pata negra

English translation: premium quality

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

Spanish term or phrase:	pata negra
English translation:	premium quality
Entered by:	Jenni Lukac (X)

10:02 Jan 7, 2014

Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Marketing - Advertising / Public Relations / Food products

Spanish term or phrase: pata negra

SPAIN. From a text about food exports and marketing. I'm just wondering how fellow prozers from different backgrounds would approach the translation of this figurative use of "pata negra" (which, surprisingly, isn't in the glossary AFAIK) when talking about foods other than ham. This is merely an idle query out of personal interest, which is why I'm not offering any more context than this:

"El líder chileno del aguacate ha iniciado el mes de diciembre la venta online de la “pata negra” de sus aguacates.

neilmac KudoZ activity Questions: 1872 (2 open) (106 closed without grading) Answers: 6249 Spain
Local time: 21:54

premium quality

Explanation:
www.avocadosource.com/.../PicconeMarie2005.pdf‎
'Perfect Packs' (these packs contain 2 premium quality avocados...industry.nzavocado.co.nz/industry/five_year_plan.csn‎
... profitable return, the industry objective is to leverage the increasing demand for the high nutritional properties of premium quality avocados from New Zealand.

Selected response from:

Jenni Lukac (X)
Local time: 21:54

Grading comment

Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

4 +4

premium quality

Jenni Lukac (X)

4 +3

premium / grand reserve

Charles Davis

4 +2

the cream of (his avocado crop)

David Ronder

3 +1

la crème de la crème

Helena Chavarria

3 +1

king / jewel in the crown / star

Lisa McCarthy

flagship avocados

Mervyn Henderson (X)

caviar

snathdag

black label

polyglot45

Discussion entries: 4

Answers

15 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +4

premium quality

Jenni Lukac (X)
Local time: 21:54
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 44

Grading comment

Selected automatically based on peer agreement.

Notes to answerer

Asker: The problem is that this client's texts are so repetitive, everything has already been described as "premium/leader/quality/innovative..." and I'm getting fed up, since the more they pop up the more meaningless they become. I'm afraid this query is just gratuitous brainstorming, but rest assured I'm storing up all your suggestions for possible future use ;)

20 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

premium / grand reserve

Explanation:
I think a general-purpose solution might be premium, but to give it a bit more colour you might consider "grand reserve", borrowing from the world of wines and spirits, more familiar to English-speaking readers, rather than ham. You see "grand reserve" cigars, cheddar cheese, all sorts of things.

"Pata negra" is about quality, whereas top-dollar is more about price, though price and quality (sometimes) go hand in hand.

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Note added at 20 mins (2014-01-07 10:23:24 GMT)
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I see Jenni's already suggested "premium", but I'll leave my answer for the "grand reserve" alternative, which I actually quite like.

Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 21:54
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 40

Notes to answerer

Asker: Yeah, "top dollar" was merely pencilled in as I pressed on regardless, hacking my way through this fruit+veggy jungle. Am seriously considering using this now too, ta.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

agree

Noni Gilbert Riley: I like grand reserve!

5 hrs

-> Thanks very much, Noni! It has a certain tone, I feel... Happy New Year, by the way. (Like me, you're probably enjoying the first day of kids back to school.)

agree

Neil Ashby: I've seen, smelt and drunk "pata negra Gran Reserve" (a Rioja I think)....just a coincidence, but I do think that grand reserve is a good one, something special, set-aside from the rest. (Mine don't go back until tomorrow....de-decorating is afoot.)

5 hrs

-> Well, fancy that! Thanks a lot, Neil. (Nice for them to have an extra day; evening of Reyes is a bit of a downer otherwise) ;)

agree

Pablo Julián Davis: Good one, 'grand reserve' a very nice option

9 hrs

-> Many thanks, tocayo :)

48 mins confidence:

caviar

Explanation:
A difficult one to tie down. I've seen a dictionary definition of "prime" which is fine if a bit dull. A more relevant term for me has to come from the food and drink world, of which there are a few options. I've gone for caviar. I was going to opt for champagne because I think it's more commonly used than others but it seems to be restricted to describing other drinks, which is natural. My favourite is probably top banana but only for a very informal register!

snathdag
Spain
Native speaker of: English

Notes to answerer

Asker: I love "top banana" and use it frequently as a term of endearment, but you're right, it wouldn't work here. Cheers anyway ;) BTW,I've noted "caviar/champagne" for future reference.

1 hr confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

the cream of (his avocado crop)

Explanation:
Another possibility.

They may well be organic/specialist/rare, so I'd be tempted to introduce that sort of idea, too - the cream of his organic/specialist/rare crop.

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Note added at 1 hr (2014-01-07 11:16:51 GMT)
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Obviously you'd need to check...

David Ronder
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:54
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 28

Notes to answerer

Asker: This is nice... thanks for the input ;)

2 hrs confidence:

black label

Explanation:
like whisky

polyglot45
Native speaker of:

English,

French

Notes to answerer

Asker: They might actually have a variety by that name (the name of the veg in my query was changed for confidentiality purposes). Good option too ;)

2 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

la crème de la crème

Explanation:
Another option :)

The phrase also has a figurative meaning that it is most commonly known by, this being: the top, the best of the best or somewhat elite, also expressed as "the cream of the crop." Analogues can be drawn to the cooking term, meaning in some terms the same thing.
Origins[edit]

Its origins have been traced to the decade 1840-1850,[1] but its popularity in modern English (it is less common in modern French)[2] is attributed to its use by the lead character in Muriel Spark's 1961 novel The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, in which the intensely authoritative girl's school teacher refers to her charges with this epithet.[3] The line from the novel reads, "'I am putting old heads on your young shoulders,' Miss Brodie had told them at that time, 'and all my pupils are the crème de la crème.'"[4]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crème_de_la_crème

Noun[edit]
crème de la crème f
crème de la crème (the best of something)

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/crème_de_la_crème

crème de la crème (krɛm də la krɛm)
n
1. the very best

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/creme de la creme

Synonyms
cream of the crop
best of the best
pick of the crop

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Note added at 2 hrs (2014-01-07 12:10:26 GMT)
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I didn't know your client was French ;)

How about 'best of the best', which is a synonym and hasn't been suggested by anyone else yet?

Helena Chavarria
Spain
Local time: 21:54
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 4

Notes to answerer

Asker: The client is French and won't like this (there's also a French version of the text), although I do enjoy the Miss for Jean Brodie memory it brought to mind ;)

Asker: Oops! Don't know how that "for" sneaked in there...

4 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

king / jewel in the crown / star

Explanation:
Maybe something along these lines?

Lisa McCarthy
Spain
Local time: 21:54
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 100

5 hrs confidence:

flagship avocados

Explanation:
I occasionally use this for buy-our-stuff-it's-fab ad texts, and it seems to go well with any product you care to think of. Well, except for yachts, schooners, catamarans and other seacraft.

Mervyn Henderson (X)
Spain
Local time: 21:54
Works in field
Native speaker of: English

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English translation: premium quality

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