Mar 26, 2014 10:19
10 yrs ago
3 viewers *
Spanish term

para hacer camino

Spanish to English Art/Literary Poetry & Literature
Es el título de un dibujo referente a una poesía

Todos los caminos son buenos para hacer camino

Mil gracias!

Bernadette

Discussion

Carol Gullidge Mar 26, 2014:
context not that there aren't any good suggestions so far, but just to be certain that a literal translation really is the most suitable here, as it is extremely rare for this to be the case with headings, titles and captions…

So could you please describe the drawing and tell us the content of the poem

Proposed translations

+3
1 hr
Selected

(All roads are good) to make your way

Trying to give it a poetical flair

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Note added at 1 hr (2014-03-26 11:34:32 GMT)
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Definition of "make your way"
C2 to be successful and make progress in your life and work: He will teach you how to build a career and make your way in the world.
(Definition of make your way from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)
Peer comment(s):

agree Judith Armele : But i would maintain the first 'way': any way is good to make your way. In this way you keep the word choice of the original.
1 hr
Yes. I like your suggestion.
agree jude dabo : ok
2 hrs
agree Thayenga : Yes. :)
3 hrs
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
50 mins

If you want to walk, then any path is a good path.

Depending on the context, you could interpret this in a few slightly different ways. I see it as meaning something along the lines of 'the goal is not the destination but the journey'; or 'Whatever you do, the important thing is to start'; or even, though this is pushing it a bit, 'a path will lead you nowhere unless you follow it'
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52 mins

(every path helps you) on your way

Rather reminiscent of Machado's "se hace el camino al andar".

I've been trying to think of a way of reflecting the repetition of "camino", which is what gives the original its aphoristic flavour, but I can't find a natural way of doing it. Something like "every path helps you on your path" just sounds a bit flat and clunky to me, and I wouldn't use something like "make progress"; it's too matter-of-fact. Nor would I go for "find your way/path"; it's a question of moving forward, not finding the way. I would be inclined to forget about the direct word-play and just express it in a simple phrase like this. I'm sure there are many other possibilities; it's just a matter of finding something that flows and captures the idea of a metaphorical "camino", a path through life.

"Help you on your way" means "help you move forward", "help you get where you want to go".
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3 hrs

Take any path to get on track

Another idea
Peer comment(s):

neutral Susie Rawson : any?
47 mins
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+2
8 hrs

(all paths) lead forwards/onwards

Another, less literal option.
Peer comment(s):

agree Amy Logan : Although this is less literal than many others presented here, to me it sounds the most fluid/natural
6 days
Thanks Amy.
agree Sophie Cherel
12 days
Thanks Sophie
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1 day 8 hrs
Spanish term (edited): Todos los caminos son buenos para hacer camino

Success is measured by what one achieves and not by how it was achieved

... by your achievement and not by how you went about it

... by one's achievement and not by the path taken to reach that goal



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a rather less literal approach, but what I think this is probably about - i.e., it's where you get that counts, not how you got there
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