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excentricos
cercano y no arrogante

Glossary entry

Spanish term or phrase:

Y fui a dar con una marciana

English translation:

I came across this weird woman

Added to glossary by Charles Davis
Apr 6, 2011 16:03
13 yrs ago
1 viewer *
Spanish term

Y fui a dar con una marciana

Spanish to English Art/Literary Poetry & Literature
Encontre una puerta abierta con un salon de actos al fondo, asi que entre. Y fui a dar una marciana, una senora mayor que hablaba de lo lista que era........

Does anyone know if this is an expression commonly used in Spanish or if it's the case that the author has made it up?

Regards
Proposed translations (English)
4 +5 I came across this weird woman
3 +3 And I stumbled upon a Martian...
5 +1 I bumped into a martian (Murcian) lady
4 +1 mad woman
5 And I ran into this Martian woman
4 "And I run into a Martian, an old lady who was buttering herself/talking about her great intell."
3 I came face to face with a lady Martian
Change log

Apr 11, 2011 19:35: Charles Davis Created KOG entry

Discussion

AD27 (asker) Apr 7, 2011:
Translating the work of Catholic bishop, now that's one for the books (excuse the pun).

Thanks
Altogringo Apr 7, 2011:
Register I'm assuming that register is what language people call phrasing choices or preferences? I'm just a words guy so it's also what I call the theater side of translation in the sense that you take on and become the character because you determine the voice. I spent nine months last years translating the complete works of a late 19th/early 20th century Catholic bishop, including his sermons, so I was a Catholic preacher for a couple months. Required a bit of a stretch, that one did.
This is all seconding Charles' advice to find the phrasing preferences and tone you like to fit the character and make the text flow like you want it to. Looks like this would be a fun text to translate, real life, contemporary world.
AD27 (asker) Apr 7, 2011:
Thank you for your advice
Charles Davis Apr 7, 2011:
The question of register is crucial here, I agree, and only you can decide what sort of voice the narrator should have in English. But if you can't find a verb you like, maybe another approach would work; simply "and there was this batty old woman..." (that's just a hypothetical example).
Or perhaps "and what should I find but...". This sort of translation is very rewarding but quite hard to do. I think you have to get a sense of the character and just hear her speaking in your head, as it were.
By the way, even though "came across" would be good for "encontré", another thing you might consider is to use "found" or "happened to find" for "encontré" and "came across" for "fui a dar con".
AD27 (asker) Apr 7, 2011:
maricana
AD27 (asker) Apr 7, 2011:
My problem with using say happened/stumbled/chanced upon is that the register is too high considering that it's a teenage girl talking. In terms of bumped into/ran into, they don't quite fit since she didn't actually meet with this women; she went into the auditorium and found a women on stage giving a talk. But thank you for your reply and help with 'marciano'

Regards
Charles Davis Apr 7, 2011:
came across It's not difficult to find an alternative, either one of those suggested here ("stumbled upon", "bumped into", "ran into", "came face to face with"), or "happened to find", "chanced upon", "happened upon", "encountered", "ran across"... I'm sure there are more. Whichever you think sounds best. I agree with Altogringo that the key to this question is "marciano"; but for that it would be non-PRO.
AD27 (asker) Apr 7, 2011:
The problem with using 'came across' is that in the previous line 'encontre una puerta', the same verb is required.
Altogringo Apr 6, 2011:
I agree, that's what I figured from the context of the paragraph and the title, I Want to be Punk. Sounds like the narrator went to some wrong side of the tracks part of town, went into this joint and ran into this woman who babbled on about all the books she had. Your basic life experience, the narrator stretching herself (assuming from female author) beyond what her "normal" experience is or had been.
Eileen Brophy Apr 6, 2011:
Well depending on the style it could be weird woman, freaky woman or strange woman I guess!!
Altogringo Apr 6, 2011:
@Eileen, re the discussion I thought the majority of comments were about Martians and everybody seemed to have their variations on fui a dar.
Re Martian, I used weirdo just as an example most people would know, but I thought it would be a possible translation for marciano as the Spanish use that word. That would only be if you use the term weirdo which I wouldn't unless the context absolutely called for it. I would go with strange/unusual person probably as my starting point. I prefer to align myself with the "weirdos"/night people/strange life forms, anyway.
Eileen Brophy Apr 6, 2011:
Isn't' the discussion more about "Fue a dar con" than the "Martian" or "non-Martian?"
Eileen Brophy Apr 6, 2011:
So "Martian" could be a synonym for a "weirdo?"
Altogringo Apr 6, 2011:
Why are so many people translating this literally? Seriously, when was the last time you heard anyone get called a Martian in English? As opposed to weirdo or strange person or whatever words these kids today text and tweet for that?
I'm probably overreacting and I know the early responders didn't have the full paragraph or the title of the book for context. I agreed with Charles that it's nothing more than weird. And weird just as easily in the sense of someone who turns out to be fascinating, intriguing, offbeat, flamboyant, a real character, nonconformist, creative, non-regulation issue, free-spirited, have a different world view and/or philosophy, idiosyncratic, eccentric, and a long line of other adjectives I could string together.
The fact that marciano/a is still the common phrase for that kind of person says more about the limitations of Spanish than anything IMO.
Noni Gilbert Riley Apr 6, 2011:
Hee hee You got the "indirecta"!
It was on the web, and having checked the copyright shown there, I thought it was OK to share ;-)
AD27 (asker) Apr 6, 2011:
I'll have to remember to provide more context the next time ;-)
Noni Gilbert Riley Apr 6, 2011:
Here's the full context If anyone would like it!

