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mossa
Aug 11, 2012 09:17
11 yrs ago
Italian term

assillo del silenzio

Italian to English Art/Literary Music
What is this about?

"Oscillando lentamente o in modo precipitoso tra rugosità e trasparenza, la materia sonora evoca l’errare di una voce umana e il suo assillo del silenzio"

It's describing a musical composition. Is it the voice that torments silence, or silence that torments the voice, or an obsession (as the MT suggests) (and if so, in which direction again)? Or another term choice?

Thanks for the clarification on this, and keep up the good work, to that faithful cadre of experts assisting those of us with lexical doubts.

Peter
Proposed translations (English)
3 looming silence/silence-beleaguered
3 nagging fear

Discussion

Bruno De Angelis Aug 16, 2012:
I disagree with smscheer and bluenoric. From what I can gather from the text the human element, represented by the sound texture, feels constantly uneasy. Assillare gives you the idea of a constant pain, like a thorn in the side. The voice, the human element, is tormented by the silence, not the other way around.
smscheer Aug 15, 2012:
Agreed with bluenoric The voice is indeed the agent of the verb. I would translate it as "the human voice and its assault on silence."
Giles Watson Aug 11, 2012:
Silence is the voice's "obsession" "Assillo" is not so much a torment as a sort of "magnificent obsession" for the voice and the complement "del silenzio" specifies its nature.

Google "il suo assillo" to see how the phrase works: in the majority of cases, "assillo" clearly refers to an idée fixe, bee in the bonnet or similar self-imposed "torment" that obsesses the antecedent of the possessive.
Laurence Fogarty Aug 11, 2012:
Hmmm again.. I suggest that it is the wandering of the voice and it being beset by silence on its 'journey' which is the intention here, a variation on Oliver's second conclusion.
bluenoric Aug 11, 2012:
I´m pretty sure it is the voice tormenting the silence ** il suo assillo** = l´assillo della voce umana al silenzio
my attempt, just a draft
swaying at leisure or in haste between roughness and transparence, the sound texture evokes the roaming/wandering of the human voice in its attempt at breaking the silence.
Oliver Lawrence Aug 11, 2012:
Hmmm From that one sentence, you could legitimately draw either conclusion: the human voice as a form of expression defeating the silence; or the lone voice searching in vain for an echo, tormented by the stonewall of silence.

Perhaps more context would help? If not, a call to the client/author would be in order (it's not up to the translator to guess).

Proposed translations

5 days
Selected

looming silence/silence-beleaguered

The silence is tormenting the voice.

You could keep the order of notions in the Italian:

"... the stirrings/wanderings of a human voice amid looming silence"

or use a compound adjective:

"... the stirrings/wanderings of a silence-beset/beleaguered human voice".

This is figurative language, though, so the choice of vocabulary will depend on the tone you have used in the rest of your translation.

Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Anche "dolce ossessione", it's 'obsession with silence', possibly"
1 day 23 hrs

nagging fear

Declined
I would translate as: ...the sound texture conjures up the wandering of a human voice and its nagging fear (or dread) of silence.
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