Jan 22, 2023 20:16
1 yr ago
39 viewers *
Spanish term
Argentina
Multilingual Experts
Native in: English (Variants: Canadian, UK, US) 
Works in: English, Spanish to English, English to Spanish, and 12 more.
cortaditas
Spanish to English
Art/Literary
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
This is an Argentine writer describing a show by Argentine painter. He has described the importance of trains and train tracks to the artist's childhood in the suburbs of Buenos Aires:
….Todas las piezas de la exposición Entre nosotros y el objeto se encontraban al nivel de nuestros pies. Recorrer la exposición de Santi de Paoli implicaba dirigir la mirada hacia el piso, y esto ocurría no solo porque allí se encontraban la mayoría de las esculturas, objetos y tablas pictóricas, sino porque un camino vinculaba una pieza con otra. Del mismo modo que las cortaditas permiten llegar a destino mirando el suelo para ver si encontramos algo, estos caminos iban hacia el encuentro.
Shortcuts? But that does not really make sense (do we look at the ground when we take shortcuts?)
Thanks
….Todas las piezas de la exposición Entre nosotros y el objeto se encontraban al nivel de nuestros pies. Recorrer la exposición de Santi de Paoli implicaba dirigir la mirada hacia el piso, y esto ocurría no solo porque allí se encontraban la mayoría de las esculturas, objetos y tablas pictóricas, sino porque un camino vinculaba una pieza con otra. Del mismo modo que las cortaditas permiten llegar a destino mirando el suelo para ver si encontramos algo, estos caminos iban hacia el encuentro.
Shortcuts? But that does not really make sense (do we look at the ground when we take shortcuts?)
Thanks
Proposed translations
(English)
| 3 +1 | little trails |
neilmac
|
| 4 +1 | Little shortcuts |
Anabela Pegoraro
|
| 2 | beaten tracks |
Anne Schulz
|
Proposed translations
+1
12 hrs
Selected
little trails
Rather than "shortcuts" (atajos), in the context it looks like it just means little pathways o trails (senderitos).
No references really, it's just off the top of my head. A Google search for "little pathways" leads to references for some kind of school, so "little trails" might be a better option.
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Note added at 12 hrs (2023-01-23 08:34:56 GMT)
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I.e., the little pathways or trails lead to the artworks.
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Note added at 12 hrs (2023-01-23 08:35:32 GMT)
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http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/trail
No references really, it's just off the top of my head. A Google search for "little pathways" leads to references for some kind of school, so "little trails" might be a better option.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 12 hrs (2023-01-23 08:34:56 GMT)
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I.e., the little pathways or trails lead to the artworks.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 12 hrs (2023-01-23 08:35:32 GMT)
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http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/trail
Example sentence:
Happy trails to you, Until we meet again....
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Adriana Uribe
: I agree with this. Cortaditas has a colloquial quality that could otherwise only be confirmed by looking at the exhibition.
3 hrs
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Cheers :-)
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "I ultimately went with alleyways. but thanks"
+1
4 hrs
Anabela Pegoraro
Argentina
Argentina
Native in Spanish
Argentina
Native in: Spanish (Variants: Argentine, Latin American) 
Works in: English to Spanish, Spanish to English, Spanish, and 1 more.
Little shortcuts
I think cortada may have two meanings in Argentina:
1) A shortcut; a way that enables the person to arrive somewhere faster, as it is a more direct route; for example, a diagonal street.
2) Something similar to an alley, a narrow street that only has one access.
I think you are correct here and you could translate the term as “shortcut” or “little shortcuts”, if you wanted to keep the connotation added by the diminutive suffix.
According to my interpretation, the author speaks of “looking at the ground” precisely because when you take a shortcut, you will probably have spare time to arrive where you are going to, so you can walk more quietly, more like wandering. And considering what you said about the author talking about the painter’s childhood, this might be related too. The author may be thinking about himself or the painter as a child taking shortcuts and seeing whether he can discover or find new things in the way.
1) A shortcut; a way that enables the person to arrive somewhere faster, as it is a more direct route; for example, a diagonal street.
2) Something similar to an alley, a narrow street that only has one access.
I think you are correct here and you could translate the term as “shortcut” or “little shortcuts”, if you wanted to keep the connotation added by the diminutive suffix.
According to my interpretation, the author speaks of “looking at the ground” precisely because when you take a shortcut, you will probably have spare time to arrive where you are going to, so you can walk more quietly, more like wandering. And considering what you said about the author talking about the painter’s childhood, this might be related too. The author may be thinking about himself or the painter as a child taking shortcuts and seeing whether he can discover or find new things in the way.
Example sentence:
I'm in a hurry, I'll take a shortcut across the field.
Reference:
14 hrs
beaten tracks
Just another option, along the same lines as the previous suggestions. (As OGV said, the author is probably the only one who can tell what exactly he or she had in mind.)
Discussion
El sentido de cortadas o cortaditas es el de atajo, quizás piensa en que no se conoce bien la ruta o es un sendero por el que se debe caminar poniendo especial atención en donde se pisa, pero los atajos o cortaditas pueden ser bien conocidos.
Quizás tb tiene relación con el doble sentido que apunta Jennifer, de alguna pista dejada en el suelo que se debe seguir.
Insisto en preguntar al autor o pedir detalles a la sala de la exposición.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_Chase_(game)