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Sin telaraña en las pupilas: "Frases de Oliverio Girondo" » Spanish to English

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Source text in Spanish

- «Aspiramos a ser lo que auténticamente somos, pero a medida que creemos lograrlo, nos invade el hartazgo de lo que realmente somos».

- «Los únicos brazos entre los cuales nos resignaríamos a pasar la vida son los brazos de las Venus que han perdido los brazos».

- «Una luz sin fuerza para llegar al suelo ribetea con tiza las molduras y las aristas de las casas, que tienen facha de haber dormido mal, y obliga a salir de entre sus sábanas a las nubes desnudas, que se envuelven en gasas amarillentas y verdosas y se ciñen, por último, una túnica blanca».

- «Jamás existirán caballos capaces de tirar un par de patadas que violenten, más rotundamente, las leyes de la perspectiva y posean, al mismo tiempo, un concepto más equilibrado de la composición, que el par de patadas que tiran los heroicos percherones de Paolo Uccello».

- «Nada ansío de nada, mientras dura el instante de eternidad que es todo, cuando no quiero nada».

- «Aunque se alteren todas nuestras concepciones sobre la Vida y la Muerte, ha llegado el momento de denunciar la enorme superchería de las "Meninas" que —siendo las propias "Meninas" de carne y hueso— colgaron un letrerito donde se lee Velázquez, para que nadie descubriera el auténtico y secular milagro de su inmortalidad».

- «La disección de los ojos de Monet hubiera demostrado que Monet poseía ojos de mosca; ojos forzados por innumerables ojitos que distinguen con nitidez los más sutiles matices de un color pero que, siendo ojos autónomos, perciben esos matices independientemente, sin alcanzar una visión sintética de conjunto».

- «El cúmulo de atorrantismo y de burdel, de uso y abuso de limpiabotas, de sensiblería engominada, de ojo en compota, de rebote y de tristeza sin razón —allí está la pampa... más allá del indio... la quena... el tamboril— que se espereza y canta en los acordes del tango que improvisa cualquier lunfardo».

- «Los cubistas salvaron a la pintura de las corrientes de aire, de los rayos de sol que amenazaban derretirla pero —al cerrar herméticamente las ventanas, que los impresionistas habían abierto en un exceso de entusiasmo— le suministraron tal cúmulo de recetas, una cantidad tan grande de ventosas que poco faltó para que la asfixiaran y la dejasen descarnada, como un esqueleto».

- «Los bustos romanos serían incapaces de pensar si el tiempo no les hubiera destrozado la nariz».

There were 26 entries submitted in this pair during the submission phase.

Entries submitted in this pair were rated on a per-segment basis. Listed below are all submitted translations of each individual source text segment.


Submitted segment translations

Translations submitted for each source text segment are listed below. Segments have had surrounding punctuation stripped, and the resulting identical segments have been grouped together, so each listed translation should differ, but the difference may be subtle (eg. internal punctuation or diacritics).

Viewing segment # out of 10

Source text segment #9

- «Los cubistas salvaron a la pintura de las corrientes de aire, de los rayos de sol que amenazaban derretirla pero —al cerrar herméticamente las ventanas, que los impresionistas habían abierto en un exceso de entusiasmo— le suministraron tal cúmulo de recetas, una cantidad tan grande de ventosas que poco faltó para que la asfixiaran y la dejasen descarnada, como un esqueleto».
Rank by:
Vocabulary accurately translated but style poor and uninspiring.
Vocabulary fairly accurately translated but style poor - doesn't sound like "native" English. (e.g. "that threatened melting it" rather than "that was threatening to melt it").
Again, vocabulary fairly accurately translated but English style poor (e.g. "such a big amount of cupping glasses" and £excarnated").
Better but not really good.
Better, but I hate "which prior had threatened" rather than "which had previously threatened".
The best attempt so far as regards both style and accuracy. Some of the other attempts were dreadful really. Too much "non-native" English .
Is "la pintura" personified here?
Girondo explains himself:
“Así como los Impresionistas necesitaron abrir las ventanas para evitar que la pintura se asfixiara, el Cubismo se apresura a cerrarlas y a sustraerla de cuanto la pueda contaminar.” (Obras completas :284)
“La austeridad y el ascetismo de su dogma son tan descarnados que no sólo reniega de los sentidos y desconfía de las apariencias, sino que su técnica se despoja de todos los sensualismos del color, de todos los recursos cuya lealtad parezca sospechos
-1
Pity about the use of "her" instead of "it" for painting. Otherwise better than most.

