collar els pams

English translation: string (yoke) these handspans of distance together

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Catalan term or phrase:collar els pams
English translation:string (yoke) these handspans of distance together
Entered by: Berni Armstrong

23:36 Mar 5, 2008
Catalan to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Art, Arts & Crafts, Painting / Video Artist
Catalan term or phrase: collar els pams
Not much context for this one. The artist is described measuring the distance he travels in doing a series of nitty-gritty tasks. He wakes up, gets out of bed, goes to the bathroom, lights up a cigarette, goes back to his studio, THEN: "***collar els pams***, enriterar-me unes pases, observar el resultat...." etc.

Anyone any ideas?
Berni Armstrong
Spain
Local time: 20:38
string (yoke) these handspans of distance together
Explanation:
It seems like it must be a metaphor rather than sth literal. You says the the text is about "measuring the distance he travels in doing a series of nitty-gritty tasks". "Pams" (as I'm sure you know) are used to measure.

collar > one meaning: enjovar > yoke together

So, MAYBE the idea is something like "string (yoke) these handspans of distance together" and then consider how far he's come.
Selected response from:

Ross Andrew Parker
Local time: 20:38
Grading comment
I think this imaginative leap is the best answer in the context I have got. Thanks Ross, I was really stuck, but that makes sense, especially given the next phrase! Cheers!

Thanks to everyone else too! Considering this went out to only 35 people, it is great that 4 answered! (c.12% response!) Visca!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
5to clap and/or rub hands together
dcaralo
4to unite/to join palms
jokie
3string (yoke) these handspans of distance together
Ross Andrew Parker
3warm up his hands by rubbing them
Etienne Muylle Wallace


  

Answers


21 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
to unite/to join palms


Explanation:
To unite or to join palms or hands

jokie
Spain
Local time: 20:38
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Italian
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6 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
string (yoke) these handspans of distance together


Explanation:
It seems like it must be a metaphor rather than sth literal. You says the the text is about "measuring the distance he travels in doing a series of nitty-gritty tasks". "Pams" (as I'm sure you know) are used to measure.

collar > one meaning: enjovar > yoke together

So, MAYBE the idea is something like "string (yoke) these handspans of distance together" and then consider how far he's come.

Ross Andrew Parker
Local time: 20:38
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 28
Grading comment
I think this imaginative leap is the best answer in the context I have got. Thanks Ross, I was really stuck, but that makes sense, especially given the next phrase! Cheers!

Thanks to everyone else too! Considering this went out to only 35 people, it is great that 4 answered! (c.12% response!) Visca!
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

6 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
warm up his hands by rubbing them


Explanation:
a typical movement of rubbing both open hands on each other, as a movement expressing "let us start", kind of "tic" to stimulate the blood circulation to dominate better each movement,
Just a suggestion, Bernie

Etienne Muylle Wallace
Spain
Local time: 20:38
Native speaker of: Native in DutchDutch, Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 4
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9 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
to clap and/or rub hands together


Explanation:
The artist has been relaxing, and then, after lighting a cigarette, claps/rubs his hands together, says : "ok let's go!!" and then starts with work, taking a few steps backwards (enriterar-se unes passes) to see what he's done until that moment of his work, to see how is it going....

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Note added at 9 hores (2008-03-06 09:02:22 GMT)
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....just as we would do when after relaxing, go sit down in front of our computers, so to face a some thousand translation, knowing we'll be asleep for many hours at night, and then breath deeply and sigh, clap and rub hands together thinking "a coger el toro por los cuernos" (grasp the nettle) and start to madly clobbering keyboard.

dcaralo
Spain
Local time: 19:38
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish, Native in CatalanCatalan
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