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Glossary entry

Spanish term or phrase:

Para espeso preferimos el chocolate con picatostes.

English translation:

Anything less just doesn't cut the mustard.

Added to glossary by James A. Walsh
Jun 20, 2016 20:56
7 yrs ago
4 viewers *
Spanish term

Para espeso preferimos el chocolate con picatostes.

Spanish to English Other Other Expression
Hi all,

I'm translating a marketing company's website, and they're talking about how hard they work for their clients, how client satisfaction is important, and how they won't rest until the client is happy with the final product.

Then it goes:

Te hablaremos claro.
Para espeso preferimos el chocolate con picatostes.

I'm having trouble thinking of a clever way to express this last sentence. Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks in advance!
Proposed translations (English)
3 +2 Anything less just doesn't cut the mustard.
3 ... not as clear as mud!
3 [see below]
3 -1 Thick chocolate with strips of fried bread
References
picatostes
claro ... espeso
Change log

Jun 25, 2016 16:19: James A. Walsh changed "Edited KOG entry" from "<a href="/profile/571398">Poughkeepsie's</a> old entry - "Para espeso preferimos el chocolate con picatostes."" to ""Anything less just doesn\'t cut the mustard.""

Proposed translations

+2
11 hrs
Spanish term (edited): Para espeso preferimos el chocolate con picatostes.
Selected

Anything less just doesn't cut the mustard.

I can't think of a clever way of reflecting the Spanish expression in English, so I suggest paraphrasing it using a well known English expression to make it sound catchy.

Something like: "Crystal clear communications. Anything less just doesn't cut the mustard."

Hope this gives you some ideas at least...
Peer comment(s):
agree philgoddard : Good idea. I still don't fully understand the Spanish, but it's probably untranslatable.
3 hrs
Thanks, Phil.
agree Thomas Walker : I'm a connoisseur of US English slang, & I can't think of anything close to literal that conveys the meaning of the ST & is still idiomatic.
13 hrs
Yah! It's a toughie, alright... Thanks, Tom.
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "This works perfectly. I love how you were able to think of a food-related expression. Thank you so much!"
-1
2 hrs

Thick chocolate with strips of fried bread

There's an old saying that goes something like: "we like water (to be) clear and chocolate (to be) thick" which means that we like to call things by their name and that we don't beat around the bush. In this case, I believe the point is that we like for things to be what they are supposed to be. Water has to be clear and chocolate (the drink) thick but we like to take that extra step and go beyond by making it even thicker by adding the typical strips of fried bread or picatostes. So I partially agree with philgoddard. It's a play on words that works nicely in a restaurant setting.
Peer comment(s):
disagree James A. Walsh : "There's an old saying that goes something like:" No there isn't! It means nothing when I read this; it's meaningless!
23 hrs
Something went wrong...
2 hrs

... not as clear as mud!

The Spanish expression is: "las cosas claras y el chocolate espeso".

The closest equivalent I can think of in English is "as clear as water" and "as clear as mud".

I can't think of a clever way of using both in the same sentence. Maybe something like: "We want to be (or "we will try to be") as clear as water, not as clear as mud!"
Something went wrong...
16 hrs

[see below]

Clear. Powerful. Results-driven.

At XXX, we wouldn't have it any other way.

*******

Although I think Morton's understanding is right on here, I don't see a way of expressing an equivalent metaphor without sounding trite. I thus offer a transcreative rendering that expresses the underlying idea (which, is what likely would be done in the real world with such material).
Something went wrong...

Reference comments

1 hr
Reference:

picatostes

.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2016-06-20 22:15:36 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

By the way, the company specialises in food, and there's lots of culinary wordplay. I'm not sure what this means, though.

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Note added at 1 hr (2016-06-20 22:21:35 GMT)
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Chocolate means drinking chocolate here. Is it a play on a meaning of "espeso" other than "thick"?

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2016-06-20 22:28:49 GMT)
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Something like "we won't beat about the bush"? Or am I completely on the wrong track?
Reference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picatostes

Peer comments on this reference comment:
agree neilmac : The chocolate taken with churros is Spain is often so thick you can literally stand a spoon up in it...
9 hrs
Something went wrong...
3 hrs
Reference:

claro ... espeso

Difficult to get the same nuance, but perhaps something with:
"crystal clear" = clarity of speech, communication (or water) - and Crystal is also the plain English campaign symbol.
"goo/gooey" = (nicely) thick, especially of chocolate (cake). (Maybe "gloop/gloopy" but it doesn't have the same positive tone as goo)

For crystal clarity talk to us; if you prefer gooey, stick to (hot) chocolate.
(some poetic licence required!)

(It's not brilliant, but it might give you some ideas to work on)
Peer comments on this reference comment:
agree neilmac : It's a toughie...
7 hrs
Thanks! Yes, really tough - it's great saying in Spanish though
Something went wrong...
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