http://es.scribd.com/doc/49154681/Deseo-de-ser-punk-Belen-Go...

Llegué a una zona bastante iluminada. Era una calle ancha, con farolas más blancas y muchos bares y escaparates encendidos como si las tiendas estuvieran abiertas. Anduve un buen rato. Encontré una puerta abierta con un salón de actos al fondo, así que entré. Y fui a dar con una marciana, una señora mayor que hablaba de lo lista que era, de los miles de libros que había leído, de que cuando ella estudiaba había pocas mujeres pero a ella no le importó y siguió adelante, daleque dale. Me quedé pálida. No me podía creer que fuera así y seguí escuchando. Pero nada, la tipa no contaba cuánto dinero ganaba aunque sí decía que tenía la mitad de los libros en su casa de la playa.
AD27 (asker) Apr 6, 2011:
Yes, Madrid
Paul García Apr 6, 2011:
Will you let us know if it's set in Spain?
AD27 (asker) Apr 6, 2011:
Ya, that's a vaild point. It does seem a bit strange (marciana) considering the context
Simon Bruni Apr 6, 2011:
I was just saying that "marciana" (from Mars) could be "murciana" (from Murcia)
AD27 (asker) Apr 6, 2011:
Sorry, Simon where is the typo?
Simon Bruni Apr 6, 2011:
Typo for murciana? Just a thought.

Proposed translations

+5
1 hr
Selected

I came across this weird woman

"Marciano/a" means weird, from another planet. I've heard this expression a number of times; in fact I've been called "marciano" myself occasionally (but then I am a bit weird).

Then again, I suppose it might be a typo for "murciano". Some of them are a bit weird... (Sorry, I didn't say that).

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2011-04-06 18:23:30 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I can't expect people just to take my word for it, so here are a few choice examples:

“no te puedo decir a que sabrán los helaitos porque jamás he probado algo que lleve leche,debido a mi genética de marciano/tio raro de ser intolerante a la lactosa.”
http://www.aliste.info/foro.asp?p=Villarino Manzanas&f=66&m=...

“Me defino como:
um delgadito con coleta loco algo jugon pero buen tio en general aunque me considero marciano ^^ soy un freak todo sea dicho^^*”
http://www.amistarium.com/es/marciano

It can be used of ideas/situations as well as people:

“como poner voces en una mezcla
Las opciones que citas son posibles, aunque puede que por ejemplo lo de doblar la pista y atrasarla unos segundos suene un poco marciano, depende cómo lo hagas.
Prueba a colocar un delay, y prueba poner bien la reverb y la eq. Es muy poco lo que hace falta para colocar bien una voz en una mezcla. Lo fundamental es una buena toma: si no tienes eso, mejor antes de hacer marcianadas pon al tío a que cante de nuevo.”
http://www.hispasonic.com/foros/como-poner-voces-mezcla/1662...

“Que el PP se queje de tamaños de carteles es un poco marciano. Los postes en la comunidad de Madrid iluminados con un "Aquí se construirá un hospital" deben ser otra cosa”
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?s=f0c895eec439a...

