Like recently where I am, it’s pushing “anticuado” as “outdated”. Except that is obviously “Antiquated”.
Don’t rely on word similarity without checking dictionaries, otherwise you will end up like people who think “bizarro” means “bizarre”. False friends are a thing.
“obliguado” doesn’t seem like a real Spanish word to me, and the RAE dictionaries seem to agree with me.
Also it’s very common for certain words to have no equivalent translation with the same root, so you will have to settle for “words used in the target language in this situation” even if they don’t quite get the nuances across.
Yes, exactly. Even true translations can carry different connotations, and that’s part of what makes translation interesting, that even simple sentences can lose some implied meaning in a direct, correct translation.
The Bizzaro thing is a good point, but also knowing the actual meaning, it seems the English equivalent would be “Brazen”. Which is similar in structure and meaning.
“brazen” is closer to “osado” or “audaz” in meaning. “bizarría” (noun) and “bizarro” (adjective) are used in old texts and patriotic songs and implies honorable or generous bravery, such as that of a liberator.
Don’t rely on word similarity without checking dictionaries, otherwise you will end up like people who think “bizarro” means “bizarre”. False friends are a thing.
“obliguado” doesn’t seem like a real Spanish word to me, and the RAE dictionaries seem to agree with me.
Also it’s very common for certain words to have no equivalent translation with the same root, so you will have to settle for “words used in the target language in this situation” even if they don’t quite get the nuances across.
A couple of my favorite false cognates in Spanish are:
pregunta = question
embarazada = pregnant
avergonzada = embarrassed
(I included that last one because I’ve never actually known how to say embarrassed in Spanish, and now I know.)
The “embarazada”/“embarrassed” mix-up is really common and it always elicits the same confused reaction from people who hear it for the first time.
Y ¿por que no los dos? A lady could be embarrassed about her pregnancy 😆
Or has a question at the doctor’s
another thing is that, sometimes the etymological equivalent even if not a false cognate, may still carry very different semantics and connotations
Yeah, even within the same language too. e.g. Awful vs Awesome and Terrible vs Terrific
english is full of these thanks to double borrowings from french, like warden, guardian
Yes, exactly. Even true translations can carry different connotations, and that’s part of what makes translation interesting, that even simple sentences can lose some implied meaning in a direct, correct translation.
The Bizzaro thing is a good point, but also knowing the actual meaning, it seems the English equivalent would be “Brazen”. Which is similar in structure and meaning.
“brazen” is closer to “osado” or “audaz” in meaning. “bizarría” (noun) and “bizarro” (adjective) are used in old texts and patriotic songs and implies honorable or generous bravery, such as that of a liberator.
Gracias por la explicación.