Feb 14, 2014 13:50
10 yrs ago
Spanish term

me los estoy tirando

Spanish to English Art/Literary Poetry & Literature
Hi, I'm translating a novel and in the section in question the character has been stabbed and beaten and blood is pouring onto his shoes. The author is Colombian, so there is some Colombian Spanish in there as well. Does anyone know what this expression might mean?

Here's the full first paragraph:

"Se miró los zapatos y pensó: me los estoy tirando. La sangre salía del hueco que le habían hecho en el estómago. La había sentido bajar por las piernas, ya no, había parado hacía varias manzanas o él simplemente ya no la notaba, un hilito delgado y tibio que había terminado por ensopar las medias y embadurnar los zapatos nuevos."

Any ideas/suggestions?

Thanks!

Discussion

Patrick Weill Feb 14, 2014:
de acuerdo sí: jodiéndolos
Héctor Carpena García Feb 14, 2014:
En primer lugar habia pensado que se refería a "los estoy poniendo para tirar" en el sentido de que van a tener que ir a la basura, pero no. Al parecer, en Colombia "tirar" también tiene la misma connotación sexual que en España, es decir, "poseer sexualmente a alguien" (RAE), aunque el uso parece algo distinto. Diría que, en ese contexto, "tirando" es sustituible por "jodiendo" ("me los estoy jodiendo/me estoy jodiendo los zapatos"). ¿Qué os parece? Tal vez se podría traducir como "I'm messing them up" o algo similar.

Proposed translations

+3
28 mins
Selected

I am fucking them [these shoes] up.

I hate to be so publicly vulgar when anyone could be reading this. However, if in the novel there are stabbings and beatings it stands to reason that there is also foul language. Of course you could also write "I am ruining them [these shoes]."

I'm not 100% sure but it looks like a reasonable assumption. Next step, I would ask a Colombian translator. Good luck!
Peer comment(s):

agree Héctor Carpena García
0 min
Muchísimas gracias, ¡suerte!
agree Yvonne Gallagher : 1 of these seems very likely. Or even, "I'm destroying them"
12 mins
Thank you very much. Good luck!
agree Sharon Heller : Yes - or screwing them up?
1 hr
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
+1
2 hrs

I'm really trashing [my shoes] them.

Is there a lot of vulgarity in the language before and after this passage? If so, I could also go along with Patrick's choice.
Peer comment(s):

agree Hans Geluk : Also likely. Then it would mean the same as "ya me los estoy reventando".
3 hrs
Thank you, Hans.
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