It can also be a synonym for “monstruo”, someone so accomplished/daring etc. that he/she is “not of this world”:

“RE: Motos GP 2009
¿Que mas se puede decir de Rossi?Ese tio es un marciano, nunca vi nada igual.”
http://hondahornet.mforos.com/1217183/7803990-motos-gp-2009/

On a particularly daring motocross descent:
“no me jodas ese tio es un marciano, manda huevos como baja”
http://www.foromtb.com/showthread.php?283764-Comando-Lechuzo...
Peer comment(s):
agree MJ Barber : (yeah, you did!).
19 mins
Thanks, MJ
agree Noni Gilbert Riley : I like the "this", amongst other things
2 hrs
Thank, Noni. I was hoping someone would notice that :)
agree Altogringo : Forgot to do this once I got into my discussion rant. I like FVS' stumbled upon, as well.
2 hrs
Me too, but I thought I'd better not steal it! (Although they call it "appropriation" these days, and it's cool)
agree Claudia Luque Bedregal
10 hrs
Thanks, Claudia
agree Bubo Coroman (X) : sounds like the sort of thing an adolescent would say. By coincidence, her name is Martina (from "Marte"). Here is one review of the novel http://www.elpais.com/articulo/semana/Territorio/rock/elpepu...
13 hrs
That's interesting, Deborah, thanks!
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you :-)"
+3
10 mins

And I stumbled upon a Martian...

A stab in the oscuridad...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 13 mins (2011-04-06 16:16:35 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Chuckling here whether a lady Martian could be a Marchioness.....
Peer comment(s):
agree Noni Gilbert Riley : Stumbled upon is good!
0 min
How sweet of you. I wouldn't attempt poetry translation to save my life but couldn't resist.
agree Remy Arce : I do like the expression!
4 mins
Thanks Remy. I'll be taking up poetry at this rate.
agree Thayenga : Stumbled upon fits perfectly! :) Well, you don't have to, but... it's either in your blood or it isn't. And if it is, then there's no escape. :D
1 hr
Thanks. I'm going to have write poetry now after all it seems.
Something went wrong...
+1
17 mins

I bumped into a martian (Murcian) lady

Another alternative :-0))
Peer comment(s):
agree Simon Bruni : probably the most natural way of saying it, at least in the UK
11 mins
Thank you Simon :-0))
Something went wrong...
1 hr

"And I run into a Martian, an old lady who was buttering herself/talking about her great intell."

ABOUT MARTIANS
At least in Spain the phrase is very common. We use it when meeting someone who interacts with others in a very strange or peculiar way. It can be in a positive and in a negative way. We use to say “Esta persona debe de ser marciana”, as refering to someone coming from another planet (Mars in this case).

MY INTERPRETATION
And I run into a Martian, an old lady who was buttering herself / talking about her great intelligence.
Something went wrong...
7 mins

I came face to face with a lady Martian

Not a set expression I don't think. I rather feel the author is being facetious. Tricky that it should be the female version too. The "fui a dar con" gives an indication of it being unexpected.

OR

"and, as luck would have it, I came up against a female Martian"

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 10 mins (2011-04-06 16:13:57 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Instead of Martian, I think I would prefer " a lady from Mars".

I suppose there might be a connection with men being from Mars and women from Venus, but it wouldn't seem to work here from the little context we have...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2011-04-06 17:41:12 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

In other words, now that I have the paragraph, the woman might as well have been from Mars/from another planet, from all the narrator understood of what she was like. Not her kind of person at all, on a completely different wavelength.
Something went wrong...
+1
2 hrs

mad woman

I had the feeling, which the excerpt has confirmed for me, that the author is using "marciana" in the sense of "fantasma", or "fantoche", Madrid terms for a braggart, a "fantasist", someone who runs on about all this fantastic stuff they have and the fantastic life they lead, but it's all lies (god knows, I knew a few).

So, yeah, a mad woman. A crazy braggart. A fantasist.

Note from asker:
Haha, we were really off the mark! Thanks
Peer comment(s):
agree Bubo Coroman (X) : you mention Madrid - the author was born there. Here is one review of the novel http://www.elpais.com/articulo/semana/Territorio/rock/elpepu...
13 hrs
Something went wrong...
22 hrs

And I ran into this Martian woman

I see no problem, English or Spanish, calling someone "Martian/marciana" in a creative work. Se entiende.
Something went wrong...
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