May 1, 2022 01:24
2 yrs ago
23 viewers *
Spanish term
United States
24 years of experience in many countries
Native in: Spanish 
Works in: English to Spanish, Spanish to English, English to French, and 6 more.
sus enormes fauces.
Spanish to English
Other
Poetry & Literature
Literature.
I would like to know the best translation of this phrase from Latin American Spanish into American English.
Colleagues from Spain, feel free to send me your suggestions as well. This is a translation about Mythology. Is okay to translate it as the Minotaur opened his huge maw?
It's about the story of Theseus and the Minotaur from Greek Mythology.
I hope that all of you are healthy and safe from Covid19.
Here is the full paragraph for your review:
Allí quedó, yaciendo en el suelo, desangrándose, y Teseo alzo la espada para acabar con su sufrimiento, mientras miraba el Minotauro abrió sus enormes fauces y a Teseo le pareció que los sonidos que salieron de ellas eran casi humanos, madre parecía decir padre, hermano, hermana… Entonces Ariadna, llego hasta ellos y con lágrimas en los ojos, rogó a Teseo que no lo hiciese, pues el Minotauro era su hermano,
Colleagues from Spain, feel free to send me your suggestions as well. This is a translation about Mythology. Is okay to translate it as the Minotaur opened his huge maw?
It's about the story of Theseus and the Minotaur from Greek Mythology.
I hope that all of you are healthy and safe from Covid19.
Here is the full paragraph for your review:
Allí quedó, yaciendo en el suelo, desangrándose, y Teseo alzo la espada para acabar con su sufrimiento, mientras miraba el Minotauro abrió sus enormes fauces y a Teseo le pareció que los sonidos que salieron de ellas eran casi humanos, madre parecía decir padre, hermano, hermana… Entonces Ariadna, llego hasta ellos y con lágrimas en los ojos, rogó a Teseo que no lo hiciese, pues el Minotauro era su hermano,
Proposed translations
(English)
| 4 +1 | its gaping maw |
neilmac
|
| 4 | its enormous jaws |
David Hollywood
|
Proposed translations
+1
8 hrs
Selected
its gaping maw
An option.
Maw: the jaws or throat of a voracious animal.
"a gigantic beast with a fearful, gaping maw"
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Note added at 3 days 14 hrs (2022-05-04 16:14:24 GMT)
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I'm afraid I have to disagree with David on this one, as "gaping" does mean enormous, huge, very large, etc. As for frequency of use, if we run a Google search for "gaping jaws" we get "94,700 results", whereas a similar search for "enormous jaws" gets 146,000.
I simply suggested "it's gaping maw" because I feel it is more literary and less pedestrian. In the end, it's up to you which you think is more suitable for your purpose.
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Note added at 3 days 14 hrs (2022-05-04 16:17:06 GMT)
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"Its..." ( no apostrophe).
Gaping = wide open
Similar: cavernous / yawning / wide / broad / vast / huge / enormous...
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Note added at 3 days 14 hrs (2022-05-04 16:17:34 GMT)
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https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/gaping
Maw: the jaws or throat of a voracious animal.
"a gigantic beast with a fearful, gaping maw"
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Note added at 3 days 14 hrs (2022-05-04 16:14:24 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
I'm afraid I have to disagree with David on this one, as "gaping" does mean enormous, huge, very large, etc. As for frequency of use, if we run a Google search for "gaping jaws" we get "94,700 results", whereas a similar search for "enormous jaws" gets 146,000.
I simply suggested "it's gaping maw" because I feel it is more literary and less pedestrian. In the end, it's up to you which you think is more suitable for your purpose.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 days 14 hrs (2022-05-04 16:17:06 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
"Its..." ( no apostrophe).
Gaping = wide open
Similar: cavernous / yawning / wide / broad / vast / huge / enormous...
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 days 14 hrs (2022-05-04 16:17:34 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/gaping
Example sentence:
The next thing he knew, he had been lifted up, the minotaur's gaping maw ...
... like ramming cold, jagged steel into a minotaur’s gaping maw...
Reference:
https://www.powerthesaurus.org/huge_maw/synonyms
https://archive.org/stream/Play_028_April_04/Play_028_April_04_djvu.txt
Note from asker:
| Thanks for your help Neilmac. |
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thanks a lot Neilmac."
31 mins
David Hollywood
Native in English
worked for int. orgs (IMF, OAS, IDB)
Native in: English
Works in: Spanish to English, German to English
Related KudoZ points
:
136
its enormous jaws
I would say
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Note added at 33 mins (2022-05-01 01:57:54 GMT)
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or: huge jaws
same thing
defeated the Minotaur] It lay there on the floor, bleeding to death. And Theseus stood above it with his sword. And as he watched, its huge jaws moved.
Maggie O'Neill as Ariadne - IMDbhttps://www.imdb.com › characters
Traducir esta página
... defeated the Minotaur] It lay there on the floor, bleeding to death. And Theseus stood above it with his sword. And as he watched, its huge jaws moved.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 33 mins (2022-05-01 01:57:54 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
or: huge jaws
same thing
defeated the Minotaur] It lay there on the floor, bleeding to death. And Theseus stood above it with his sword. And as he watched, its huge jaws moved.
Maggie O'Neill as Ariadne - IMDbhttps://www.imdb.com › characters
Traducir esta página
... defeated the Minotaur] It lay there on the floor, bleeding to death. And Theseus stood above it with his sword. And as he watched, its huge jaws moved.
Note from asker:
| Thanks for your help David. |
Discussion
I appreciate it.
Edwin