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death by misadventure

Glossary entry

English term or phrase:

they kind of put their head back

Spanish translation:

me miran como extrañados

Added to glossary by Beatriz Ramírez de Haro
Apr 22, 2020 19:50
4 yrs ago
38 viewers *
English term

they kind of put their head back

English to Spanish Other General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters saying/expression
Hi all!
I am having some difficulty understanding this phrase in this context. How does putting one's head back indicate that they don't understand what is being said? And more importantly, how do I translate the phrase to convey the right meaning?


“There’s a possibility that the assault of the virus on our nation next winter will actually be even more difficult than the one we just went through,” CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield said in an interview with The Washington Post.
“And when I’ve said this to others, **they kind of put their head back,** they don’t understand what I mean.”


Hope everyone is staying indoors and staying healthy. Thanks in advance for your suggestions!
Proposed translations (Spanish)
3 +2 hacen un gesto de asombro/de extrañeza // me miran extrañados
3 +2 ponen cara de asombro
3 se echan para atrás
3 arquean las cejas
3 se quedan como alucinados
Change log

Apr 27, 2020 19:46: Beatriz Ramírez de Haro Created KOG entry

Discussion

Mónica Algazi Apr 22, 2020:
Just a note on "kind of" In Spanish, or at least in this variant, we usually convey this idea with the expression "como que". Example: Le digo una y otra vez que use la mascarilla, pero como que no entiende (o no quiere entender).
That said, you can do without the "como que" in this particular case.
Lydia De Jorge (asker) Apr 22, 2020:
@Joseph I agree! "kind of" or "sort of" are useless fillers not worth translating. You either do or you don't do something, but the halfway connotation of 'kind of' makes no sense. It's like being 'a little' pregnant. Skeptical might be a good choice. Thanks!
Joseph Tein Apr 22, 2020:
Hi Lydia. A lot of people these days throw in this "kind of" phrase as a completely meaningless filler that doesn't add anything pertinent to what they're saying;l it's very annoying to listen to. "Kind of" actually means "to some extent" or "somewhat" or "not exactly" ... which isn't relevant in this context. I think that "throw their head back" probably indicates that they look skeptical. You can find some way of phrasing that in Spanish. I hope that kind of helps :)

Proposed translations

+2
1 hr
Selected

hacen un gesto de asombro/de extrañeza // me miran extrañados

Puede que no sea necesario especificar la parte del cuerpo para transmitir la idea.


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Note added at 2 hrs (2020-04-22 21:51:30 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Me parece que el gesto en cuestión es bastante ambiguo. Se podría transmitir con la misma ambigüedad diciendo algo como:
- "me miran desconcertados, no entienden lo que quiero decir"
- "me miran con aire escéptico, no entienden lo que quiero decir"
- "me miran con escepticismo, no entienden lo que quiero decir"
- "me miran con extrañeza, no entienden lo que quiero decir"
- "me miran sorprendidos, no entienden lo que quiero decir"

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2020-04-22 22:43:41 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Pensando un poco más, se me ocurre que la muletilla "kind of" se podría traducir por "como" y vendría muy bien para reflejar a la ambigüedad del gesto. Quedaría así:

- "me miran como extrañados, no entienden lo que quiero decir"
Note from asker:
Gracias, Bea. Concuerdo que no es necesario especificar la parte del cuerpo en este caso. Lo que ahora me tiene con dudas es si la expresión es de asombro o incredulidad.
Peer comment(s):
agree Mónica Algazi : hacen un gesto de extrañeza
57 mins
Gracias Mónica - Bea
agree Andrea Cerdán Cabrera (X)
23 hrs
Gracias Andrea - Bea
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks, Bea. I think this satys closer to the original"
+2
32 mins

ponen cara de asombro

Just a suggestion.

Cien sonrisas de cinco estrellas: Anectotario hotelero y ...books.google.com.ar › books- Translate this page
Muchos son los extranjeros que ponen cara de asombro al contemplar algo tan sencillo como un churro. Algunos, incluso, no saben por donde meterle mano.
Antonio Manuel Contreras Jiménez - 2015 - ‎Humor

La isla de las mariposas - Google Books Resultbooks.google.com.ar › books- Translate this page
explicaciones que les dan sobre las mariposas, ponen cara de asombro cuando les dicen que vuelan desde Canadá y Estados Unidos hacia California y ...
Blanca Ansoleaga - 2010 - ‎Fiction
Note from asker:
This might be the way to go. Facial expression instead of head position. Thanks!
Peer comment(s):
neutral Joseph Tein : Hi there. This sounds possible; I'm just not sure if "put their heads back" means surprise or incredulity.
10 mins
True, Joseph. A bit of both, perhaps?
agree Tomasso : Si, tal vez atonitos, pues, gringos alemanes muchas veces tiramos la cabeza por riba fijandose en el cielos razgo, por decir, lo dudamos, sabemos mejor , somo superiores,
25 mins
Gracias, Tomasso!
agree Camila Garay Adriel
3 hrs
Gracias!
Something went wrong...
2 hrs

se echan para atrás

It has the meaning of:
Surprised and they lean back.

or

They do not want to keep their compromise ahead.


https://www.espanolavanzado.com/significados/859-echarse-atr...
Something went wrong...
2 hrs

arquean las cejas

Por ofrecer otra opción que tenga un contenido anatómico, como en el original, representando incredulidad.
Something went wrong...
2 days 1 hr

se quedan como alucinados

... se quedan como alucinados, no acaban de entender lo que digo.
Something went wrong...
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