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    Can anyone translate this phrase from Spanish to English, and name the famous novel that begins with the line, "Habia una vez y una vez muy buena era cuando venia una vaca caminando por el camino"?

    Question #63815. Asked by rad.monkay. (Mar 22 06 4:44 PM)


    xfacilitatorx

    		Literal.

    "Habia once and once very good era when venia one is vacant walking by the way..."


    http://translation.langenberg.com/

    http://translation.langenberg.com/

    This is a great translation site.

    I tried at least 6 sites and I got the same answer each time. Must use same translation protoco!

    Book? Wild guess.... Don Quixote

    And this is a great lit. site.


    http://www.online-literature.com/

    I tried at least 6 sites and I got the same answer each time. Must use same translation protoco!

    Book? wild gyess Don Quixote

    Mar 22 06, 5:36 PM
    MaggieG 5

    		It translates as "Once upon a time and a very good time it was there was a moocow coming down the road..." and it is the opening sentence of James Joyce's "Portrait of the Artist as a Young man".

    Mar 22 06, 5:39 PM
    lanfranco

    		Now, how would one translate "baby tuckoo" into Spanish? That's what I want to know.

    Mar 22 06, 6:22 PM
    kingofcats

    		Once upon a time and a very good time there was a cow coming down the road??

    Mar 22 06, 6:57 PM
    johnhoward

    		Don't rely on online translation sites because most of them translate word for word and in spanish and other languages you have to change verbs depending on the gender and stuff.

    "Once upon a time, and a very good time it was, there was a moocow coming down along the road" - A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

    Mar 22 06, 11:05 PM
    xfacilitatorx

    		Did any of the respondents use an online translator? If so, the sources are better than mine. What are they????

    Thanks.

    Mar 23 06, 12:53 PM
    MaggieG 5

    		I didn't use an online translator as I have used them in the past and found them iffy to say the least. I speak some Spanish and recognised the quotation, so I went to the book for the original version. It's not a direct translation.

    Mar 23 06, 3:22 PM
    xfacilitatorx

    		Thank you MaggieG!!

    Mar 23 06, 5:29 PM
    lanfranco

    		Maggie did what the question required. Using already- existing language skills, she was able to connect the Spanish to a well-known first line.

    It helps to have some knowledge of idiomatic equivalents. For example, "Habia una vez" just means "Once upon a time."

    Mar 23 06, 5:29 PM
    xfacilitatorx

    		I speak enough Spanish to get myself shot when in Tijuana.



    Mar 23 06, 5:35 PM

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