a través de el Cristal..

English translation: windshield / side window / rear window

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

Spanish term or phrase:	a través de el Cristal..
English translation:	windshield / side window / rear window
Entered by:	Kirsten Larsen (X)

09:45 Feb 28, 2016

Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Education / Pedagogy

Spanish term or phrase: a través de el Cristal..

I would like to know the best translation of this phrase from Dominican Spanish into American English. It's the translation of a lawyers deposition done for a witness from The Dominican Republic. Is okay to translate it as "Mirror" or are they referring to something else?

I know Cristal means "Crystal" but I don't think this translation apply to the context mentioned in the deposition.

Here is the paragraph for your review:

Interviewer: What parts of your car were damaged during this car crash?

Spanish speaking witness:

Se me daño el el parachoques,la puerta del lado izquierdo y la llanta se rompió durante el impacto que sufrio con el otro vehículo.

Interviewer: Did you see the vehicle before the car was impacted?

Second Spanish speakig witness:

Yo vía el vehículo a través del cristal del carro y le avise a mi esposo que el carro se acercaba.

yugoslavia KudoZ activity Questions: 1993 (3 open) (3 without valid answers) (7 closed without grading) Answers: 0 United States
Local time: 18:27

windshield / side window / rear window

Explanation:
Cristal se refiere a "window". Could also be the rear window or the side window.

Selected response from:

Kirsten Larsen (X)
Spain

Grading comment

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

Summary of answers provided

4 +6

windshield / side window / rear window

Kirsten Larsen (X)

4 +3

through the rear view mirror

Gervasio Chiazzo

through the glass

Jesus Duran Fernandez

Discussion entries: 6

Marcelo González

United States

En la RepDom...

01:55 Feb 29, 2016

...suena de lo más natural tanto "lo vi por el cristal del carro" como "bájeme ese cristal, por favor" (en un "carro público" por ejemplo con tres "pegaditos" en los asientos 'de alante' (como se dice allá también). :-)

JohnMcDove

United States

@ Yugoslavia. If you can provide more context,

22:56 Feb 28, 2016

we could probably get it right. Right now, without anything else, I tend to think that Kirsten answer is the one that fits the bill. Yet, it is difficult to say one thing or another without further data...

Kirsten Larsen (X)

Spain

18:14 Feb 28, 2016

Adoración: no, no será tan corriente usar el término de "mirar por el cristal" pero sí se usa de vez en cuando junto con "limpiar los cristales", "romper los cristales", y me suponía que en América del Sur también. Ejemplos:

http://manuelgracia.es/item/19-bodas/novios-mirando-por-el-c...
"Fiona y Lizzie miran por el cristal trasero del coche."
https://books.google.es/books?id=IRvgXEONdaIC&pg=PT315&lpg=P...
Luego: cuando consultas con Google y buscas "mirar a través del cristal del coche", solo te salen los resultados que son justamente así y quedan excluidas las combinaciones con "miraba, miraban, miré" etc.etc.
Si luego, también en Google, pones "a través del cristal del carro", verás en los resultados de la búsqueda que se refiere a "ver a través de las ventanas del coche".
http://forum.wordreference.com/threads/a-través-del-cristal-...

Adoración Bodoque Martínez

Ireland

yugoslavia

17:54 Feb 28, 2016

Que yo sepa, en España no es normal decir "mirar a través del cristal del coche" (6 resultados en google.es), ni "mirar por el cristal del coche" (3 resultados). Se suele decir "mirar por la ventana (o ventanilla) del coche" (9.070 resultados).

Yo creo que es más lógico que se refiera al espejo retrovisor, como dice Gervasio, pero es difícil estar segura sin conocer el contexto; creo que dependerá de cuál de las personas que hablan fuera el conductor y de si se trataba de un impacto delantero o trasero.

Espero que te ayude.

¡Saludos!

yugoslavia

United States

ASKER

10:11 Feb 28, 2016

Muchas gracias Kirsten. Saludos desde Los Estados Unidos.

Kirsten Larsen (X)

Spain

10:09 Feb 28, 2016

Respuesta a tu comentario: Si, claro. Haz una búsqueda en Google de "los cristales del coches", y verás que sí. Se usa por partes iguales "las ventanas del coche" como "los cristales del coche".

