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Glossary entry

Spanish term or phrase:

No te hagas la película

English translation:

Don´t make a scene

Added to glossary by Brenda Joseph
Aug 2, 2017 21:49
6 yrs ago
5 viewers *
Spanish term

No te hagas la película

Spanish to English Other Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
alguien sabe cómo decir esta frase en inglés?
Si se pudiera mantener la palabra "película" o similar sería ideal ya que se dice mientras se ven imágenes de películas.
Proposed translations (English)
1 +6 Don´t make a scene
4 +1 Don't make a song and dance about it...
4 Don't be dramatic.
3 +1 Keep your front row seat (football's returning to your screen)
4 Stop daydreaming!
2 don't get overworked/bent out of shape/worry
2 Sometimes life is better than the movies...
2 Now, it's *really* showtime!

Discussion

Brenda Joseph (asker) Aug 8, 2017:
Thank you!! Muchas gracias a todos por sus valiosos aportes!
neilmac Aug 4, 2017:
Now having seen the context I think better options could be things like "don't get engrossed/caught up in the movie" - football is back!"
Marcelo González Aug 4, 2017:
I think the humor is in the playful associations ...in that 'associative web' of phrases (in the context of joking with friends) that 'no te hagas' conjures up, with ('no te hagas') 'ilusiones [de cine]' somewhere 'in the mix' as well.
MollyRose Aug 3, 2017:
Context--I wonder I wonder if this is a commercial, using a few, very short movie clips, and then they say "No hagas una película" because football/soccer is back. Meaning: Don't resort to watching movies on TV because the game is back on. ASKER, would you please enlighten us some more?
philgoddard Aug 3, 2017:
It doesn't look like we're going to get any more context from Brenda. I would want to see the video, or at least read a detailed description, before translating this. And I'd write something that fits the video, not the Spanish: there's no law that says you have to use the idea of film.
"Probably the best that can be done with this" and "it's not perfect" are not exactly ringing endorsements :-)
Charles Davis Aug 3, 2017:
Fair enough "Don't make a scene" is a very good suggestion and probably the best that can be done with this.
12316323 (X) Aug 3, 2017:
Agreed, it's not perfect, but I think Molly's suggestion is pretty good. If meaning and succinctness were all that mattered (and not the inclusion of a movie metaphor), I'd probably say something along the lines of Don't panic or Don't freak out. No creative inspiration tonight for some reason.

And, of course, you are 100% right that to make a scene doesn't mean to worry or to jump to conclusions, but someone who is panicking often does make a scene, only to be embarrassed when they realize that they overreacted about something trivial. I think of it as one football watcher saying it to another as an admonishment (because they've already started to make a scene, not beforehand).
Charles Davis Aug 3, 2017:
I like "don't make a scene" too, but that's not actually what it means. Making a scene is making an embarrassing disturbance or spectacle, usually in public. The best I could think of was "don't make a production out of it", but that's not quite right either.
Charles Davis Aug 3, 2017:
@Kathryn It means exactly what you say: something like getting carried away by your imagination. Hacerse la novela has the same meaning. I can't find any evidence it can mean anything else, and none of the answers proposed is right. I haven't made a suggestion because I can't think of a way of including the idea of a film.
12316323 (X) Aug 2, 2017:
Assuming the usage is the same, in my experience hacerse la película/armar películas/empelicularse means to let your imagination run wild and get caught up in it, confusing reality with the "movie" playing in your mind. You could be freaking out about something, envisioning the worst, or imagining your wedding and perfect Hollywood life with some stranger you see in a cafe. I like Molly's suggestion below and agree with the gist of Bill's suggestions, though I wouldn't use most of them. "Stop acting up" is a nice play on words but doesn't mean calm down/don't make a scene, at least not in US English.
william hill Aug 2, 2017:
Context Yes, a bit more context might help ..
In the meantime .. 'don't make a song and dance about it' / 'calm down, it's only a commercial' / 'stop acting up..' / 'don't be a drama queen' / 'for God's sake, do you think this is film set or what!' /
philgoddard Aug 2, 2017:
I don't think the wordplay works in English, and you'll probably need to rewrite it. What are the "peliculas" - highlights of previous seasons, like goals being scored?
Please do try to help us with as much context as possible.
Brenda Joseph (asker) Aug 2, 2017:
Son los subtítulos de unas promociones de un canal de deportes. Muestran partes de distintas películas y terminan con "no te hagas la película, el fútbol ya vuelve"
Darius Saczuk Aug 2, 2017:
Brenda What is the exact context?

