of the Spanish expression, but I think it conveys the meaning behind the use of the expression in the Spanish text....or rather, it fits to use this well-known English expression in this context.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Marcelo Silveyra
: I actually think this is the best option provided. It's actual English and very idiomatic. Love it!
15 hrs
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thanks so much Marcelo!
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Chanda, thxs"
24 mins
Carol Gullidge
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in English
United Kingdom
poetically precise prose with... panache
Native in: English
Works in: French to English, Spanish to English, English
Related KudoZ points
:
138
The answer to asking/pleading/begging is to {say "no"}/refuse
I'm assuming we're talking about whining children here, although refusing to give has also been argued as the best solution to street begging, so this could work for either case.
This loses the nice antithesis if vicio/virtud, but this is partially compensated with the idea of "asking/refusing"
This loses the nice antithesis if vicio/virtud, but this is partially compensated with the idea of "asking/refusing"
Note from asker:
| The text has nothing to do with begging. It's an article that discuss free software (open source) and it says that people want everything for free. So the article goes like this: Pide, pero eso no quiere decir que al pedir se consiga. Eso sí, por pedir, que no quede. "Ante el vicio de pedir, está la virtud de no dar" |
+1
28 mins
Noni Gilbert Riley
Spain
Spain
Native in English
Specializes in field
Spain
The translator people turn to
Native in: English (Variant: UK)
Works in: Spanish to English, French to Spanish, English, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
32
You can always say no
This is the one that occurs to me. Plenty of google hits in a variety of register situations.
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Note added at 1 hr (2007-04-11 10:49:06 GMT)
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"If you don´t ask, you won´t get" may come in handy earlier in the text too!
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Note added at 1 hr (2007-04-11 10:49:06 GMT)
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"If you don´t ask, you won´t get" may come in handy earlier in the text too!
1 hr
Edward Tully
Native in English
Because your words matter
Native in: English (Variants: UK, US)
Works in: Spanish to English
Related KudoZ points
:
90
Not to give in to beggars/begging is a virtue
another option!
4 hrs
He that would have the fruit must climb the tree
El que algo quiere, algo le cuesta...
+1
8 hrs
in face of askers, givers can (have the right to) refuse
yet another option
8 mins
Marcelo Silveyra
United States
United States
Native in English
United States
A perfect track record of reliability
Native in: English (Variant: US)
Works in: German to English, Spanish to English
To confront the vice of begging/asking, there is the virtue of not giving
This is a literal (well, almost) translation that I think makes sense...I'd wait a bit and see if anyone comes up with an idiom in Engish for this (I can't come up with any right now)
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Note added at 59 mins (2007-04-11 10:31:47 GMT)
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A quick option for your open-source freeware context:
When there is too much asking, there is always the possibility of not giving.
This definitely fits better than my previous non-context option :)
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Note added at 17 hrs (2007-04-12 03:30:48 GMT)
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Like I said below, I think that, although it would require a bit of text-reworking, Chanda's option is the most idiomatic. Idiomatic? Forget that. I think it's pretty brilliant, and it's the closest in register to the "vicio/virtud" aspect.
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Note added at 59 mins (2007-04-11 10:31:47 GMT)
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A quick option for your open-source freeware context:
When there is too much asking, there is always the possibility of not giving.
This definitely fits better than my previous non-context option :)
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Note added at 17 hrs (2007-04-12 03:30:48 GMT)
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Like I said below, I think that, although it would require a bit of text-reworking, Chanda's option is the most idiomatic. Idiomatic? Forget that. I think it's pretty brilliant, and it's the closest in register to the "vicio/virtud" aspect.
Discussion