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divorati ogni spazio vitale disponibile

English translation: sucked the air out the room

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Italian term or phrase:divorati ogni spazio vitale disponibile
English translation:sucked the air out the room
Entered by: Lara Barnett

10:33 Nov 28, 2017
Italian to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters / Character-based fiction
Italian term or phrase: divorati ogni spazio vitale disponibile
Marco, despite being very nervous and having almost walked away, has gone into an audition/screen test for a TV/film role. Having now entered the venue he is surrounded by a lot of actors who all look very polished and each one stands out.. He feels like an alien amongst them.

"Erano tutti così pieni di sé che non c’era posto per me. I loro ego si erano letteralmente divorati ogni spazio vitale disponibile. "

"...their egos were literally devouring all available living space" sounds a bit awkward in English to me. Would it sound better to say "all available breathing space"? or maybe it is just the use of "devour" that does not work?. Any opinions?
Lara Barnett
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:09
sucked the air out the room
Explanation:
the meaning is the sam e
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/suck_the_air_out_of
To dominate or overwhelm, preventing anything or anyone else from receiving attention. quotations ▼
Selected response from:

Shera Lyn Parpia
Italy
Local time: 13:09
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +5sucked the air out the room
Shera Lyn Parpia
4their egos gobbled up every bit of the surrounding space
Michael Korovkin
4devoured all the space able to support life
James (Jim) Davis


  

Answers


9 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +5
sucked the air out the room


Explanation:
the meaning is the sam e
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/suck_the_air_out_of
To dominate or overwhelm, preventing anything or anyone else from receiving attention. quotations ▼


Shera Lyn Parpia
Italy
Local time: 13:09
Meets criteria
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 127
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks. Sounds perfect.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Lisa Jane: Great idiom! Well found!
2 mins
  -> Thanks :)
agree  tradu-grace: congrats Shera!
53 mins
  -> thank you so much.
agree  Fiona Grace Peterson: Or "swollen egos squeezing every inch of air out of the room"
1 hr
  -> yes, lots of ways to say this!
agree  Luca Gentili
5 hrs
  -> thank you!
agree  Michele Fauble
6 hrs
  -> many thanks :)
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54 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
their egos gobbled up every bit of the surrounding space


Explanation:
If it's a translator's-license work, I'd put "It seemed the room itself had collapsed around their egos"

Michael Korovkin
Italy
Local time: 13:09
Meets criteria
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in RussianRussian
PRO pts in category: 125
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
devoured all the space able to support life


Explanation:
had literally devoured all the space able to support life in the room

I really do think you have to use the same metaphor in the Italian because it is also very common in English. Big egos are voracious, they devour all before them including every inch of space in the room in this case.
https://www.google.com/search?num=50&hl=en&ei=UlQdWo3WOaWj_Q...

https://www.google.com/search?num=50&hl=en&ei=11QdWuDRHorcjw...

James (Jim) Davis
Seychelles
Local time: 15:09
Meets criteria
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 303
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