Translations of this segment (26 total; 26 unique)

The Cubists rescued painting from the currents of air, from the rays of sun that threatened to melt it away, but —having so tightly shut the windows that the Impressionists had thrown open in an excess of enthusiasm— they smothered it with so many prescriptions, created around it such a vacuum that it wasn’t long before they had stifled it and left it emaciated, like a skeleton
The Cubists protected painting--kept it safe from air currents and the sun's melting rays. Yet, somehow, on shutting tight the windows that the Impressionists in their zeal had so wildly flung open, they weighed painting down with such a heap of prescriptions, and attached to it such a thicket of electrodes, that they came dangerously near to suffocating it--and leaving it a mere skeleton, shorn of all flesh
The Cubists saved painting from the draughts and sunlight that threatened to send it into meltdown but, by hermetically sealing the windows which the Impressionists had opened in a flood of enthusiasm, they dosed it with such a pile of prescriptions, such an enormous amount of leeches, that it was almost suffocated and left stripped of flesh like a skeleton
The cubists saved painting from the gusts of wind, from the rays of sun that threatened to melt it, but - hermetically sealing the windows that the impressionists had opened in their excessive eagerness - they flooded it with such a profusion of prescriptions, such a great many leechings, that little was needed to smother it and leave it stripped of its flesh, like a skeleton
The Cubists saved painting from streams of air, from sunbeams that threatened to melt her but — in sealing the windows, which the Impressionists had opened in an excess of enthusiasm — they provided her with such an abundance of prescriptions, such a large number of cupping glasses that they nearly suffocated her and left her stripped to the bone, like a skeleton
The Cubists rescued painting from the gusts of wind and sunlight that threatened to undo it. However, on sealing the windows so enthusiastically flung open by the Impressionists, they heaped such a wealth of prescriptive guidelines on it, so much blood-letting, that they very nearly suffocated it and left it emaciated, like a skeleton
The cubists protected their paintings from the currents of air, from the sun's rays that threatened to melt them; however, upon hermetically sealing the windows - which the impressionists kept open in their excessive enthusiasm - they treated it with so many recipes, such a large number of vacuum cups that it's a wonder their works were not left suffocated and stripped of their flesh like skeletons
The Cubists saved the painting of the breezes from the sunbeams that were threatening to melt it, but - upon hermetically sealing the windows that the Impressionists had opened in an excess of enthusiasm - they administered such a huge number of prescriptions, such a great number of suction cups that they almost suffocated it and left it nude, like a skeleton
Cubists saved painting from the currents of air, from the rays of sunlight that threatened melting it, but – after tightly closing the windows that the Impressionists had opened in an excess of enthusiasm - they delivered such a heap of recipes to it, such a huge amount of suckers, that they came pretty close to suffocating it and leaving it stark-naked, like a skeleton
The Cubists saved the painting from air currents, from the sun’s rays threatening to dissolve it, but —in tightly sealing the windows that had been left open by overly enthusiastic impressionists— they contributed such a measure of prescripts, such a large amount of twaddle that it was almost asphyxiated and stripped like a skeleton
The Cubists saved painting from the drafts and sunlight that threatened its dissolution but - by hermetically sealing the windows that the Impressionists in an excess of enthusiasm had thrown open -- supplied it with it such a stack of prescriptions, such a massive amount of blood letting, as to almost suffocate it and leave it as fleshless as a skeleton
Cubists saved Painting from air currents, from the sun rays that menaced melting it –but on closing the windows hermetically that impressionists had opened in a fit of over enthusiasm – they supplied it with such an amount of recipes, such a large quantity of suction cups, that they were about to choke her and left her resting like a skeleton
Cubists saved painting from the currents of air, from the rays of the sun that threatened to melt it but –when they hermetically sealed the windows that the impressionists had opened in an excess of enthusiasm – they provided it with such a wealth of recipes, such a big quantity of suction pads that they almost suffocated it and left it fleshless as a skeleton