Proposed translations

+6
10 mins
Selected

Don´t make a scene

This is what comes to mind, anyway.
Peer comment(s):
agree 12316323 (X) : Though not quite the meaning of hacerse/armar películas, I think this works well for the context Brenda just shared. No need to make a scene...
10 mins
Thank you.
agree Eduardo Ramos
18 mins
Thanks!
agree Marcelo González : ;))) > "Don't make a scene. Football's returning to your screen" (following billhill's suggestion)
26 mins
Ha! It even rhymes!
agree AllegroTrans : "Don't make a scene. Football's returning to your screen"
1 hr
Thank you.
agree Mónica Hanlan : Perfect! Not so much as a translation of the phrase, as I agree with Kathryn, but a good play on words and it rhymes!
2 hrs
Thanks!
agree Charles Davis
5 hrs
Thank you.
neutral philgoddard : I don't think this works - it's trying desperately to preserve something of the Spanish wordplay. People would watch this and think: why would I make a scene?
17 hrs
As mentioned in the discussion, it would certainly help to have better context.
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Loved it! Thank you!!"
7 mins

Don't be dramatic.

In some contexts, at least.
Something went wrong...
+1
27 mins

Keep your front row seat (football's returning to your screen)

An idea
Peer comment(s):
agree philgoddard : I like this because you've rightly made no attempt to translate the Spanish.
17 hrs
Why thank you, Phil!
Something went wrong...
1 hr

don't get overworked/bent out of shape/worry

Because soccer's back.

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Note added at 1 hr (2017-08-02 22:54:40 GMT)
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Or "don't go off the deep end"

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Note added at 1 hr (2017-08-02 23:01:19 GMT)
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Or "stop acting out", which reflects the idea of a movie.
Something went wrong...
6 hrs

Stop daydreaming!

"empelicularse" means to start imagining good or bad things are going to happen. I don't know how "don't make a scene" would make sense here.

"Stop daydreaming. Soccer's back, it's happening now."
I think something like this would work.

Or even "Put your feet back on the [play] ground. Soccer's back".


Something went wrong...
9 hrs

Sometimes life is better than the movies...

I agree with the discussion points made by Charles and Kathryn; I like "don't make a scene", but agree that the meaning is slightly different. I wonder if this works for you?
Something went wrong...
21 hrs

Now, it's *really* showtime!

With *really* italicized for emphasis.

Along the lines of billhill's approach here.

Given the context, it seems to make sense to abandon any attempt to provide an English equivalent of the expression and instead approach the translation from the standpoint of transcreation (i.e., translate the term loosely in a way that produces more or less the same effect as the original Spanish narration within the audiovisual context in which it is delivered).

Per Brenda's description, the idea conveyed (or at least a reasonable interpretation thereof) is something like, "You don't have to settle for pale substitutes for drama anymore, because the real deal is about to begin."

My suggestion reflects this idea, and using "showtime" preserves the connection with the movie clips that are displayed on the screen.

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Note added at 22 hrs (2017-08-03 19:55:25 GMT)
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Or, perhaps:

"The *real* show is about to begin!"
Something went wrong...
+1
17 hrs

Don't make a song and dance about it...

This might work if they're watching musicals, like La La Land...
However, I also agree with what phil says in Discussion - without more context, the Goldilocks version remains an enigma...

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Note added at 1 day15 hrs (2017-08-04 13:36:13 GMT)
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Having seen the fuller context now, a more suitable option might be "don't get caught up in the movie" (the footy's back on!)
Example sentence:

He was making a big song and dance about the new movie...

Reference:

http://www.linguee.es/ingles-espanol/traduccion/make+a+song+and+dance+about+something.html

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/es/diccionario/ingles/to-make-a-song-and-dance-about

Peer comment(s):
agree Marie Wilson : This is what popped into my head too.
2 hrs
More context definitely needed...
Something went wrong...