Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Spanish term or phrase:
¡Sacude ese moho viejo, muchacho!
English translation:
leave your old baggage behind/shake it off/shake the dust off/get it together, man
Added to glossary by
JaneTranslates
Sep 22, 2009 03:12
14 yrs ago
Spanish term
Puerto Rico
Quality and Integrity
Native in: English 
Works in: Spanish to English, English, English to Spanish, and 1 more.
¡Sacude ese moho viejo, muchacho!
Spanish to English
Other
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
Colloquialisms
Puerto Rican Spanish to U.S. English
This is a line from a documentary produced in the 1950s by the P.R. Department of Education.
Juan is a young adult (maybe late 20s) and is depressed because he can't read. The girl of his dreams just called him a "bobo." He walks by a store where a group of his friends are relaxing after work, playing music and singing. Bastián, Juan's best friend, stops playing his accordion and invites Juan to join them. Here's what the narrator says:
"Para otros era hora de alegría y buen humor. Después de la faena diaria los trabajadores buscaban solaz en la música. Bastián llamó a Juan. "Vente a gozar con nosotros. ¡Sacude ese moho viejo, muchacho!"
From the context, I know in general what the expression means, but how can I translate it?
This is a line from a documentary produced in the 1950s by the P.R. Department of Education.
Juan is a young adult (maybe late 20s) and is depressed because he can't read. The girl of his dreams just called him a "bobo." He walks by a store where a group of his friends are relaxing after work, playing music and singing. Bastián, Juan's best friend, stops playing his accordion and invites Juan to join them. Here's what the narrator says:
"Para otros era hora de alegría y buen humor. Después de la faena diaria los trabajadores buscaban solaz en la música. Bastián llamó a Juan. "Vente a gozar con nosotros. ¡Sacude ese moho viejo, muchacho!"
From the context, I know in general what the expression means, but how can I translate it?
Proposed translations
(English)
| 3 +1 | leave your old baggage behind, dude |
sirgay (X)
|
| 4 +2 | shake it all up!//get with it// snap out of it! |
Lydia De Jorge
|
| 4 +1 | pull yourself together! |
Evans (X)
|
| 4 | Shake the mold off, boy! |
Emiliano Domenech
|
| 4 | Shake it off |
Sybila Canobra
|
| 4 | Leave your worries behind, man (kid)! |
jmf
|
| 4 | shake off the dust / shake the dust off your feet |
Jenni Lukac (X)
|
| 4 | get it together, man! |
Caroline Clarke
|
| 3 | shake a leg, mate! |
Bubo Coroman (X)
|
Change log
Sep 24, 2009 05:07: JaneTranslates changed "Edited KOG entry" from "<a href="/profile/90274">JaneTranslates's</a> old entry - "¡Sacude ese moho viejo, muchacho!"" to ""leave your old baggage behind/shake it off/get it together, man, dude""
Proposed translations
+1
8 hrs
Selected
leave your old baggage behind, dude
» Your Love Guide - Do You Want to Break Up With Your Past and ...
When you feel like your past is weighing you down and blocking your joy right now, you can choose to leave your old baggage behind and start fresh. ...
tribeofblondes.com/.../your-love-guide-do-you-want-to-break-up-with-your- past-and-have-a-love-affair-with-the-present/
When you feel like your past is weighing you down and blocking your joy right now, you can choose to leave your old baggage behind and start fresh. ...
tribeofblondes.com/.../your-love-guide-do-you-want-to-break-up-with-your- past-and-have-a-love-affair-with-the-present/
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thanks, sirgay. I didn't actually use any of the nine suggestions, but all of them helped. As it happens, your "baggage" inspired me to come up with my final choice of "take a load off," so you get the points."
7 mins
Emiliano Domenech
Argentina
Argentina
Native in Spanish
Specializes in field
Argentina
Literary, Scientific and Technical.
Native in: Spanish
Works in: English to Spanish, Spanish to English
Shake the mold off, boy!
