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May 6, 2014 17:17
10 yrs ago
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Italian term

costruire un nuovo alfabeto

Italian to English Art/Literary Art, Arts & Crafts, Painting
Context: a description of the landscape seen by a man travelling through the Slovenian countryside by train. sentence: "Passando per le fermate di Solkan, Plave, Anhovo, Kanal, sino ad Avce, Luigi rivede invece le sensazioni e i colori vissuti attraverso la pittura di XXX una natura incolta, dove i rami degli alberi, incollati al cielo in controluce, sembrano costruire un nuovo alfabeto.

I am struggling with the phrase "costruire un nuovo alfabeto" in the context. I am not looking for a literal translation - as this wouldn't work at all - but a convincing idiomatic equivalent in English. I guess the meaning in English is something along the lines of " herald a new dawn" or "break the mould" - but neither convince me - especially as the writer (if I have understood) is describing the landscape the man sees looking out of the train window and is comparing it to depictions of the same landscape in the painter's works - rather than directly describing the paintings themselves?

Does anyone have any other suggestions?
Proposed translations (English)
4 formed/created/depicted/brought out/mainfested a new type of landscape
4 like letters on a page
4 build a new language
4 like the writings of an unknown language
3 to make a whole new alphabet of graphic signs

Discussion

manducci (asker) May 7, 2014:
Mystery solved Having spoken to the client, she confirms that the phrase does not refer literally to the letters of the alphabet (or to graphic symbols per se) but rather to the seemingly new visual language that this strange, unfamiliar landscape produces (when depicted). Thanks to everyone for their suggestions.
Josephine Cassar May 7, 2014:
Yes, ok, fine, point clarified
manducci (asker) May 7, 2014:
Josephine Thank you, but I think we are talking at cross-purposes here. It is clear that "break the mould/new dawn" don't fit here - which is why I posted the question in the first place. What I meant (and I apologise for not explaining myself properly initially) was that if the meaning were not literal, then I "guessed" the broad idiomatic meaning of the phrase (as I suggest above ) was "something along the lines of " "break the mould/herald a new dawn"; I was not suggesting that either of these fitted - they clearly don't - but meant that the general (idiomatic) sense was similar, ie: something that introduces change or is different from what has come before or, as in this case, been seen before - as you seem to confirm: "a new landscape"/landscape unfamiliar to him. I hope I have clarified what i meant. Thanks again for your time/input.
Josephine Cassar May 7, 2014:
manducci Thank you, but I do not agree with you but agree with philgoddard who said translation must be more literal than what you suggested-mould etc. The landscape he found resembled the painting, something unimaginable for him before-he never thought he would find it like this
manducci (asker) May 6, 2014:
Josephine: No, I had the brief before posting the question but I explicitly said (see question) that I was not looking for a literal translation. Thanks again.
Josephine Cassar May 6, 2014:
Maybe you received the brief later than we posted as otherwise you should have put it so we could help you better. Your answer is liberal but conveys the meaning I explained/imagined it meant. I agree that break the mould or herald a new dawn do not fit here
manducci (asker) May 6, 2014:
Thank you both for your input. However, I don't think the meaning is literal here. I think Josephine's suggestion comes closest. Thanks to Phil's suggestion for " controluce" and Josephine's suggestion for "costruire un nuovo alfabeto" I have come up with the following 'working' text: " ....branches of trees silhouetted against the backlit sky seem to create an ethereal (or: a wholly new) landscape, like nothing ever seen before"

It's longer than the original and liberal rather than literal, but the brief from the client was to focus on the meaning of the text rather than produce a word for word translation. I will check with the client to make sure this is the correct interpretation but in the meantime,all comments gratefully received!
Josephine Cassar May 6, 2014:
I agree with your understanding of the text. Will try to think of something, not necessarily outlandish. The painting he saw and the landscape have something similar

Proposed translations

19 mins
Selected

formed/created/depicted/brought out/mainfested a new type of landscape

similar to the one in the painting, but with which he might not have been familiar or imagined possible

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Note added at 22 hrs (2014-05-07 15:42:19 GMT)
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Oops, after 2 days I realised it should be "manifested" sorry
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks. Apologies for the delay in grading. None of the proposals were truly suitable in the end, but this was the first answer to come closest to the meaning and was very helpful. Thank you."
19 mins

like letters on a page

Silhouetted against the sky like letters on a page.

I don't think it's anything to do with breaking the mould or heralding a new era - it's more literal than that.
Something went wrong...
3 hrs

to make a whole new alphabet of graphic signs

You may find a better way of expressing it; I just wish to suggest that you might retain the notion of tree branches against the clear sky evoking letters traced in ink on paper.
You might also try to play on words like "calligraphy" or "hieroglyphics".
There is a clear (and strong, and rather poetic, IMHO) visual idea here, and it might be worth your while to try to reproduce it - of course, it also depends on the painter you're dealing with.
The Italian phrase is not expecially idiomatic: I (with the limited contest I have) do not see the idea working expecially better in Italian than in English. You have a visual sensation prompting ideas of different ways to see and express (an alphabet!) the word; it would be nice not to loose it.
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14 hrs

build a new language

potrebbe andare...
Note from asker:
Your proposal also came close but needed the addition of "visual" as it was visual language that was in fact being referred to here, rather than language per se. Many thanks.
Something went wrong...
15 hrs

like the writings of an unknown language

Hi Manducci,
I agree with philgoddard and josephine that this doesn't need an overly liberal translation. The way I understood the text, against the light, the tree branches have an almost graphic quality. It would be a pity to loose such a nice image, so maybe something like "....were like the writings of an unknown / new language."
Something went wrong...
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