delirante

English translation: an idiot/fool

22:47 Nov 16, 2007
Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / medicine
Spanish term or phrase: delirante
Quién era xxx? Un loco, un delirante, un impostor ...

I would appreciate any and all ideas on "delirante" as opposed to "loco". Thanks in advance
David Hollywood
Local time: 12:08
English translation:an idiot/fool
Explanation:
I think the meaning is a "deluded", or a "misguided" fool. But the use of more than 1 word would upset the rhythm of the text.

...a madman, a fool, or an imposter...

It could also mean "raving" or a maniac, but you clearly need to avoid anything that is simply synonymous with "madman".

Unlike mediamatrix, I would consider using an adjective: ...a madman, an imposter, or merely deluded...

Grammatical transposition is a perfectly valid technique for translation as long as it is justified - ie, compensates for some other loss that would otherwise occur (eg, semantic, loss of rhythm, etc, etc...)
Selected response from:

Carol Gullidge
United Kingdom
Local time: 15:08
Grading comment
thanks to everyone for their valuable contributions ... I finally went with "delusional figure"
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
5 +7dreamer
Vittorio Ferretti
5 +3hallucinating / delirious
Sandra Rodriguez
4 +3a madman, mentally deranged, an impostor
Bubo Coroman (X)
4 +1delirious
Thais Maria Lips
4 +1lunatic
Patricia Rosas
4 +1delusional
Austinterpret
4an idiot/fool
Carol Gullidge
4a/an hysteric
Elizabeth Medina
4idealist
Jennifer Levey


Discussion entries: 6





  

Answers


8 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +3
hallucinating / delirious


Explanation:
de uso frecuente

Sandra Rodriguez
Puerto Rico
Local time: 11:08
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 12

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Jennifer Levey: Asker is looking for a noun, not an adjective.
4 mins
  -> You are so right! Ok, "lunatic" does it - but I did like David's "delusional figure" .

agree  Maria523
1 hr
  -> Gracias!

agree  Mónica Algazi
2 hrs
  -> Gracias!

agree  Monica Alves
11 hrs
  -> Gracias!
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10 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
delirious


Explanation:
frenzied, raving, light-headed

Thais Maria Lips
United States
Local time: 11:08
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in PortuguesePortuguese, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 16

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Jennifer Levey: Asker is looking for a noun, not an adjective.
2 mins
  -> Then I guess I don't get it, for me delirante opposet to loco, means he is looking for adjectives

agree  Jose Arnoldo Rodriguez-Carrington: I think it would go well in this context.
2 hrs
  -> Thanks Jose:-)
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17 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
lunatic


Explanation:
as in someone affected by lunacy: "insanity interrupted by lucid intervals that was formerly supposed to be influenced by the changes of the moon" (so sometimes delirious, sometimes not ...

but I agree with Mediamatrix, how are you translating "loco"?

Patricia Rosas
United States
Local time: 08:08
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 47

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Mapi: I like this option too, pending of course the "loco" part
1 hr
  -> thanks, Mapi!
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18 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +7
dreamer


Explanation:
Larousse: delirio = 1. ...persistencia de ideas en oposición manifiesta con la realidad o el buen sentido...
Webster's: dreamer = 3. a person who has ideas or schemes considered impractical
"daydreamer" has a "pleasant" connotation which "delirio" does not have
Tegards!

Vittorio Ferretti
Local time: 16:08
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jennifer Levey: That was my 'hunch' pending askers answer to my question about 'loco'.
2 mins

agree  Donald Scott Alexander: Yes, and "dreamer" and "madman" go together well, as they both have Anglo-Saxon (rather than Latinate) roots.
5 mins

agree  Mapi: works weel, together with lunatic if not used for "loco"
1 hr

agree  Salloz
1 hr

agree  Maria Elena Martinez
1 hr

agree  Katarina Peters
4 hrs

agree  Cristina Santos
1 day 14 hrs
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38 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
an idiot/fool


Explanation:
I think the meaning is a "deluded", or a "misguided" fool. But the use of more than 1 word would upset the rhythm of the text.

...a madman, a fool, or an imposter...

It could also mean "raving" or a maniac, but you clearly need to avoid anything that is simply synonymous with "madman".

Unlike mediamatrix, I would consider using an adjective: ...a madman, an imposter, or merely deluded...

Grammatical transposition is a perfectly valid technique for translation as long as it is justified - ie, compensates for some other loss that would otherwise occur (eg, semantic, loss of rhythm, etc, etc...)

Carol Gullidge
United Kingdom
Local time: 15:08
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 315
Grading comment
thanks to everyone for their valuable contributions ... I finally went with "delusional figure"
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50 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
a/an hysteric


Explanation:
Un loco - a lunatic
Un delirante - a hysteric. Merriam Webster: hysteria 1: a psychoneurosis marked by emotional excitability... 2: behavior exhibiting overwhelming or unmanageable fear or emotional excess -- hysteric n.

Elizabeth Medina
Local time: 12:08
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 12
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26 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
delusional


Explanation:
hope it helps, dreamers aren´t delusional are they:-)?

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 51 mins (2007-11-16 23:39:06 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

as per mediamatrix ,delusional is out,maybe more of a literal translation(ok for glossary) in context maybe "lost soul" or something else rather than "dreamer"(also means visionary in english),delirante(in this context) in spanish has a negative conotation however in english dreamer(for me :-) does not.

Austinterpret
Spain
Local time: 16:08
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in SpanishSpanish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Jennifer Levey: Asker is looking for a noun, not an adjective. And you ain't seen my dreams! // Actually, we've no idea who we're talking about! Asker hasn't said who 'xxx' is!
3 mins
  -> fair enough,but we´re not talking about someone dreaming, maybe we´re talking about someone who could be a bit of a "lost soul"(I´m not religious by the way)//not that there´s anything wrong with that:-)

agree  Bubo Coroman (X): yes, this is one of the unfortunate symptoms of mental illness
16 hrs
  -> Thanks Deborah
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54 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
idealist


Explanation:
As long as we don't know who 'xxx' is, these epithets could refer to any of a dozen or more characteristics of the person in question. And 'delirante' could be something 'positive', something 'creative' - just as easily as it could be something 'negative' as assumed by all other answerers so far ...

Jennifer Levey
Chile
Local time: 12:08
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 20
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7 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
a madman, mentally deranged, an impostor


Explanation:
I think "delirante" refers to a mental state of derangement

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 16 hrs (2007-11-17 15:35:22 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

or you can bundle "loco" and "delirante" together and put "a raving lunatic", because "delirante" actually means "raving" (mentally unbalanced)

Bubo Coroman (X)
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 151

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Austinterpret
8 hrs
  -> thanks, have a nice weekend :-) Deborah

agree  Sp-EnTranslator: I'd go for the bundle solution. English allows for it here.
12 hrs
  -> Thank you Clo, bundle it is. Enjoy your weekend :-) Deborah

agree  Marian Martin (X)
1 day 16 hrs
  -> muchas gracias Marian, un abrazo :-) Deborah
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