Glossary entry

Spanish term or phrase:

de las voraces tropas de ratones

English translation:

ravenous hordes of rats

Added to glossary by Jane Martin
Sep 11, 2021 06:34
2 yrs ago
26 viewers *
Spanish term

de las voraces tropas de ratones

Non-PRO Spanish to English Other Poetry & Literature Fable.(Fiction)
I would like to know the best translation of this phrase from Spanish into American English. Translator colleagues from Spain, feel free to send me your suggestions as well. Is okay to translate it as from the voracious troops of mice? Is this correct?

This is from the story about The flautist of Hamelin.

Here is the full paragraph:

Los hamelineses, al verse al fin libres de las voraces tropas de ratones, respiraron aliviados. Ya tranquilos y satisfechos, volvieron a sus prósperos negocios, y tan contentos estaban que organizaron una gran fiesta para celebrar el feliz desenlace, comiendo excelentes viandas y bailando hasta muy entrada la noche.
Change log

Sep 11, 2021 08:10: neilmac changed "Level" from "PRO" to "Non-PRO"

Sep 16, 2021 05:38: Jane Martin Created KOG entry

Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

Non-PRO (3): Toni Castano, María Perales, neilmac

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Discussion

yugoslavia (asker) Sep 11, 2021:
Thanks Neilmac,Cecilia,
Thanks for your help. I appreciate it. I see the English word troops is the translation for tropas but I think hordes is better in this context. Thanks for your help.
neilmac Sep 11, 2021:
@phil Plus ça change.
neilmac Sep 11, 2021:
Yes My comment was in response to the asker's question: "Is okay to translate it as from the voracious troops of mice? I wouldn't use other military-type options such as squad/squadron/battalion/regiment... etc. either.
Cecilia Gowar Sep 11, 2021:
@yugoslavia Regarding your question: I do not know if Neil's post was a reply, I only saw it after posting my answer but I would say exactly the same, which is why I suggested army.
neilmac Sep 11, 2021:
Tropas I wouldn't use toops or troupes myself. If you want to maintain the military metaphor, "army/armies" is probably better, although I prefer "ravenous hordes"... And as for mice, schmice.

Proposed translations

+6
29 mins
Selected

ravenous hordes of rats

But there are many other possibilities.

Note from asker:
Thanks Miss Martin.
Peer comment(s):

agree Cecilia Gowar
4 mins
Thank you
agree neilmac : Rovery arritelation there.... :-)
1 hr
Why thank you :)
agree Katarina Peters
4 hrs
Thank you.
agree S. Kathryn Jiménez Boyd : Yes, exactly what I would have put.
4 hrs
Thank you
agree Beatriz Ramírez de Haro
9 hrs
Thank you
agree Adrian MM. : - as long as the asker doesn't mix up ravishing good looks with ravenous.
1 day 3 hrs
Thank you Adrian :-)
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks."
+3
55 mins

from the voracious army of mice

Another option, if you want to stick to the original

This hellebore is one which has avoided the attentions of a voracious army of mice who have been raiding hellebore buds and spring bulbs.
https://godintonhouse.co.uk/news/gardens-open-sunday/
Note from asker:
Muchas gracias Cecilia. Voracious troops of mice is not correct? Please let me know. Thanks.
Peer comment(s):

agree José Patrício
14 mins
¡Gracias José!
agree Orkoyen (X) : army has that organized military feel like tropas does. Unless one likes that hun-like method of the horde.
1 hr
Thanks Orkoyen!
agree Katarina Peters
4 hrs
Thanks Katarina!
disagree writeaway : rats
7 hrs
Ratones translates as mice. Rats is ¨ratas¨in Spanish. You can complain to the writer of the original Sp text.
agree Adrian MM. : We used to call our firm's small goofy lawyers 'El señor ratón' and big ones 'Ratas'.
1 day 3 hrs
Something went wrong...

Reference comments

19 mins
Reference:

Are you really going to call them mice (from the Spanish)?

BBC Online article:
The tale in fact has survived for a very long time. Originating as medieval folklore, the story inspired a Goethe verse, Der Rattenfänger; a Grimm Brothers’ legend, The Children of Hamelin; and one of Robert Browning’s best-known poems, The Pied Piper of Hamelin. And although each writer tinkered with the story, the basics remained the same: the Piper was hired by Hamelin to rid the town of its plague of rats. Trailing after the hypnotic notes of the rat-catcher’s magical flute, the rodents politely filed through the city gates to their presumed doom.
Note from asker:
I understand Ormiston but please understand that they have different version of the story.The Spanish word ratones is translated mice into English. Of course I know some of them were rats but we need to keep the original.
I'm sorry. I mean to say versions.
Peer comments on this reference comment:

agree neilmac : Maybe it hasn't occurred to our friend that the Spanish version may be.... less than optimal.
1 hr
agree writeaway : It's always been rats in every version I heard
8 hrs
agree Beatriz Ramírez de Haro : including Wikipedia: El flautista de Hamelín es una leyenda alemana... cuyo título original es Der Rattenfänger von Hameln, que se traduciría como El cazador de ratas de Hamelín. https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_flautista_de_Hamelín
10 hrs
agree Michele Fauble
11 hrs
Something went wrong...
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