This site uses cookies. Some of these cookies are essential to the operation of the site, while others help to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used. For more information, please see the ProZ.com privacy policy.
Cookie settings
a efectos de
Enterado

Glossary entry

Spanish term or phrase:

gamberro

English translation:

thuggish, vociferant, tumultuous, rough

    The asker opted for community grading. The question was closed on 2018-05-14 07:54:08 based on peer agreement (or, if there were too few peer comments, asker preference.)
May 10, 2018 11:44
6 yrs ago
4 viewers *
Spanish term

gamberro

Spanish to English Art/Literary Art, Arts & Crafts, Painting Graffiti art
SPAIN. From an article describing the work of different graffiti artists. I really do not want to use "hooligan" ...

"Paul Loubet, que ha hecho fortuna en buena parte del planeta con un estilo entre infantil y gamberro."
Proposed translations (English)
4 +2 thuggish, vociferant, tumultuous, rough
3 +1 rebellious (in context)
4 wild abandon
3 combatant (in context)
3 rogue
3 enfant terrible / iconoclast / tearaway / holy-terror / rascal

Discussion

neilmac (asker) May 14, 2018:
Update The client just sent me their press release and in the end they used "edgy", one of the synonyms I suggested after our discussion here (hats off to Charles again). I must admit I did feel that "iconoclastic" was a bit too long-winded for the context, but hey... ;)
JohnMcDove May 10, 2018:
I think "iconoclastic" sounds good to me, although I thought you should get a loan-word and use "gamberric"... ;-) Ooops, no, this is not "fromlosttotheriveriano"...
neilmac (asker) May 10, 2018:
In hindsight I agree that "rebellious/iconoclastic/edgy/provocative" probably capture the nuance better than "thuggish", which is what I delivered because it was a rush job. I've sent the client a note in case they want to change it, with a revised version using "iconoclastic". Thanks to everyone again for the helpful suggestions!
Charles Davis May 10, 2018:
"Estilo gamberro" is a positive term. It's the opposite of "safe" and "nice". You need to think of gamberros not as football hooligans but as rebellious teenagers putting two fingers up at adults.
Maybe "edgy"? It's a buzz word nowadays.
Charles Davis May 10, 2018:
NOT loutish or thuggish; that's not what it implies as a graffiti style. You can't get this from dictionary definitions of "gamberro". It means provocative, irreverent. Samuel's "rebellious" is pretty good, I'd say. If it's acceptable in your context, I'd consider "in-your-face".
neilmac (asker) May 10, 2018:
@Taña Loutish or thuggish may work best... I don't mind doing arty stuff when I have plenty of time, but the problem is that this is an "urgent" translation (i.e. they forgot to send me it two days ago) and they need it ASAP.
Taña Dalglish May 10, 2018:
Synonyms sinónimos: hoodlum, thug, lout, delinquent, tearaway, vandal, ruffian, rowdy, troublemaker; larrikin; informal tough, rough, bruiser, roughneck; informal yob, yobbo, bovver boy, lager lout, chav, hoodie; informal keelie, ned; informal roughie, hoon
Taña Dalglish May 10, 2018:
http://www.wordmagicsoft.com/dictionary/es-en/gamberro.php
troublemaker, hooligan, rowdy, hangdog, lout, teddy boy, trog, yob, yobbo
Spanish Synonyms of "gamberro": agitador, pleitista, alborotador, alborotista, azuzador, bochinchero, buscapleitos, buscarruidos

Translate "gamberro" to English: thug, violent uncouth person
Spanish Synonyms of "gamberro": criminal, maleante, malandro, matón, rufián, chusmero
neilmac (asker) May 10, 2018:
Garish is promising... but there is an element of violence in his art as well, which I'd also like to express if possible. I thought about "brutalist" but that's something else...
Taña Dalglish May 10, 2018:
@ Neil http://www.spanishdict.com/translate/gamberro
gamberro

