Glossary entry

Spanish term or phrase:

correntías

English translation:

runoffs

Added to glossary by Beatriz Ramírez de Haro
Sep 10, 2014 10:19
9 yrs ago
1 viewer *
Spanish term

correntías

Spanish to English Art/Literary Poetry & Literature
A short story based in the Valencia region of Spain:
"Nada enraíza sin esfuerzo en el secano, las semillas que quieren brotar tienen que romper la tierra apelmazada, atravesar el suelo hasta la luz y aprovechar las cuatro gotas del invierno o las **correntías** de septiembre en su lento camino hacia la vida, sean de aliagas o de pino altísimo, aprenderán a doblarse con el sofoco del viento del poniente y sabrán esperar, tendrán que tentar la dureza del suelo y sortear cada terrón rojizo, cada mata vecina, rescatar, en el verano, cada gota, hasta el agua abandonada por la pata mojada del verderol, la vida que nace en el secano tiene que brotar con la voluntad de un Gengis Khan y el mismo soplo divino de los cuerpos celestes."
Clearly this is something favourable to a plant's growth, but I'm not familiar with the term - it would seem to be related to corrientes - warm air currents, maybe? But given the context, there is no shortage of warm air... Any ideas?
Change log

Sep 17, 2014 10:15: Beatriz Ramírez de Haro Created KOG entry

Proposed translations

+4
14 mins
Selected

torrents/water runoffs

The term is actually "escorrentías" (not air, but water runoffs typical of the Mediterranean areas)

http://lema.rae.es/drae/?val=escorrentía

http://www.wordreference.com/es/en/translation.asp?spen=esco...
Peer comment(s):

agree Yvonne Gallagher
1 hr
Thanks - Bea
agree Judith Armele
1 hr
Thanks Judith - Bea
agree Charles Davis : Or "surface runoffs", perhaps. "Torrents" could be a bit too much.
2 hrs
Thanks Charles - Bea
agree franglish
3 hrs
Thanks - Bea
agree James A. Walsh
3 hrs
Thanks James
disagree Sophie Cherel : It's clear that this plant can do without much water so I think torrents is way too strong and 'water runoffs' sounds awkward. Maybe something along the lines of 'September trickles'?
4 hrs
The author has chosen the term "escorrentía", not "reguero/goteo/chorreo" (trickle). It is not for the translator to change the meaning.
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
10 mins

flooding

Something went wrong...
2 hrs

puddles

" ..taking advantage of the puddles in septembre..."

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escorrentía

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Note added at 2 hrs (2014-09-10 12:29:34 GMT)
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The text is referring to the limited resources that a budding plant has to take advantage of to survive...little or no rain in winter and a few small puddles in september
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