Answers

9 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +6

a través de el cristal..

windshield / side window / rear window

Explanation:
Cristal se refiere a "window". Could also be the rear window or the side window.

Kirsten Larsen (X)
Spain
Native speaker of:

Danish,

Spanish
PRO pts in category: 8

Grading comment

Selected automatically based on peer agreement.

Notes to answerer

Asker: Kirsten, Is Cristal also used in European Spanish? I know we use ventana. The witnesses are Dominicans.

Asker: Kirsten, Is Cristal also used in European Spanish? I know we use ventana. The witnesses are Dominicans.

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

agree

JohnMcDove: (left) side window, my dear Watson! Ufff! Esto estaba dificilillo, pero parece que ella conduce y el coche que impactó lo hizo por la izquierda, donde iba el marido. Si era el marido quien conducía, también valdría... Creo yo. (Suponiendo mucho)/./Ah, sí.

12 hrs

-> :-)) En América del Sur menos en Guyana y Suriname conducen por el lado derecho, así que habrá pillado al chófer, supongo.

agree

Marcelo González: Habiendo vivido allá, yo diría "side window" o "window". En República Dominicana se habla mucho de los cristales con este mismo significado, aunque se utiliza con un significado más amplio (y más ambiguo) también. Saludos

15 hrs

-> Gracias, Marcelo.

agree

Heather Oland: Cristal absolutely refers to "window." Since the source doesn't specify which window, the target should not either.

1 day 3 hrs

-> Concuerdo contigo. Basta que diga "window". Cualquier otra cosa sería salirse del texto.

agree

Gervasio Chiazzo

1 day 7 hrs

-> Gracias.

agree

MollyRose: I agree with Heather that it should just say "window," for her same reasons.

1 day 12 hrs

-> Gracias.

agree

Michael van Laake: Agree with Heather and Molly. Question on European Spanish: -colloquially "ventanas" and "ventanillas" -front also "parabrisas" - corresponding neatly to windshield -Repair companies and insurers use "lunas" for all glass; also "luneta" for rear window

1 day 23 hrs

-> Gracias.

1 hr confidence:

a través de el cristal.. through the glass

Explanation:
My own

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2016-02-28 11:15:13 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

A traves del cristal o por el cristal. My translation not as you say makes a total sense

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2016-02-28 11:35:11 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Through the interior mirror or through the rearglass. It is the same yugoslavia

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2016-02-28 11:38:36 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

The only glass for companion to see backwards is the rearglass. She cannot see for the interior mirror nor the right or the left mirror

Jesus Duran Fernandez
Spain
Local time: 00:27
Works in field
Native speaker of: Spanish

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thanks a lot Jesus. Is the witness referring to the car window or to the small mirror inside of the car and close to the steering wheel? Please let me know. Thanks.

Asker: I understand Jesus but to what glass the witness is referring to? Thanks again.

Asker: I understand now. Thank you very much Jesus.

Asker: Thanks for your explanation Marcelo.

Asker: Thanks for your explanation Marcelo.

1 hr confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

a través de el cristal.. through the rear view mirror

Explanation:
Me parece raro que diga "a través del cristal del carro" a algo que vio por el parabrisas frontal. Uno no diría "vi algo a través del vidrio de la ventana" ya que no se percata de que está mirando algo a través de un vidrio, simplemente lo ignora.
Me parece que se refiere al espejo retrovisor. Además el texto dice que la esposa le avisó. Sería raro que el esposo no haya notado que el auto venía por delante.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs (2016-02-28 12:58:48 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I find it odd that she says "a través del cristal del carro" to refer to something that she saw through the windshield. You wouldn't say that you saw something "through the window glass" since you are not usually aware that you're looking at something through the glass, you just ignore it (you might only mention the window).
I think she's talking about the rear view mirror. Besides, according to the text, she was the one who warned her husband. It would be strange if he hadn't noticed a car coming from the front.

Gervasio Chiazzo
Argentina
Local time: 19:27
Works in field
Native speaker of: Spanish

Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.

You will also have access to many other tools and opportunities designed for those who have language-related jobs (or are passionate about them). Participation is free and the site has a strict confidentiality policy.

Return to KudoZ list

KudoZ™ translation help

The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.

See also:

ProZ.com term search

Search millions of term translations