Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Spanish term or phrase:
El clásico ingles que suele tomarse al terminar la tarde
English translation:
The quintessential English tea traditionally served in the late afternoon
Spanish term
El clásico ingles que suele tomarse al terminar la tarde
Another “concise description” from this long list of speciality teas of mine. This time it’s talking about Earl Grey black tea. From what I can deduce “que suele tomarse al terminar la tarde” essentially amounts to “high tea” in UK English. I’d love to hear your thoughts on that, because I’m quite unsure, especially about the "high" bit.
CONTEXT:
“Té negro Earl Grey
Té negro perfumado con esencia de bergamota, adornado con flores de malva y flores de aciano. El clásico ingles que suele tomarse al terminar la tarde.”
So what I’m getting at here is, do you think it’s fair to translate:
“El clásico ingles que suele tomarse al terminar la tarde” as:
“The classic English high tea”
UK English. Thanks in advance.
4 +12 | This is the quintessential English tea that is commonly served in the late afternoon. | Robert Forstag |
Dec 20, 2012 01:43: James A. Walsh changed "Edited KOG entry" from "<a href="/profile/141521">James A. Walsh's</a> old entry - "El clásico ingles que suele tomarse al terminar la tarde"" to ""The quintessential English tea traditionally served in the late afternoon""
Dec 20, 2012 01:46: James A. Walsh changed "Edited KOG entry" from "<a href="/profile/141521">James A. Walsh's</a> old entry - "El clásico ingles que suele tomarse al terminar la tarde"" to ""The quintessential English tea, traditionally served in the late afternoon""
Dec 22, 2012 16:51: James A. Walsh changed "Edited KOG entry" from "<a href="/profile/141521">James A. Walsh's</a> old entry - "El clásico ingles que suele tomarse al terminar la tarde"" to ""The quintessential English tea; traditionally served in the late afternoon""
Proposed translations
This is the quintessential English tea that is commonly served in the late afternoon.
Your "classic" would also work, but I think "quintessential" reads a bit better here.
Suerte.
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Note added at 9 mins (2012-12-18 22:15:33 GMT)
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I also think that structuring a complete sentence (rather than a fragment, as in the original) would read better in the English.
If you prefer to conserve the fragment of the original, I'd suggest a preceding colon.
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Note added at 25 mins (2012-12-18 22:31:36 GMT)
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You are welcome, James. Happy Holidays.
As an added note, you might prefer "drunk" or (better, I think) "enjoyed" rather than "served."
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Note added at 32 mins (2012-12-18 22:39:20 GMT)
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Not to complicate your life further, but yet another option would be to use the following phrase after a semicolon or em-dash:
The English classic that is commonly served in the late afternoon.
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Note added at 53 mins (2012-12-18 23:00:07 GMT)
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@James
My thought also was that "served" might be a touch too formal. Perhaps it depends on the tone and content of the rest of the text--and on the target audience.
The problem with "served" seems logical in nature, given that most people drinking Earl Gray in the late afternoon are likely preparing it for, and serving it to, themselves. :)
Loving "quintessential", thanks, Robert, it hadn't occured to me... |
Yeah, I'm totally structuring complete sentences in the English. Works far better. However, I also have several hundred of these to do, and very limited time, so this help is great. Thanks again! |
And seasons greetings! :) |
Hey again: your point about “served” is great; it’s more or less the same concern I originally had about “high”. I really like “served” myself, but I’m not sure if it’s a bit OTT for the context. Maybe I’m focusing on everyday usage too much... |
Well the brief I was given about this job was that these descriptions are gonna be used in “an internet-database, accessible by multiple platforms, that aims to be as the herbal tea bible”. So I guess I need to be as general as possible I suppose. |
agree |
Noni Gilbert Riley
: Yes, this reads v well
1 min
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Thank you, Noni. Happy Holidays.
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agree |
Lisa McCarthy
: Nice! ;-) Happy hols to you too, Robert!
4 mins
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Thank you, Lisa. As an American, it is especially gratifying to suggest something that might be plausible in a UK context. Happy Holidays.
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agree |
Jenni Lukac (X)
: You too!
8 mins
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Thank you, Jenni. Happy Holidays.
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agree |
liz askew
: Nice one Robert!
37 mins
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Thank you, Liz. Happy Holidays.
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agree |
Rick Larg
38 mins
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Thanks, Rick. Happy Holidays.
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agree |
Rosa Paredes
58 mins
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Gracias, Rosa. Felices fiestas.
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agree |
Yvonne Gallagher
: Nice one. I for one would not use "high tea" here at all. "quintessential" is perfect and "served" is fine too. Top of the class!
1 hr
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Thank you, Gallagy. Happy Holidays.
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agree |
Christine Walsh
: Spot on. I'd avoid 'high tea' too; it somehow makes it sound less elegant.
2 hrs
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Thank you, Christine. Happy Holidays.
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agree |
Charles Davis
: This Brit approves as well. NOT high tea, which is the traditional early evening meal of the working classes and would normally include mugs of strong blended Indian tea with milk and sugar, not Earl Grey.
4 hrs
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Thanks so much, Charles. Happy Holidays.
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agree |
neilmac
: Love "quintessential". Not high tea though, which calls for buns, biscuits and and little old ladies...
10 hrs
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Cheeky monkey you are, mate. Go on! Thanks so much Neil. Happy Holidays to you and yours. :)
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agree |
Cristina Gonzalez
: LOL... I first read "flores de ANCIANO" on the original...still laughing
11 hrs
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I had the same misreading. I had not seen "aciano" before. Thanks, Cristina. Happy Holidays.
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agree |
Carol Gullidge
: yes, quintessential, and I dn't know where the idea of high tea that everyone is insisting on comes from! High tea is a meal and not a drink//yes, happy Christmas!
11 hrs
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Thank you, Carol. Happy Holidays.
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Discussion
But I fully get the distinction here now, so all good. Thanks a lot for all this very constructive help, folks! You may be hearing from me again... But if not, a very Happy Christmas to you all :)
I don't know if anybody still has high tea these days, but it was fairly widespread in certain circles when I was a youngster. Believe me, we're talking about the meal and not the drink!! There's no way Earl Grey can be called high tea - honest!
The references are quite good.