¿Podrían revisar estas oraciones?

[Gala]

Traduje las siguientes oraciones inglesas al español:

1. Bolivia borders Argentina, Chile, Peru, Paraguay and Brazil, but it has no outlet to the sea. Bolivia limita con la Argentina, Chile, el Perú, el Paraguay y el Brasil, pero no tiene salida al mar.

2. In the spring, wildflowers bloom in the desert. En la primavera, las flores silvestres brotan en el desierto.

3. They already have many pieces of furniture purchased for the new house. Ya tienen muchos muebles comprados para la nueva casa.

4. Many professors have grey hair or are bald before they are forty. Muchos catedráticos tienen canas o son calvos antes de que tengan cuarenta años.

5. Antonio grew up amid the hunger and misery of the Spanish Civil War. Antonio creció en el hambre y la desdicha de la Guerra Civil española.

6. The olive groves of the Spanish province of Jaén stretch for many kilometers. Los olivares de la provincia española de Jaén se extienden por muchos kilómetros.

7. He untied the mules and we set out on the road to Sigüenza. Desató las mulas y nos pusimos en camino a Sigüenza.

8. With all that noise, he must have awakened in the middle of the night. Con todo ese ruido, se habría despertado en plena noche.

9. The students bought a head of lettuce, two cans of sardines and a loaf of bread for lunch. Los estudiantes compraron una lechuga, dos latas de sardinas y un pan para el almuerzo.

10. We like to observe the wild animals and birds that come to feed in our garden. Nos gusta observar los animales silvestres y los pájaros que vengan a comer en nuestro jardín.

11. Their oldest son was always pulling someone’s leg. Su hijo mayor siempre estaba tomándole el pelo a alguien.

12. He was farsighted [don’t use présbita] and never read without his glasses. Tenía la vista cansada y nunca leyó sin anteojos.

13. We shall have all the rooms painted by noon. Habremos pintado todos los cuartos para el mediodía.

14. After a snack, we took leave of our friends. Después de una merienda, nos despedimos de los amigos.

15. In the heart of winter, the days are very short. En pleno invierno los días son muy cortos.

16. After the cat had raised her kittens, we gave them away. Después de que la gata había criado a sus gatitos, los regalamos.

17. Pedrito, untie your shoes before taking them off. Pedrito, desata los zapatos antes de quitártelos.

18. I’m so forgetful that I always have to pack and unpack my suitcase several times. Soy tan distraída que siempre tengo que hacer y deshacer la maleta varias veces.

19. His lack of credit with the bank is causing him lots of [don’t use muchos] problems. Su falta de crédito con el banco le está ocasionando un mar de problemas.

20. To go from Lisbon to New York, one must cross the ocean. Para ir desde Lisboa a Nueva York, se tiene que cruzar el mar.

¡Muchas gracias de antemano!

[Rusty]

Originally Posted by Gala

2. In the spring, wildflowers bloom in the desert. En la primavera, las flores silvestres brotan (doesn't match the original verb) en el desierto.

3. They already have many pieces of furniture purchased for the new house. Ya tienen muchos muebles comprados para la nueva casa. (Although this would probably be understood, I'd try rewording it and then translating: "They have already purchased many pieces of furniture for the new house." You didn't translate 'pieces of furniture'.)

4. Many professors have grey hair or are bald before they are forty. Muchos catedráticos (why not 'profesores'?) tienen canas o son calvos antes de que tengan cuarenta años.

10. We like to observe the wild animals and birds that come to feed in our garden. Nos gusta observar los animales silvestres y los pájaros que vengan (this may or may not be the mood you're looking for) a comer en nuestro jardín.

12. He was far-sighted [don’t use présbita] and never read without his glasses. Tenía la vista cansada y nunca leyó sin anteojos. (Hmmm. I read two different things into the words in brackets, which apparently appeared in your textbook. Either the author is trying to steer you away from the false idea that being far-sighted is the same thing as being presbyopic, or he's falsely tied 'being presbyopic' to 'being far-sighted' and is trying to get you to use another term. You went for the latter idea and chose 'tener la vista cansada'. I would have gone with the former idea and used 'ser hipermétrope'. 'A 'presbyope' is an elderly person who can no longer read without using glasses. This is a condition caused by the reduced elasticity of the crystalline lens of the eye, and it usually occurs in people over 40. A 'hyperope' is a person who can't focus well on nearby objects. This is a genetic condition that is caused by the shape of the eye. 'Eye strain', a condition known medically as 'asthenopia', is the translation of 'vista cansada'. Giving your eyes a rest is the most common remedy; glasses are seldom prescribed.)

There are other problems, but this is all the time I had for now.

