Quote:
Originally Posted by irmamar
Great fortunes, if not great reputations, are made...
My book translates this sentence into: se hacen grandes fortunas, aunque no gran reputación...
I understand just the opposite: se hacen/se crean grandes fortunas, cuando no/por no decir, grandes reputaciones...
 |
I understand the rationale pj33 is exposing and while he is right, the Spanish from the book
seems, nonetheless, wrong.
I believe we need a bit more context to be able to fully ascertain if the translation must be like the following versions,
A1. Se hacen grandes fortunas, si es que no [se hacen] grandes reputaciones...
A2. Se hacen grandes fortunas, si no son grandes reputaciones [lo que se hace]...
A3. Se hacen grandes fortunas, si no son grandes reputaciones...
Or we need to go with,
B1. Se hacen grandes fortunas, aunque no grandes reputaciones...
B1. version would make the book right, and translate as in the examples given in Brians Errors, which translates as "aunque" in Spanish.
[I quote below Brians Errors notes on it.]
“He was smart
if not exactly brilliant.” In this sort of expression, “if not” links a weaker with a stronger word with a related meaning. Other examples: “unattractive if not downright ugly,” “reasonably priced if not exactly cheap,” “interested if not actually excited.”
But this sort of “if not” is often misused to link words that don’t form a weaker/stronger pair: “obscure if not boring,” “happy if not entertained,” “anxious if not afraid.” The linked terms in these examples do have some logical relationship, but they do not form a weaker/stronger pair.
[Maybe if pjt33 or Perikles come fresh and you give some more context, this 'conundrum' can be solved for good, and for the good of everyone...
]
(Looking over again, after
thinking aloud here, I am more and more inclined for the "aunque" version... but I think we need a native to confirm it...) (And the singular of "reputación" may also have a reason, after all...)
