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la vida es un trámite

English translation: Smile. Life is a wonderfully entertaining journey.

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Spanish term or phrase:la vida es un trámite
English translation:Smile. Life is a wonderfully entertaining journey.
Entered by: Matt Valentine

18:23 Apr 22, 2015
Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Tourism & Travel / Tourist Newsletter
Spanish term or phrase: la vida es un trámite
Hi,

I'm translating a tourist newsletter about events in Tenerife from Spanish to British English. One section is about a piece of comedy theatre and is where the difficult expression appears. Below is the section in question to give you some context:

"La comedia teatral más esperada llega a nuestro municipio para hacernos pasar una noche inolvidable. Cuatro actores que bailarán, cantarán, improvisarán, se desnudarán y harán miles de locuras para no dejar a nadie indiferente. Una sucesión de situaciones que sólo parecen cómicas cuando es otro el que las vive. Una carcajada cómplice para un viaje que todos hemos hecho. Bienvenido, tome asiento y espere su turno. Sonría, que la vida es un trámite."

I've currently got "Smile, life is a formality", but I don't think that sounds particularly idiomatic. Could anyone suggest anything more idiomatic please? Thanks in advance
Matt Valentine
Norway
Local time: 12:42
Smile. Life is a wonderfully entertaining journey.
Explanation:
Getting across the idea that they are going to have a great time as they experience the emotions occasioned by the actors.

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Note added at 18 mins (2015-04-22 18:42:14 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Also reflects the idea of traveling as a tourist.
Selected response from:

Barbara Cochran, MFA
United States
Local time: 06:42
Grading comment
Thanks, Barbara! :)
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +3Smile! Life's just a stage
Adoración Bodoque Martínez
3 +2Life's a trip. Smile
George Rabel
3 +1Mere formality
Sarah Leonard
4we have to get through life
Tim Friese
4Smile. Life is a wonderfully entertaining journey.
Barbara Cochran, MFA
4life is a wonderful world we walk through
David Hollywood
4life is wonderful.
esing (X)
4life is just a series of queues
Nedra Rivera Huntington
3Smile; for life is but a dream.
James A. Walsh
3Smile, we ought to enjoy life!
Tim Friese
2Smile: this is what life is (all) about
Wendy Streitparth


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


6 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Mere formality


Explanation:
In this situation a more idiomatic version could be to add "mere" into the phrase.




Sarah Leonard
Spain
Local time: 12:42
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  AllegroTrans: how would that fit to the rest of the text and the context of a tourist brochure?
2 hrs
agree  Adrian MM. (X)
10 hrs
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7 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
we have to get through life


Explanation:
I think this captures the idea of 'unavoidable' that is contained in 'trámite'

Tim Friese
United States
Local time: 05:42
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  AllegroTrans: doesn't sound remotely "touristy" or connected to the rest of the text
2 hrs
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7 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
Life's a trip. Smile


Explanation:
Not particularly faithful to the original, but I think it may work here, considering that we're dealing with a tourist newsletter

George Rabel
Local time: 06:42
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Spanish
PRO pts in category: 28

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  AllegroTrans: Yes, sounds sufficiently "touristy"
2 hrs
  -> Thank you, Chris. That's the idea!
agree  jpatters
19 hrs
  -> Thank you, jpatters
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17 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
Smile. Life is a wonderfully entertaining journey.


Explanation:
Getting across the idea that they are going to have a great time as they experience the emotions occasioned by the actors.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 18 mins (2015-04-22 18:42:14 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Also reflects the idea of traveling as a tourist.

Barbara Cochran, MFA
United States
Local time: 06:42
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thanks, Barbara! :)
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

57 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
Smile: this is what life is (all) about


Explanation:
Just a suggestion

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2015-04-22 19:26:53 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Life is a bundle of laughs!


Wendy Streitparth
Germany
Local time: 12:42
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 28
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
Sonría, que la vida es un trámite.
Smile; for life is but a dream.


Explanation:
Dunno why, but as soon as I read this, “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” came straight to mind. And since it’s such a well-known little ditty in the English-speaking world, it could work well in a tourism blurb...

Just an idea.

Example sentence(s):
  • Smile; for life is but a dream.
  • Smile: life is but a dream.
James A. Walsh
Spain
Local time: 12:42
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 43
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
Smile, we ought to enjoy life!


Explanation:
Not that faithful but I'm struggling to make something work here.

Tim Friese
United States
Local time: 05:42
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
Smile! Life's just a stage


Explanation:
Is this answer too obvious?




    Reference: http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/spanish-english/...
Adoración Bodoque Martínez
Ireland
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 24

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  AllegroTrans: Maybe obvious, but tourist brochures are hardly literary masterpieces and this works!
1 hr
  -> Thank you AllegroTrans.
agree  nataliasuta (X)
11 hrs
  -> Thank you Natalia.
agree  Carolyn Mc
12 hrs
  -> Thank you Carolyn.
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6 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
life is a wonderful world we walk through


Explanation:
:)

David Hollywood
Local time: 07:42
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 87
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9 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
life is wonderful.


Explanation:
It suits a tourist literature.

esing (X)
India
Local time: 16:12
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in TamilTamil
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33 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
life is just a series of queues


Explanation:
OR
life is just a series of bureaucratic hoops

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 11 hrs (2015-04-23 06:17:57 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Another idea occurred to me:

Smile, we've all been there!

Nedra Rivera Huntington
United States
Local time: 03:42
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 16

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  AllegroTrans: doesn't sound remotely "touristy" or connected to the rest of the text
1 hr
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