[Gala]

Thanks, Rusty!

For #3, how about "Ya han comprado muchos muebles para la casa"? I deliberately didn't translate the "pieces of" because in the chapter it taught a group of words (mueble being one) that it said were singly equivalent to English phrases (el mueble = piece of furniture.) This "feels" right to me; I think I've noticed it before. Other examples from that group include el lechuga (the lettuce or the head of lettuce), and el pan (the bread or the loaf of bread.....for this one, the book says that a word for loaf [hogaza] exists, but that it is much more common to simply say pan for a loaf of bread.

For #4, my dictionary claims that 'profesor' is used for high school teachers (maestro being for the lower grades,) and 'catedráticos' for university professors. I know that the native speakers at my university say 'profesor', but this could be an anglicismo as they've all been in the US for years. I'd be interested to hear what native speakers outside of the US think. Another possibility is that this, like many words relating to the field of education, varies by region.

For #2, I almost put 'florecen' but didn't for reasons of style (flores...florecen seemed redundant); I was thinking that 'bud' was close enough to 'bloom.' But now I think I will change it, because it isn't quite the same, 'brotan' sounds ugly, and "flores silvestres florecen," (while perhaps redundant) sounds pretty.

I was very doubtful about the subjunctive in #10, but ended up going with it because of the "We like to" independent clause (indicating emotion, desire or preference?) being followed by a dependent clause with a different subject. I'd appreciate it if you'd explain further when you have time!

Yeah, the textbook authors definitely think being far-sighted and being presbyopic are the same thing (and I didn't know any better.) In the chapter 'présbita' was defined as far-sighted, but it cautioned that this word was not commonly used and that the everyday way to say it was "tener la vista cansada."

[Rusty]

Originally Posted by Gala

For #3, how about "Ya han comprado muchos muebles para la casa"? While I agree that this translates well, it is also possible to specify 'juego de muebles', 'piezas de muebles', 'serie de muebles' or 'un número de muebles'.

... Other examples from that group include la lechuga ...

For #4, my dictionary claims that 'profesor' is used for high school teachers (maestro being for the lower grades,) and 'catedráticos' for university professors. Both profesores and catedráticos are found at universities and institutes. Profesores are far more numerous and that's why I asked the question I did. Catedráticos have more education and tenure than a profesor. They are the department heads or leads - the department chairs.

For #2, I almost put 'florecen' but didn't for reasons of style (flores...florecen seemed redundant); I was thinking that 'bud' was close enough to 'bloom.' But now I think I will change it, because it isn't quite the same, 'brotan' sounds ugly, and "flores silvestres florecen," (while perhaps redundant) sounds pretty. Yes, and it is a better translation in my opinion. You could also use 'se abren'. When I hear 'brotar', I think about 'sprouting' or 'coming up'. 'Budding' is 'echar brotes'.

I was very doubtful about the subjunctive in #10, but ended up going with it because of the "We like to" independent clause (indicating emotion, desire or preference?) being followed by a dependent clause with a different subject. I'd appreciate it if you'd explain further when you have time! It's true that emotion (liking something) evokes the use of the subjunctive (after 'que') but in your sentence what is liked is 'observar ...'. The subjunctive isn't used in the clause that's not tied to 'gustar'. That said, the subjunctive can be used in that other clause but only when the English version means 'that may/might come'. I gathered that it is an event that does happen (no supposition, hope), so this calls for the indicative mood.

Yeah, the textbook authors definitely think being far-sighted and being presbyopic are the same thing (and I didn't know any better.) In the chapter 'présbita' was defined as far-sighted, but it cautioned that this word was not commonly used and that the everyday way to say it was "tener la vista cansada."

I couldn't find any evidence to support the textbook's claims that 'being far-sighted' is the same as 'being presbyopic' or 'having eye strain'. I've experienced eye strain many times, but am not currently suffering from it. I've never been prescribed glasses to correct eye strain. I'm presbyopic, but I've never been far-sighted. I've always been near-sighted and have needed corrective lenses in order to see well enough to drive. Coupled with presbyopia, which happened seemingly overnight when I was 40, I now have to wear bifocal lenses to see down the road and the instrument cluster at the same time.
All this said, in order to get a proper grade from your instructor, you probably need to use what the author of the textbook wrote (albeit wrong).

[Gala]

Thanks for the further clarifications, Rusty. I've been wanting more definitive information about 'profesor' for a long time before this assignment. I'll make the changes you suggested. I'm leaving #12 the same for the assignment, but will revise those terms on my vocabulary list. My bilingual dictionary is in agreement with you on this; for far-sighted it gives 'hipermétrope'.

