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Así las cosas

English translation: Upon his return to

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Spanish term or phrase:Así las cosas
English translation:Upon his return to
Entered by: James A. Walsh

13:08 Aug 8, 2011
Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Social Sciences - History / Heritage Foundation Website
Spanish term or phrase: Así las cosas
This is from the “History” section of a Heritage Foundation website run by Benedictine monks in the Basque Country (Spain).

I’m having trouble working “así las cosas” into the sentence here, and would appreciate your suggestions.

CONTEXT:

“El monje benedictino XXXX XXXX XXXX lleva ya cuatro décadas recopilando libros, revistas y diverso tipo de documentación de temática vasca. Fue a comienzos de los años 70 cuando XXXX recibió de sus superiores el encargo de ocuparse de la Biblioteca del Monasterio de los Benedictinos de Lazkao. Tal y como él ha reconocido muchas veces, por aquel entonces sabía poco sobre libros, y decidió marchar a Monserrat, a realizar estudios de Biblioteconomía. Fue allí donde despertó su vocación de bibliotecario, y fue también allí donde decidió crear un gran archivo que recogiera todo tipo de fondos relacionados con el País Vasco.

Así las cosas, a su regreso a Lazkao se dedicó de lleno a su nueva labor. Organizó la Biblioteca, adquirió nuevos libros, completó colecciones…, y, de forma paralela, comenzó a dar forma a lo que posteriormente sería conocida como Biblioteca Vasca, con los libros y revistas de temática vasca que encontró en el monasterio y con los que a partir de entonces empezó a recopilar.”

Going into UK English. Thank you.
James A. Walsh
Spain
Local time: 06:11
Upon his return to/ After returning to . . .
Explanation:
Remember that this has to sound natural in English. Examples: www.themonkstudio.com/aboutUs - En cachéAfter returning to Los Angeles to work at Digital Domain and 8 years later, Chris returns to Bangkok as Sr. Producer with The Monk Studio and brings his ...; www.mikecarrkarate.com/kenpohistory.html - En cachéHe meditated in a cave at the outskirts of the temple seeking a way for the monks to regain control of their lives. Upon his return Bodhidharma gathered the ...; www.choylayfut.eu/clfhistory.html - En caché(Chan was supposed to have gone under the monk for study in the Shaolin ... Upon his return to the village, Jeong Hung Sing awed the villagers with his ...

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Note added at 9 hrs (2011-08-08 22:31:27 GMT)
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Cheers from Saragossa. I think your solution is perfect. I always give these introductory phrases a lot of attention before I cut them, precisely because they sometimes contain certain information (or even a sensibility or feeling) that should be shifted elsewhere in the sentence in English. If it is clumsily translated at the beginning, an English reader will just zip past it. If it's a matter of decoration,nothing important is lost, but if there is a kernel of meaning, it needs to be nestled in just the right place for the English-speaking reader's eye to pick it up. Kudoz does rock. I have learned so much from Proz colleagues.

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Note added at 9 hrs (2011-08-08 22:46:11 GMT)
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Strangely chilly here in Saragossa at night this summer--but I'm not complaining!
Selected response from:

Jenni Lukac (X)
Local time: 06:11
Grading comment
Thank you Jenni and everyone else for your time and help. Much appreciated, as ever! Greetings, James
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +5This being so/This being the case/This being the situation
FVS (X)
4 +2Thus, OR As a consequence/consequently
Yvonne Gallagher
4 +2Upon his return to/ After returning to . . .
Jenni Lukac (X)
4 +1Hence
Emma Ratcliffe
5Given this situation
Richard Cadena
4subsequently
bigedsenior
4In the event
David Ronder
3Things being like that
Michael Powers (PhD)
3in due course
polyglot45
3As it is OR Following that OR
Laurie Price


Discussion entries: 2





  

Answers


2 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
Things being like that


Explanation:
I believe this is the idea

Mike

Michael Powers (PhD)
United States
Local time: 00:11
Meets criteria
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 55
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5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
in due course


Explanation:
in the fullness of time, on his return.....
A filler of this sort is what you need - as things played out.....

polyglot45
Meets criteria
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in FrenchFrench
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7 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +5
This being so/This being the case/This being the situation


Explanation:
Whichever you feel fits best into your context.

FVS (X)
Meets criteria
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Laurie Price: yes
1 min
  -> Thanks Laurie
agree  bcsantos: More options here:) http://wordlist.com/that being so.htm
18 mins
  -> Thanks, yes, there must be dozens of variations on the theme.
agree  Salloz
24 mins
  -> Thanks Salloz.
agree  Elda Munguia
1 hr
  -> Thanks Elda.
agree  liz askew
2 hrs
  -> Thanks Liz.
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7 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
As it is OR Following that OR


Explanation:
This is more a bit of metaphorical glue than information, and could just as easily be overlooked IMHO -- it's not necessary to the meaning of the sentence, as far as I can tell -- & appears to simply be a bit of rhetorical space filler.

