Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Spanish term or phrase:
convertir el marrón en dorado
English translation:
spin straw into gold
Added to glossary by
Wendy Gosselin
Jan 10, 2022 16:02
2 yrs ago
51 viewers *
Spanish term
Argentina
Multilingual Experts
Native in: English (Variants: UK, US, Canadian) 
Works in: English, Spanish to English, English to Spanish, and 12 more.
convertir el marrón en dorado
Spanish to English
Art/Literary
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
A text about an artist who works with trash:
Cuando DB recurre al informe basurero cotidiano para seleccionar restos capaces de alcanzar otro grado de atención no se propone convertir el marrón en dorado.
I get the idea, but can't think of an analogous expression in English.
Thanks
Cuando DB recurre al informe basurero cotidiano para seleccionar restos capaces de alcanzar otro grado de atención no se propone convertir el marrón en dorado.
I get the idea, but can't think of an analogous expression in English.
Thanks
Proposed translations
(English)
Proposed translations
+5
30 mins
Carole Wolfe
United States
United States
Native in English
United States
Accuracy, Integrity, Promptness
Native in: English (Variant: US)
Works in: Russian to English, Spanish to English, English
Related KudoZ points
:
4
Selected
spin straw into gold
From the fairy tale Rumpelstiltskin:
The King took her [the miller's daughter] to a room piled with straw from floor to ceiling. He pointed to the spinning wheel in the middle of the room. He said, “Now get to work! If by morning you have not spun this straw into gold, you will die!”
The King took her [the miller's daughter] to a room piled with straw from floor to ceiling. He pointed to the spinning wheel in the middle of the room. He said, “Now get to work! If by morning you have not spun this straw into gold, you will die!”
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Elizabeth Joy Pitt de Morales
2 hrs
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Gracias!
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| agree |
Muriel Vasconcellos
4 hrs
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Gracias, Muriel!
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| agree |
neilmac
: Classic! The perfect example IMHO.
16 hrs
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Gracias!
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| agree |
slothm
: Spot on!
23 hrs
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Gracias!
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| agree |
Adriana Uribe
1 day 21 hrs
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Gracias!
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "perfect"
+3
14 mins
Dylan Porter
Belgium
Belgium
Native in English
Belgium
Government and journalism
Native in: English
Works in: Spanish to English, French to English
she's not trying to change it (the trash) into something it's not /... hide what it it's made of
Without more context, what I understand is that the artist's work stands out without making the trash into something brand new, or maybe that she wants it to still be recognizable as trash making up the art piece.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Noni Gilbert Riley
4 mins
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| agree |
Muriel Vasconcellos
4 hrs
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| agree |
Carl Bickett (X)
: …as in not trying to add glitter or embellish.
21 hrs
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53 mins
Katarina Peters
Canada
Canada
Native in English
Canada
Accuracy and A1 presentation
Native in: Hungarian 
, English (Variant: US)
Works in: English to Portuguese, Portuguese to English, Hungarian to English, and 13 more.
change rags to riches
suggestion...
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
AllegroTrans
: No. the way this term is used is to describe people who make their fortunes from a poor beginning. It doesn't really work in the asker's context
6 hrs
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OK, thanks Allegro, you are right, is doesn't work in this context.
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1 hr
make gold out of lead
Creo que la metáfora con colores alude a las noticias basura como algo vulgar, sin gracia, con un color asociado de antiguo a cosas no deseables o sucias, digamos por ser finos.
La idea alquímica de transformación de cosas sin valor o residuales coincide en ambas frases
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Note added at 1 hr (2022-01-10 17:40:17 GMT)
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Quizá mejor para el contexto
make gold out of shit
make gold out of trash
La idea alquímica de transformación de cosas sin valor o residuales coincide en ambas frases
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Note added at 1 hr (2022-01-10 17:40:17 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Quizá mejor para el contexto
make gold out of shit
make gold out of trash
6 hrs
AllegroTrans
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in English
Works in field
United Kingdom
Sensible solutions
Native in: English (Variant: Wessexois)
Works in: French to English, English, English to French
Related KudoZ points
:
16
to turn lead into gold
This was the dream of the alchemists
How to turn lead into gold | periodicallyamended - WordPress ...
https://periodicallyamended.wordpress.com › 2016/01/24
24 Jan 2016 — How to turn lead into gold was the legendary question that plagued the alchemists of old. Their answer to this question was the belief in ...
This is used as a saying:
turn lead into gold - Urban Dictionary
https://www.urbandictionary.com › define › term=turn l...
(v.) To make something with little use profitable. I can turn lead into gold. ... Get a turn lead into gold mug for your fish Sarah. Get the ...
The Secrets of Alchemy - The Mystery of Matter
http://www.mysteryofmatter.net › alchemy
Was this the legendary elixir that would turn lead into gold? Alas, it was not. Brandt had stumbled on the element phosphorus. It was in just this way that many ...
How to turn lead into gold | periodicallyamended - WordPress ...
https://periodicallyamended.wordpress.com › 2016/01/24
24 Jan 2016 — How to turn lead into gold was the legendary question that plagued the alchemists of old. Their answer to this question was the belief in ...
This is used as a saying:
turn lead into gold - Urban Dictionary
https://www.urbandictionary.com › define › term=turn l...
(v.) To make something with little use profitable. I can turn lead into gold. ... Get a turn lead into gold mug for your fish Sarah. Get the ...
The Secrets of Alchemy - The Mystery of Matter
http://www.mysteryofmatter.net › alchemy
Was this the legendary elixir that would turn lead into gold? Alas, it was not. Brandt had stumbled on the element phosphorus. It was in just this way that many ...
8 hrs
Jennifer Levey
Chile
Chile
Native in English
Chile
Human-scale Globalization
Native in: English (Variant: British)
Works in: Spanish to English, French to English, English to Spanish, and 2 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
36
make brass from muck
There's a very well-known expression in British English: "where there's muck there's brass', where 'muck' refers to other people's trash and 'brass' means money. Think 'Steptoe & Son'.
A British readership would readily understand a translation inspired by this expression, thus:
DB ... no se propone convertir el marrón en dorado
-->
DB ... is not out to make brass from muck.
See: https://bmmagazine.co.uk/opinion/carl-hopkins-on-the-apprent... and many other sources.
A British readership would readily understand a translation inspired by this expression, thus:
DB ... no se propone convertir el marrón en dorado
-->
DB ... is not out to make brass from muck.
See: https://bmmagazine.co.uk/opinion/carl-hopkins-on-the-apprent... and many other sources.
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
AllegroTrans
: I agree this is an expression in England but it doesn't really work in the asker's context// we have enough context - an artist using trash to make artistic objects and imo we need a "country-neutral" term such as I have posted
10 mins
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We don't have anything like enough context (including that relating to the cultural background of the target readership) to permit any of us to make value judgements as to what works, or doesn't work, in Asker's wider context.
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Discussion