[JPablo]

As far as "profesor" goes, in Spain you can use it for all levels of teaching, including University. "Catedrático" is only the higher ranked one in universities and high-schools as well... (At least, when I was doing my "BUP" Bachillerato Unificado Polivalente) some 30 something years ago, I had a "profesor de Filosofía" who was also "catedrático"...

Hope this doesn't confuse more the issue!

[aleCcowaN]

How do you know if far-sighted is "hipermétrope" ("tener hipermetropía" or more commonly "ver mal de cerca") or "présbite" (usually said as "tener presbicia" or "tener la vista cansada")?

As JPablo says, catedrático is who have a cátedra, that is a doctor who is in charge of a department in some faculty. In Argentina we have for instance the subject Anatomía y Fisiólogía Patológica in every school of medicine and there are one or a few cátedras in every school and university which are devoted to teach that subject, with a faculty including professors, assistants, and a jefe de cátedra or titular de cátedra, that is, who decides the teaching style, policies and details of the syllabus. That would be a catedrático (a dated word outside some formal level).

[Rusty]

Originally Posted by aleCcowaN

How do you know if far-sighted is "hipermétrope" ("tener hipermetropía" or more commonly "ver mal de cerca") or "présbite" (usually said as "tener presbicia" or "tener la vista cansada")?

As explained above, these are different medical conditions. Si no ves mal de cerca ahora, eso sí te va a acontecer cuando alcances los 40 (y pico), no por el cambio de la forma del ojo sino por efecto de la disminución de la elasticidad del cristalino.

[aleCcowaN]

Originally Posted by Rusty

As explained above, these are different medical conditions. Si no ves mal de cerca ahora, eso sí te va a acontecer cuando alcances los 40 (y pico), no por el cambio de la forma del ojo sino por efecto de la disminución de la elasticidad del cristalino.

So, the term far-sighted can be used indistinctly to both common conditions, can't it?

[Rusty]

I've never heard those over 40 confuse 'farsightedness' with 'presbyopia' (needing glasses to read due to age). They weren't far-sighted, but when they hit 40 they could no longer read without glasses. 'Farsightedness' and 'presbyopia' are two totally different conditions. When we find we can no longer read without glasses, we simply state that we need reading glasses (need glasses to read) and go to the store to get a pair. We don't say we're far-sighted.

[aleCcowaN]

OK, thanks. So I will call short-sighted the miopes and far-sighted the hipermétropes.

[Rusty]

Be aware that nearsighted (myopic), with or without the hyphen, is the preferred term (at least here in the U.S.). My first thought when I hear that a person is shortsighted is that they lack foresight (unthinking, careless, poor planner).

[aleCcowaN]

Thank you. In Spanish miope is both concrete and figurative. People are miope or tienen anteojeras (blinders) when they lack breadth of view or they are narrow-minded in a non-intolerant or non-sectarian way.

[Rusty]

Thanks! Un gusto como siempre.

[Gala]

Thanks, JPablo and Alec, for the further clarification of profesor/catedrático. I think perhaps I've become so leery of false or somewhat misleading cognates that I've swung too far in the other direction. Also, after what Alec wrote I think I know why my American English/Spanish dictionary defines professor (university) as catedrático. In the U.S. virtually all tenure-track (i.e. in the running for full professorship) university professors these days are Ph.D's (have their doctorates.) Those that have only their Master's usually can only work as adjuncts (low-pay, no benefits, no long-term contract) at universities. Sometimes they can manage to get a professorship at a community college, but even in these most of the tenure-track professors are Ph.D's. I gather that en el mundo hispanohablante it's generally only the department heads that have their doctorados. I think things have gone too far here in the U.S. Why would someone need 4-5 years (instead of just 2) of intensive, specialized post-graduate studies in, say, Spanish language and literature in order to teach ser vs. estar and conjugations in SPA 101 and 102? And the fundamentals are all the majority of Spanish Ph.D professors will ever teach, since most college students don't go beyond the classes they need to fulfill their foreign language requirements.

Do either of you have any additional corrections/suggestions for my translations?

I actually have heard plenty of Americans use "far-sighted" as a blanket-term for both the kind that shows up early and is due to eye structure and that kind that develops with age. And I've heard middle-aged and older people talk about being simultaneously near/far-sighted. I don't doubt that this is medically incorrect, but I'd never heard the precise medical terms for either condition. Of course I'd heard myopic, but never presbyobic or whatever is the English cognate of hipermétrope. I like the phrase "ver mal de cerca" and will use it by preference. It could even be adapted for those who always were myopic and later also became presbyobic: "Ven mal de lejos y también de cerca."