Previous ProZ.com translation contests | | « return to previous contest list 6th ProZ.com Translation ContestItalian to English Finalists:7 Source text:I miei primi ricordi delle Feste mi riportano ad abitudini molto diverse da quelle di oggi. …Dunque le Feste. Attese. Vagheggiate. Gioiose. Cominciavano con le letterine, indirizzate ai genitori, cara mamma e caro papà, sempre le stesse con scarsa fantasia. Piene di buoni propositi: sarò buono, sarò obbediente, vi voglio bene, eccetera. Ne conservo ancora qualcuna insieme alle pagelle della prima e della seconda elementare. L'apertura ufficiale arrivava la sera del 24 dicembre. Il cenone della vigilia. E il presepe. Anzi presepio. Ci avevano lavorato a lungo, bambini e genitori. Avevano raccolto la vellutina in campagna e nei giardini delle città. I personaggi del presepio venivano conservati da un anno all'altro e così le casette dei contadini, le pecore dei pastori, i tre Re magi, la Madonna col suo manto azzurro e San Giuseppe che non so perché risultava calvo, forse per dargli un sembiante da persona anziana e senza le tentazioni della carne. E il bambino. Il bambino Gesù, un corpicino nudo o appena velato per nascondere il sesso. …Finita la cena, i bambini recitavano una poesiola o leggevano la letterina. Poi andavano a dormire e venivano svegliati pochi minuti prima della mezzanotte. Si formava un piccolo corteo col bimbo più piccolo in testa che portava il bambino Gesù e lo deponeva nella culla vigilata dalla mucca e dall'asino. La cerimonia finiva lì e si tornava a dormire, ma non era facile riprender sonno anche perché si sapeva che al risveglio avremmo trovato i regali. I regali del Natale erano tuttavia leggeri. Una bambolina per le femmine, ai maschi un gioco dell'oca o il meccano che allora era in voga, abituava a una manualità molto incoraggiata dai maestri della scuola. I grandi, genitori e altri parenti e amici, non si scambiavano regali tra loro, non era uso. L'albero di Natale ci era del tutto sconosciuto e lo stesso Babbo Natale - almeno nelle regioni del Centro e del Sud - non esisteva. Qualche vaga eco ce ne arrivava da conoscenti che abitavano a Milano e Torino. Da Roma in giù di papà Natale non si aveva notizia. |
| | My earliest memories of Christmas remind me just how different life used to be. ... So, Christmas. Eagerly awaited, longed for, full of joy. It started with the Christmas letters, addressed to our parents: “Dear Mum and Dad, ...”. What they lacked in imagination they made up for in good intentions: I’ll be good, I’ll do as I’m told, I love you, the usual stuff. I’ve still got a few, stashed away with some of my first school reports. The celebrations officially commenced Show full text
| Thanks a lot everyone; I'm honoured! |
| | Thanks very much Potra, Carroll and Sarah Jane! |
| | | | Well done Simon; it sounds so natural but I know that takes a lot of hard work! |
| Thanks Russell; and the funny thing is, it's always the 'easy' expressions that never sound quite right, and that you keep on changing right up to the last minute |
| Excellent. I miei più sinceri complimenti. |
| | Congratulations! I'm happy you won, I fell in love with your translation, and immediately opted for it. |
| I'm very flattered. Thank you, Nadia! |
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| | The Sacred and the Profane By Eugenio Scalfari My first memories of the holidays take me back to traditions quite different from those of today. …Ah, the holidays. Awaited. Yearned for. Joyful. They’d begin with the letters, addressed to our parents, Dear Mama and Dear Papa, always the same and rather lacking in imagination. Full of good intentions: I will be good, I will be obedient, I love you, etcetera. I still keep a few of them together with report cards from the first Show full text
I really liked your version! Congrats! |
| Thank you very much! It was a lot of fun. |
| Very good!! My first choice!! =) |
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| | The Sacred and the Profane by Eugenio Scalfari. Full text My earliest memories of Christmas are of very different traditions than today. Ah, the holidays. Expectations. Longing. Merry times. Letters to our parents marked the start of the festivities. Dear mum, dear dad, always the same, unoriginal lines. They were full of good intentions - I will be good, I will do as I am told, I love you, and so on and so forth. I still have some tucked away with reports from my first Show full text
Very good!! My second choice!! =) |
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| | My earliest recollections of holidays are of very different traditions than those we follow today. ...‘The Holidays’: longed for, fantasized over, joyful. They always began with the same unimaginative little letters to parents; “Dear Mum and Dad…” which were full of good intentions: “I will be good, obedient, I love you”, etc. I still have a few, along with some first and second-grade report cards. The season opened officially the evening of December 24th Show full text
I liked your version a lot! Congrats on a job well-done |
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| | My first memories of Christmas recall customs very different from those of today. ...Christmas. So looked forward to. So longed for. Such glorious fun. It began with the little letters, addressed to parents, Dear Mummy and Daddy, always the same with hardly any variation. Packed with good intentions: I’ll be good, I’ll do as you say, I love you, etc. I still have some of them, together with my school reports from my first two years at primary school. The official start was not Show full text
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| | My earliest memories of the Holidays bring me back to a set of traditions much different than those of today. …Well the Holidays: awaited, longed for, full of joy. They would start by the mailing of letters to parents, always the same lame letters, brimming with good intentions: dear mom and dad, I will be good, I will behave, I love you and so on. I still have some of those letters together with my report cards from the first and the second grade. The eve of December 24, marked Show full text
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| | My first memories of Christmas festivities bring me back to habits considerably different from those of today. Thus the Festivities. Waited for. Desired. Joyful. They started with the letters to our parents, dear mummy and dear daddy, always the same things with little fantasy. Full of good intentions; I will be good, I will be obedient, I love you, etc. I still keep some together with my reports of first and second elementary classes. The festivities Show full text
Very good!! My third choice!! =) |
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| ![](https://www.proz.com/images/pixel.gif) Feedback - 6th ProZ.com Translation Contest This space is provided for feedback and suggestions about the contest in this particular language pair. As we have already planned, this feature is now open to all members (full, community and student members). |
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