Laurie Price
Mexico
Meets criteria
Native speaker of: English
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9 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Hence


Explanation:
I think it would be perfect to begin this sentence, as it is a history text.


    wordmagicsoft
Emma Ratcliffe
Mexico
Local time: 22:11
Meets criteria
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish, Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Wendy Streitparth: Sums it up in a word
6 hrs
  -> Thank you!
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20 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
Thus, OR As a consequence/consequently


Explanation:
keeping it simple and in register

Yvonne Gallagher
Ireland
Local time: 05:11
Meets criteria
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 14

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Charles Davis: I think one of these would work well in this context.
21 mins
  -> thanks Charles:-)
agree  Dorota Madrzyk: simple and will work well.
3 hrs
  -> thank you Dorota!
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
Given this situation


Explanation:
Reference:

Tom West's Dictionary.

Hope this helps.


    Reference: http://aicpa.org
    Reference: http://imcp.org.mx
Richard Cadena
Mexico
Local time: 22:11
Meets criteria
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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7 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
subsequently


Explanation:
subsequently upon his return,....

bigedsenior
Local time: 21:11
Meets criteria
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 52
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

30 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
Upon his return to/ After returning to . . .


Explanation:
Remember that this has to sound natural in English. Examples: www.themonkstudio.com/aboutUs - En cachéAfter returning to Los Angeles to work at Digital Domain and 8 years later, Chris returns to Bangkok as Sr. Producer with The Monk Studio and brings his ...; www.mikecarrkarate.com/kenpohistory.html - En cachéHe meditated in a cave at the outskirts of the temple seeking a way for the monks to regain control of their lives. Upon his return Bodhidharma gathered the ...; www.choylayfut.eu/clfhistory.html - En caché(Chan was supposed to have gone under the monk for study in the Shaolin ... Upon his return to the village, Jeong Hung Sing awed the villagers with his ...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 9 hrs (2011-08-08 22:31:27 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Cheers from Saragossa. I think your solution is perfect. I always give these introductory phrases a lot of attention before I cut them, precisely because they sometimes contain certain information (or even a sensibility or feeling) that should be shifted elsewhere in the sentence in English. If it is clumsily translated at the beginning, an English reader will just zip past it. If it's a matter of decoration,nothing important is lost, but if there is a kernel of meaning, it needs to be nestled in just the right place for the English-speaking reader's eye to pick it up. Kudoz does rock. I have learned so much from Proz colleagues.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 9 hrs (2011-08-08 22:46:11 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Strangely chilly here in Saragossa at night this summer--but I'm not complaining!

Jenni Lukac (X)
Local time: 06:11
Meets criteria
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 111
Grading comment
Thank you Jenni and everyone else for your time and help. Much appreciated, as ever! Greetings, James
Notes to answerer
Asker: My sentiments exactly, Jenni! (In fact, I strive to be the invisible translator). I do feel this is slightly more than just a filler though, in that it ties in with “se dedicó de lleno” with the intention of capturing the notion that he acknowledged many times that he knew very little about books when asked to assume the role of curator of the monastery’s library, and had then embarked on his library studies in Montserrat, etc... So I’m now happy with “Upon his return to Lazkao, XXXX was <u>keen to</u> devote...” (I inserted his proper name here to facilitate better reading). When I posted today, my draft was “And so, on returning to Lazkao, he dedicated...” (way too clumsy!). Cheers. Kudoz rocks sometimes!

Asker: Happy dayzz (sorry, I just developed a Jamie Oliver-style lisp then, for no apparent reason :). Cheers from riDICulously hot Granada.

Asker: ¡Uuf! My thermometer is reading 30.5º C as I type...


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  patinba: Much better, ignore the filler for sharper English.
24 mins
  -> Thanks, patinba. We all agonize about these things: translating them in the first draft, and then culling them in the second.
agree  Reed James
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Reed. Have a nice day.
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15 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
In the event


Explanation:
You have a lot of valid options here, as the other answers make clear. This is the historians' favourite.

(For a different register, Jimmy Saville's "As it happened.." might be a runner...)

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Note added at 17 hrs (2011-08-09 06:25:47 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Cheers, James. The rioting is rather close for comfort - down the road in Wood Green, and now in Ealing where I have family. I was also at White Hart Lane on Saturday just before it all started in Tottenham. Not good. Most Londoners are pretty shocked, didn't see it coming. Neither did the police or politicians.

David Ronder
United Kingdom
Local time: 05:11
Meets criteria
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 52
Notes to answerer
Asker: Brilliant options indeed, David. And thank you kindly for your contribution. I just had to tell you what a chuckle your Jimmy Saville comment gave me earlier! ...honestly, I feel So tempted at times... P.S. watching the news here, hope things are good in your part of London!

Asker: I think the whole world is pretty shocked. I just can't get over the pointless violence of it all!? I lived in London for 10 years, and have plans to move back there next year, so it's pretty worrisome stuff to watch. Hope things calm down a bit up there, and soon!

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