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| | 2 Fevereiro 2008 19:11 |
| | I asked some people from Mexico who had heard the saying, and the closest I can come to the meaning is that "the means should be adwequate to the end". IN other words, the size of the stone should match the size of the frog. (or, more brutally, to smash the frog you need an equal-sized rock!)
Still not sure, though.... |
| | 2 Fevereiro 2008 21:16 |
| | Now that sounds ok in English to: "The means should equal the results." or "Force should be used in direct ratio to the results." |
| | 3 Fevereiro 2008 06:05 |
| | So lets go with the to smash the frog you need an equal-sized rock! |
| | 3 Fevereiro 2008 09:26 |
| | So why does pirulito disagree? Do you have something better pirulito? If not I can't count your vote unless you can defend it. |
| | 3 Fevereiro 2008 09:53 |
| | The smash is big as your mistake. |
| | 3 Fevereiro 2008 13:00 |
| FreyaNúmero de mensagens: 1910 | |
| | 3 Fevereiro 2008 13:28 |
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| | 3 Fevereiro 2008 14:04 |
| FreyaNúmero de mensagens: 1910 | I have my "secret" sites which I use every time I find this sort of texts. |
| | 3 Fevereiro 2008 14:06 |
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| | 3 Fevereiro 2008 14:57 |
| NegoNúmero de mensagens: 66 | This is a mexican proverb it seems, literally meaning 'the size of the frog determines the stone-cast'.
I don't know an equal expression in english but it should be something like:
don't use a lot where a little will do / don't use a sledgehammer to crack a walnut. |
| | 3 Fevereiro 2008 15:01 |
| NegoNúmero de mensagens: 66 | ok next time I will check other people's comments first, I ended up at the same site without knowing it, could have saved me half an hour |
| | 3 Fevereiro 2008 15:14 |
| | Freya is right...or her secret site |
| | 3 Fevereiro 2008 15:27 |
| | Not so secret site! :-) - I also saw it. I think we're getting close to the meaning! Thanks Freya and all! |
| | 3 Fevereiro 2008 16:29 |
| FreyaNúmero de mensagens: 1910 | In fact, I didn't really know the meaning of this saying, but I was curious and this was enough to make me want to search it on the net.
Another thing from another site, only it is in Spanish here...strange, they don't agree |
| | 3 Fevereiro 2008 16:52 |
| FreyaNúmero de mensagens: 1910 | Anyway, after reading this I believe the saying wants to express something like: "According to your acts, you get what you deserve." or something like this. |
| | 3 Fevereiro 2008 16:55 |
| | That's true, but I suspect "to each his own" is not correct. Someone else said "Si hay que pagar a alguien en una empresa, dependiendo de sus estudios o su preparacion es su sueldo." That seems to somewhat fit our interpretation better. (e.g. paying someone according to their qualifications would seem to hint at the idea idea of fitting the repsonse to the size of the problem....) |
| | 3 Fevereiro 2008 19:31 |
| | Para aplastar una rana, necesitas una piedra de su tamano |
| | 3 Fevereiro 2008 19:49 |
| LucilaNúmero de mensagens: 105 | In the original text you don't need anything.
The translation is not of the meaning of the text.
It's not write: "This translation request is "Meaning only"." |
| | 3 Fevereiro 2008 19:55 |
| | Lucila:
I think that this is not a common sentence.
We are working with a saying which is supposed to be popular in a Spanish speaking country.
Therefore, the best thing to do is searching carefully its exact meaning (or as accurate as possible) in order to find a similar saying, well known in the target language even if the words used are not the literal translation of those in the original request.
That's why all these people above are spending (not wasting) so much time on it. |
| | 3 Fevereiro 2008 22:53 |
| | So then, Don't use a lot where a little will do. it is! |