Broken records

[laepelba]

In English, there are several phrases that use the idea of a "broken record":

"I sound like a broken record." - meaning, I keep repeating the same thing over and over again (as a teacher, I say this all the time ) like a record (i.e. vinyl disc that plays music, for those of you under the age of, say, 30....) that skips.

"In these past Olympic games, there were many broken records." - meaning that the best records set by athletes in the past were bested (!!) by current athletes.

In my workbook this morning, there was an exercise about using past participles as adjective modifiers of nouns. I was asked to translate (from English to Spanish) the following: "the broken record".

So, my dilemma. Is "record" here a physical object (de vinilo) which can be broken? Or is it an achievement to be superseded?

The book gave the answer: "los discos rotos" - obviously meaning the physical object. But does this also have an idiomatic usage, like my example of my repetitive teacher-i-ness?

And, how would you say it in the other sense, of an athlete who has broken a record?

Thanks!

[poli]

Originally Posted by laepelba

In English, there are several phrases that use the idea of a "broken record":

"I sound like a broken record." - meaning, I keep repeating the same thing over and over again (as a teacher, I say this all the time ) like a record (i.e. vinyl disc that plays music, for those of you under the age of, say, 30....) that skips. Seguir con la misma cantilena/ repite como un
disco rayado

"In these past Olympic games, there were many broken records." - meaning that the best records set by athletes in the past were bested (!!) by current athletes.Batir la plusmarca/romper barreras

In my workbook this morning, there was an exercise about using past participles as adjective modifiers of nouns. I was asked to translate (from English to Spanish) the following: "the broken record".

So, my dilemma. Is "record" here a physical object (de vinilo) which can be broken? Or is it an achievement to be superseded?

The book gave the answer: "los discos rotos" - obviously meaning the physical object. But does this also have an idiomatic usage, like my example of my repetitive teacher-i-ness?

And, how would you say it in the other sense, of an athlete who has broken a record?Batió la plusmarca.

Thanks!

----------------------

[JPablo]

I agree with Poli.

Espero que Rafa Nadal rompa todos los récords... o todas las marcas.

Yo a veces me repito más que un disco rayado...

Lo que me recuerda al viejo chiste:

Mamá, mamá, me tragué el tocadiscos... y no me pasó nada, y no me pasó nada, y no me pasó nada, y no me pasó nada, y no me pasó nada...,

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

A "disco roto" (at least for a Mexican) is broken in pieces. When it skips or stays in a groove, it's "rayado" ("disco rayado").

When we talk about an achievement, we usually say "batir/romper un récord/una marca".
I've never heard "plusmarca", btw, but maybe it's used in other countries.

[JPablo]

Yes, "plusmarca" is used in Spain, at least!

plusmarca.
1. f. Dep. Marca superior a la antes establecida.
Real Academia Española © Todos los derechos reservados

Also common,
plusmarquista.
1. com. Persona que ostenta la mejor marca en una especialidad atlética.
Real Academia Española © Todos los derechos reservados

[aleCcowaN]

sonar como un disco rayado ...prmpm
sonar como un disco rayado ...prmpm
sonar como un disco rayado ...

[los de la nueva generación dice "sonar como un disco gastado" y tuve que mostrarles la película "Arlen Faber: The Answer Man" para que lo entendieran]

batir el récord (anterior/previo) / romper la marca (anterior/previa)

plusmarca acá no lo entenderán

[pjt33]

Originally Posted by JPablo

Yes, "plusmarca" is used in Spain, at least!

The word I've heard used in Spain is récord.

[chileno]

I agree with everything that's being said, except that "broken record" when it means a vinyl I would translate it in two ways.

A. Roto (in pieces)
B. Echado a perder (does not work as supposed, for different reasons, one of them also being "rayado")

[JPablo]

@Pjt33
Estoy de acuerdo en que "récord" es lo más común, pero hay muchísimos ejemplos de uso de "plusmarca" también...

(Ejemplos de la web)
En el año 2004 Usain Bolt superó la plusmarca mundial junior de 200 metros...
El irlandés Eamonn Coghlan estableció la plusmarca del mundo de la milla...
Malchow bate la plusmarca mundial de 200 mariposa...
...la gesta de Ernesto Pons, que batió la plusmarca española en salto de...
El estadounidense Michael Phelps logró el oro en los 200 metros estilos consiguiendo la plusmarca mundial,

[laepelba]

Fantastic answers, folks. Thank you all so much!!

[JPablo]

You're welcome!