Mar 3, 2002 20:15
22 yrs ago
Italian term
United Kingdom
conservato dalla mancanza d\'aria
Non-PRO
Italian to English
Art/Literary
Yet another problem with the text on Mussolini.
In a speech in his ealier anticlerical years, Mussolini declared the Church "un grande cadavere conservato dalla mancanza d'aria".
The idea's been explained to me but I just don't get the analogy (it's late and I've got a deadline tomorrow morning!).
Any ideas anyone?
Denise
ps. sorry about all these questions ...
In a speech in his ealier anticlerical years, Mussolini declared the Church "un grande cadavere conservato dalla mancanza d'aria".
The idea's been explained to me but I just don't get the analogy (it's late and I've got a deadline tomorrow morning!).
Any ideas anyone?
Denise
ps. sorry about all these questions ...
Proposed translations
(English)
| 4 +3 | See explanation |
Maureen Young
|
| 4 | ...like a corpse that has preserved due to lack of air... |
Emilia Mancini
|
Proposed translations
+3
14 mins
Selected
See explanation
I'll take a stab at it...
"A big cadaver which has been preserved by a lack of (fresh) air."
Bodies only decompose in the presence of oxygen. So I guess Mussolini is sarcastically claiming that the church manages to hold up to time exactly because of its lack of "fresh air", ie. lack of modernity, new ideas, openness to society. That is, if the church were more open, it would become clear that it is already dead, and begin to decompose...:-(
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Note added at 2002-03-03 22:38:59 (GMT)
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or \"a corpse which is well-preserved for lack of oxygen\"
"A big cadaver which has been preserved by a lack of (fresh) air."
Bodies only decompose in the presence of oxygen. So I guess Mussolini is sarcastically claiming that the church manages to hold up to time exactly because of its lack of "fresh air", ie. lack of modernity, new ideas, openness to society. That is, if the church were more open, it would become clear that it is already dead, and begin to decompose...:-(
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Note added at 2002-03-03 22:38:59 (GMT)
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or \"a corpse which is well-preserved for lack of oxygen\"
3 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "I based my final choice on both suggestions actually (corpse + oxygen rather than cadaver + air). I was really looking for something less literal but by the deadline I still hadn't come up with something more natural in English that would've got the idea across, so I opted basically for a combination of both ideas and advised the professor who's reviewing the translation that I'll keep thinking about it!!
Thanks for all the kind help!
Denise"
17 hrs
Emilia Mancini
Italy
Italy
Native in Italian
Italy
Efficiency, accuracy, reasonable rates
Native in: Italian 
Works in: English to Italian, Italian to English
Related KudoZ points
:
187
...like a corpse that has preserved due to lack of air...
Just another idea.
Hope it helps.
Ciao!
Hope it helps.
Ciao!
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