Cubists saved painting from air streams, and sunrays threatening to melt it, but —by tightly closing windows, opened in excess enthusiasm by impressionists— supplied it such a cumulus of recipes, such a great amount of suction cups that little was yet to smother it and leave it stripped to the bone, like a skeleton
The cubists may have rescued Painting from destruction by draughts and by the sun’s rays when they clamped shut the Windows that the impressionists, in a fit of over-enthusiasm, had thrown open; but they administered so much medicine, so many rules, that Painting almost choked and was left fleshless as a skeleton
Cubists saved painting from air currents, from rays of sunshine that threatened with melting it, but -on hermetically shutting the windows that impressionists had opened in an excess of enthusiasm- they supplied such a heap of prescriptions, such a big amount of cupping glasses that they were close to smother it and left it excarnated, like a skeleton
The cubists saved the art of painting from the drafts of air, from the rays of the sun, which were threatening to dissolve it, but when closing the windows hermetically – which prior had been opened by the impressionists in an abundance of exaltation – the art of painting was exposed to such an amount of prescriptions and ventilation, that little lacked to asphyxiate it and leave it emaciated like a skeleton
The cubists saved painting from the air drafts and sun rays that threatened to melt it but — upon hermetically sealing the windows that the impressionists had opened in an excess of enthusiasm — they administered such a heap of prescriptions, such a large quantity of suction that little was left before painting was asphyxiated and left emaciated, like a skeleton
the Cubists saved the painting of the air currents, from the sun rays who threatened it to melt it but – by tightly shutting the windows which the Impressionists had opened in a spur of enthusiasm- they administered it such a cumulation of recipes, such a huge amount of suction pads that little was left for it to be smothered and be left fleshless, like an skeleton
Cubists saved Painting from the air streams, the sunbeams that threatened to melt it yet, while tightly closing the windows opened by impressionists in an excess of zeal, they delivered so many recipes, so many cupping glasses, that they came short of asphyxiating it and leaving it bare, like a skeleton
The Cubists saved the painting from draughts, from the rays of the sun which threatened to melt it but - in hermetically sealing the windows which the impressionists had opened in an excess of exuberance - they administered such an accumulation of prescriptions, such large amounts of suction vents as to almost suffocate it and leave it devoid of flesh, like a skeleton
The Cubists saved painting from draughts, from the sun rays that threatened to melt it, but by sealing the windows which the Impressionists had opened in an excess of enthusiasm, provided it with such a cumulus of recipes, with such a large number of suction cups, that they were very close to suffocate it and left it naked, like a skeleton
The Cubists saved art of painting from airflows and sunbeams that threatened with melting it – hermetically closing windows, opened by the Impressionists in an excess of enthusiasm – and provided it with such a pool of recipes, such a large number of suckers that nearly suffocated it and left it fleshless, like a skeleton
The Cubists saved painting from airstreams, from sun rays threatening to melt it but — by closing hermetically the windows that the Impressionists had overzealously opened — they burdened it with such a heap of prescriptions, such a large number of cupping glasses that they nearly suffocated it and left it as emaciated as a skeleton
The Cubists saved painting from air currents, from sun rays threatening to melt it, but by shutting the windows that the impressionists had enthusiastically left wide open, they brought so many recipes, so many windshields that they almost left her choking and fleshless, like a skeleton
Cubists saved paintings from draughts and rays of sun that threatened to overcome it but - by completely sealing the windows that the Impressionists had opened wide in a burst of enthusiasm - they overloaded it with so many rules and such a large number of escapes, that they nearly smothered it and took all the substance away from it - leaving it like a skeleton

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