Hi,
Since it's not an idiomatic expression per se in Spanish, you can translate it as is, I think the meaning will be just as clear in the translation as in the original.
I hope it helped,
EmilianoD
Since it's not an idiomatic expression per se in Spanish, you can translate it as is, I think the meaning will be just as clear in the translation as in the original.
I hope it helped,
EmilianoD
Note from asker:
| Thanks, Emiliano. As a matter of fact, my husband (Mexican) said it was, indeed, an idiomatic expression that he remembered from his childhood. You're probably right about the meaning being clear, but I decided I wanted something with a more natural sound in English. Thanks for your input! The entire discussion, from all nine of you, helped enormously. |
18 mins
Sybila Canobra
Native in Spanish
Specializes in field
Bank Application Expert
Native in: Spanish
Works in: English to Spanish, Spanish to English, French to Spanish
Related KudoZ points
:
4
Shake it off
My suggestion
Note from asker:
| Thanks, Sybila. I was really tempted by this one, but I decided not to use it because Bastián didn't know what Juan was thinking about. I appreciate your taking the time to answer--it's a good answer for another context. |
+2
27 mins
Lydia De Jorge
United States
United States
Native in Spanish
&
English
Specializes in field
United States
Don't just say it, say it right!
Native in: Spanish 
, English
Works in: English to Spanish, Spanish to English, English, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
187
shake it all up!//get with it// snap out of it!
sugg
Note from asker:
| Thank you, Lydia! Lots of good suggestions. I was tempted by "snap out of it." You always come through with something when I ask a question! |
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Ventnai
46 mins
|
|
Thanks Ian!
|
|
| agree |
Margarita Ezquerra (Smart Translators, S.L.)
3 hrs
|
|
Gracias Marga!
|
|
| neutral |
sirgay (X)
: you didn't offer anything for 'muchacho'
9 hrs
|
2 hrs
Leave your worries behind, man (kid)!
Leave you worries/troubles behind (kid, buddy, man, dude)
Not literal, but it's something that is often said in this context and I think it conveys the meaning.
Not literal, but it's something that is often said in this context and I think it conveys the meaning.
Note from asker:
| Thank you, jmf. Yes, this is a very good option. I appreciate your input. |
+1
4 hrs
pull yourself together!
This is another suggestion because although I really like "snap out of it" as it conveys the feeling exactly, I'm not sure whether it's an expression that would have been used in the 1950s, so it may be better to go with a more timeless expression.
Note from asker:
| I agree with your reasoning. Your option is a very good one. Thanks a lot, Gilla. |
5 hrs
shake off the dust / shake the dust off your feet
An old biliblical phrase still used a lot and recently the title of a hit reggae CD. It is usually paired with "wake up" or "get with it". The "muchacho" should be translated in line with the words the boys use to refer to each other in the rest of the text.
Note from asker:
| Oh yes, this resonates with me! I grew up with the King James version. I gave my client "shake off the dust" as an alternative to my "take a load off." We'll see which he chooses! |
| Duh--I forgot to say "thank you, Jenni." |
10 hrs
shake a leg, mate!
"shake a leg" is a term for inviting someone to dance, to make merry
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/shake a leg
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/shake a leg
Note from asker:
| Nice one, Deborah! I like it. Fits right in with the music, too--but nobody was dancing, and I think of this expression as meaning dancing, specifically. Thanks for your input--I really was needing some colleagues to talk to! |
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Caroline Clarke
: "shake a leg" comes from when sailors had to prove that they were awake by sticking their leg out of their hammock, so it means more "wake up!". random info for you :)
3 days 23 hrs
|
|
Thanks Caroline, I looked at it in more detail and you're absolutely right about "wake up!" http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/shake-a-leg.html
|
10 hrs
Caroline Clarke
Native in English
Works in field
PhD Chemist Cambridge, Barcelona, London
Native in: English
Works in: Spanish to English, Catalan to English
get it together, man!
another idea. perhaps more suited to the 60s but not far off....?
Note from asker:
| Another good idea. Thanks, Caroline. |
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