continencia

English translation: containment / self-containment

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Spanish term or phrase:continencia
English translation:containment / self-containment

23:49 Jul 31, 2011
    The asker opted for community grading. The question was closed on 2011-08-04 21:54:19 based on peer agreement (or, if there were too few peer comments, asker preference.)


Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Philosophy
Spanish term or phrase: continencia
section:

"Memoria e Historia son idénticas. Son la imposibilidad misma del Control.
El mundo es un archipiélago en el tiempo. Cada universo es una macroisla que ya dentro de su propia continencia, parpadea. Pero el espacio-tiempo muta, y su información se extravía para siempre y donde anteriormente estaba su cuerpo ahora hay otro diferente, obediente a leyes otras, y entre universo y universo, la ilusión de la fijeza."

This is from a very literary text, with lots of word place.
Would you translate continencia here as "moderation"? Perhaps something like: The world is an archepelago in time. Each universe is a macro-island that in its own moderation, pulses.

Other approaches/suggestions?

Country of origin: Mexico.
Charles Vidor
containment / self-containment
Explanation:
I don't understand "continencia" in the sense of "moderation", but in the sense of DRAE definition nº 3:

"Acción de contener"
http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/

the clue to this is that each universe is a "micro-island", in other words "self-contained".
Selected response from:

Bubo Coroman (X)
Grading comment
Thanks. Good suggestion.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
5typo: contingencia
fionn
4contained within itself
Lydia De Jorge
4in its own being/in itself
Edward Tully
4self-contained world
Altogringo
4continent
DLyons
4contained within its own completeness
Pablo Julián Davis
3containment / self-containment
Bubo Coroman (X)
Summary of reference entries provided
within its own essence
David Hollywood

  

Answers


27 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
contained within itself


Explanation:
my reading

Lydia De Jorge
United States
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
in its own being/in itself


Explanation:
2 more option!

Edward Tully
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
self-contained world


Explanation:
Extrapolating for clarity, hopefully.
To adapt your attempt:
Each universe is a macro-island that pulses/twinkles/flickers in its own self-contained world.
That has a chance of making sense, at least to me.

Altogringo
Spain
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
continent


Explanation:
Moliner gives continencia: ant. Continente (receptáculo).

This matches the OED sense
Continent: That which contains or holds. Now rare or arch.

DLyons
Ireland
Local time: 08:36
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5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
dentro de su propia continencia
contained within its own completeness


Explanation:
irresistible este pequeño rompecabezas...! ahí va mi humilde ensayo de solución, que agarra un poquito por otro camino. no sé si la pegué, pero la aliteración me cae bien. me gustan los otros intentos; DLyons, creo que acertaste en identificar esa acepción en Moliner...


Example sentence(s):
  • Every Universe is a vast twinkling Island, wholly contained within its own completeness.
Pablo Julián Davis
Local time: 03:36
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish, Native in EnglishEnglish
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7 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
containment / self-containment


Explanation:
I don't understand "continencia" in the sense of "moderation", but in the sense of DRAE definition nº 3:

"Acción de contener"
http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/

the clue to this is that each universe is a "micro-island", in other words "self-contained".

Bubo Coroman (X)
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 52
Grading comment
Thanks. Good suggestion.
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11 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
typo: contingencia


Explanation:
This is how I immediately read it, as 'de su propia contingencia', which is a common phrase in philosophy.
This is backed up by a Google search, which gives us 10,200 results for this exact phrase, and exactly three results - including a link to this question - for 'de su propia continencia'.
So "Each universe is a macro-island which, in its own contingency, blinks", or something to that effect. The author appears to be making some contingency-necessity ('fijeza'?) distinction. Not that this helps make the text much more comprehensible, unfortunately - as you say it is more literary than philosophical!

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Note added at 11 hrs (2011-08-01 11:19:01 GMT)
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'flickers' or 'pulses' is much better than 'blinks', as others have suggested.

fionn
Germany
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Reference comments


2 hrs
Reference: within its own essence

Reference information:
maybe ....

David Hollywood
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 16
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