1. (brutish) (Spain)
a. rowdy
Ese bar siempre está lleno de jóvenes gamberros.That bar is aways full of rowdy young men.
b. loutish
Un grupo de tíos gamberros quisieron pegarme. A group of loutish men tried to punch me.
2. (ruffian) (Spain)
a. troublemaker
¡Tus dos hijos son un par de gamberros! Siempre se meten en peleas. Your two sons are a couple of troublemakers! They're always getting into fights.
b. hooligan
c. vandal
3. (person without good manners) (Spain)
a. oaf
b. lout
Un gamberro me gritó groserías en la calle. Some lout shouted crude things at me in the street.
kittilina May 10, 2018:
Wild or garish, maybe....

Proposed translations

+2
12 mins
Selected

thuggish, vociferant, tumultuous, rough

Some possibilities which perhaps convey the idea of violence as well. You might need to think of the tone of the whole article to choose the best option.
Good luck.
Reference:

http://www.thesaurus.com/browse/hooligan

Peer comment(s):
agree Samuel Sebastian Holden Bramah : I like those too!! @neil let us know what you go with!
1 min
Thank you!
agree Taña Dalglish : I do too. I also thought of "punk-like" https://www.thefreedictionary.com/punk (n. 1. Slang a. An often aggressive or violent young person).
14 mins
Thank you!
neutral JohnMcDove : See "dicussion" on "edgy", as the final choice... ;-)
4 days
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
+1
12 mins

rebellious (in context)

Another option worth considering... Or Defiant, or dissident...
Note from asker:
This would've worked nicely too... :)
Peer comment(s):
agree Charles Davis : This is the only viable option suggested so far, to my mind
1 hr
Something went wrong...
11 mins

combatant (in context)

If we are talking about artistic expression, "half-way between childish and combatant" could work?

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 13 mins (2018-05-10 11:57:30 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

or rebellious, defiant or dissident...
Something went wrong...
19 mins

rogue

Another one. Or gangsta.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 hrs (2018-05-10 17:55:50 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

That bit was an afterthought. I watch too much Netflix.
Example sentence:

Banksy brings his rogue style to a Palestinian hotel

Note from asker:
Hmmm... I like "roguish"...
But dislike the whole "gangsta" scenario (and all who sail in her)
Something went wrong...
4 hrs

enfant terrible / iconoclast / tearaway / holy-terror / rascal

... a style that goes from the child-like manifestations to outrageous display of the irreverent enfant terrible --

(If you allow me to be unduly pleonastic, like the Mexican say, "le estás echando demasiada crema a tus tacos...")

"Paul Loubet, que ha hecho fortuna en buena parte del planeta con un estilo entre infantil y gamberro."

Shocking enfant terrible, shocking inconformist?

... with a style halfway between the child-like (naïve?) and the iconoclast enfant terrible "model"... proposal...

An "enfant terrible" model would be "no-model", but surely should be some kind of "standard" "enfant terrible"... "enfant terrible" "comme il faut". What a paradox.

But I think this or some native wording may work.

The point is that the Spanish "gamberro", has here the positive connotations that "edgy" has (as mentioned by Charles), in the sense of "avant-garde", but a strong connotation of being "shocking" and "impactful" (rather than "violent").

I like "enfant terrible" very much, as in 1.b. and 2., in Merriam Websters,

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enfant terrible

And somewhat integrates with the "child-like", innocent, naive, unpretentious, starry-eyed, almost as an antonym to rascal--

Bueno, ¡hasta luego, Lucas!

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day 12 hrs (2018-05-12 00:40:38 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Yup, that snobbish or pedantic overtone seems like it is a given... :-)
Note from asker:
Your mention of "iconoclast" prompted me to use "...with his melange of naïf and iconoclastic style..." in the 2nd version. Still feels a bit "Pseud's Corner" to me, but most arty texts like this do anyway... :)
Something went wrong...
3 days 2 hrs

wild abandon

How about this? It gives the idea of being unchecked yet not violent
Something went wrong...
Close search
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search