Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Spanish term or phrase:
Por los balcones se saben las intenciones
English translation:
Every balcony tells a story
Added to glossary by
Charles Davis
Jan 11, 2017 21:36
7 yrs ago
Spanish term
Argentina
Multilingual Experts
Native in: English (Variants: UK, US, Canadian) 
Works in: English, Spanish to English, English to Spanish, and 12 more.
Por los balcones se saben las intenciones
Spanish to English
Other
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
Though there were almost no hits on the web, this phrase is presented as a saying in this text by an Argentine writer:
Y están los otros balcones, los que dejan ver la vida les pasa por dentro. “Por los balcones se saben las
intenciones”, decían las abuelas. Y regaban semillas.
Thanks
Y están los otros balcones, los que dejan ver la vida les pasa por dentro. “Por los balcones se saben las
intenciones”, decían las abuelas. Y regaban semillas.
Thanks
Proposed translations
(English)
| 3 +2 | Every balcony tells a story |
Charles Davis
|
| 3 +3 | You can tell a lot about a person from their balcony |
Ciaran Simpson
|
| 3 | Balconies reveal our true selves |
David Ronder
|
Change log
Jan 19, 2017 01:11: Charles Davis Created KOG entry
Proposed translations
+2
1 hr
Selected
Every balcony tells a story
Just a idea. "Every X tells a story" is quite a common formulation, and I think it's fairly close to the spirit of of this saying: when you look at people's balconies you can tell what's really going on inside. I don't think a literal translation is going to work here.
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "thanks"
+3
3 hrs
Ciaran Simpson
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in English
Specializes in field
United Kingdom
Translator/Interpreter Spanish > English
Native in: English (Variant: British)
Works in: Spanish to English, English to Spanish
Related KudoZ points
:
4
You can tell a lot about a person from their balcony
It doesn't seem to be a popular saying in Spanish, so perhaps this conveys the meaning - and might roll off the tongue of someone of a certain age.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Carol Gullidge
: Although I like Charles's succinct solution, I feel this captures the meaning of the ST more closely
9 hrs
|
|
Thanks, Carol.
|
|
| agree |
Marie Wilson
: I like both suggestions.
11 hrs
|
|
Thank you, Marie.
|
|
| agree |
Robert Carter
: I think this is closest to the ST.
1 day 15 hrs
|
|
Thanks, Robert
|
19 hrs
David Ronder
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in English
United Kingdom
Linguistic flair and an eye for detail
Native in: English
Works in: Spanish to English, English
Related KudoZ points
:
16
Balconies reveal our true selves
I quite like the other two suggestions so far, but just feel maybe the original is saying something stronger - that you see right into people's lives through their balconies, and understand their real intentions.
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Note added at 3 days14 hrs (2017-01-15 12:08:53 GMT)
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To be closer to the original, you could equally well go with: Balconies reveal our true intentions
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Note added at 3 days14 hrs (2017-01-15 12:08:53 GMT)
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To be closer to the original, you could equally well go with: Balconies reveal our true intentions
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