View Single Post
  #4  
Old May 12, 2010, 04:07 PM
JPablo's Avatar
JPablo JPablo is offline
Diamond
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Southern California
Posts: 5,579
Native Language: Spanish (Castilian, peninsular)
JPablo is on a distinguished road
Hey Poli, thank you for your guess. Yes, what you say is similar to what I already noted. (Just that your sentence "sounds" a bit "strained" to be idiomatic in current Spanish... it could even be an "older Spanish language" way of expressing yourself. Like in the 16th or 17th century Spanish, when people were very aware of the concepts of "soul" and "body", as two separate entities.)
I checked a bit more deeply around, and found many other things, like the expression being an Indian proverb, (using "moccasins" instead of "shoes" or "boots"), then again, some Latin versions, using "sandals"... and also there are references to having a version of the saying in the city Babel several millenia ago... In the context I am translating since it is a subtitle and I need to make it as short as possible I am using, “No conoces a un hombre hasta que no has seguido sus pasos”. This goes fine with the rest of the text. However, it will be good to have more ideas an viewpoints on this, for future reference and use. (In researching this "subject" I found many other "shoes" proverbs, and another version of the joke I already wrote in my original question, which I like better in English, "Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, if he gets angry, he’ll be a mile away - and barefoot.")

Anyhow, have fun, whether you walk in my my shoes, my boots, my old runner Adidas, my Nike basketball shoes, my sandals or my blue suede shoes!

Hey, I just saw your answer, Chileno. Yes, you're right. In Spain I think we go more with "pellejo", but the version with "zapatos" sounds good to me to. Your input is very much appreciated.

Last edited by JPablo; May 12, 2010 at 04:10 PM. Reason: Just saw the answer by Chileno
Reply With Quote