Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Italian term or phrase:
per non dire di peggio
English translation:
not to mention rather less flattering associations
Added to glossary by
Linda 969
Oct 19, 2006 08:13
17 yrs ago
Italian term
Italy
for beautiful and accurate texts
Native in: English (Variant: British)
Works in: Italian to English, French to English, English
per non dire di peggio
Italian to English
Marketing
Marketing / Market Research
editorial
How would you put this in English? It is in a newsletter for engineering machinery dealers and is clearly a reference to the fact that some foreigners regard Italy and "mafia" as being synonymous. I'd prefer not to be so explicit, but the meaning has to come out of the text...
"30 anni fa era più difficile proporre macchinari fatti a Bari, poiché l’Italia era nota solo per la pizza, gli spaghetti e il mandolino, per non dire di peggio."
"30 anni fa era più difficile proporre macchinari fatti a Bari, poiché l’Italia era nota solo per la pizza, gli spaghetti e il mandolino, per non dire di peggio."
Proposed translations
(English)
Proposed translations
+5
15 mins
Selected
and that's being kind
Hi Anthony
"not to mention other unflattering associations" also comes to mind
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Note added at 1 hr (2006-10-19 10:09:28 GMT)
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or "other, less flattering associations"
"not to mention other unflattering associations" also comes to mind
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Note added at 1 hr (2006-10-19 10:09:28 GMT)
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or "other, less flattering associations"
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "After much thought, trying out everyone's suggestions, I used a combination of your second and third ideas: "not to mention rather less flattering associations"
Thanks to everyone - I had little idea it would stimulate such discussion!"
8 mins
Petja Mladenova
Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Native in: Bulgarian 
Works in: Bulgarian to English, English to Bulgarian, Greek to English, and 4 more.
the rest is better left unsaid
"better left unsaid" has the meaning of something worse implied, so I think it can be a possible translation here
+1
11 mins
Caterina Passari
Italy
Italy
Native in Italian
Italy
Native in: Italian
Works in: Italian to English, Italian to French, Italian to Spanish, and 3 more.
leaving out the worst
....
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Donatella Talpo
: mi piace
3 mins
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grazie,Donatella!:)
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| neutral |
kringle
: doesn't sound very English, sorry
7 mins
|
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does it sound another language?:)
|
+6
21 mins
Nicole Johnson
Italy
Italy
Native in English
Specializes in field
Italy
Journalist, Translator & Interpreter
Native in: English
Works in: Italian to English, English to Italian, English
Related KudoZ points
:
16
not to mention the more ominous stereotypes
Hi Anthony,
I'd suggest something along these lines:
...since pizza, spaghetti and the mandolin, not to mention more ominous stereotypes, were the only things synonymous with Italy.
I'd suggest something along these lines:
...since pizza, spaghetti and the mandolin, not to mention more ominous stereotypes, were the only things synonymous with Italy.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Linda 969
4 mins
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Thanks Linda
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| agree |
Umberto Cassano
17 mins
|
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Thanks Umberto
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| agree |
Rachel Fell
24 mins
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Thanks Rachel
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| agree |
P.L.F. Persio
4 hrs
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Thanks sofiablu
|
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| agree |
kringle
: that's a good one
4 hrs
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Thanks kringle (is it Kris?)
|
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| agree |
Angie Garbarino
2 days 1 hr
|
1 hr
and other unmentionables
to be succinct
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Note added at 2 hrs (2006-10-19 10:24:56 GMT)
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I thought of that too but in the end I thought it was OK anyway.
AND OTHERS THINGS OVER WHICH IT IS BEST TO DRAW A VEIL
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Note added at 2 hrs (2006-10-19 10:24:56 GMT)
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I thought of that too but in the end I thought it was OK anyway.
AND OTHERS THINGS OVER WHICH IT IS BEST TO DRAW A VEIL
Note from asker:
| the only problem with this, and I kept coming across similar problems, is that spaghetti pizza and mandolins are very mentionable ... |
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Nicole Johnson
: Be careful here...unmentionables makes me think of undergarments!
3 hrs
|
5 hrs
and you know what !
... as pizza and spaghetti (and you know what!) were the only famous Italian things.....
[by the way, I lived in Italy for twelve years and I basically never saw a mandolin until I holidayed in greece....]
[by the way, I lived in Italy for twelve years and I basically never saw a mandolin until I holidayed in greece....]
11 hrs
to say the least
....
17 hrs
Rosanna Palermo
Native in Italian
&
English
Works in field
Accuracy matters - La precisione conta
Native in: Italian , English (Variant: US)
Works in: Italian to English
Related KudoZ points
:
32
to avoid saying worse (things)
literal but it seems to me it may work
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