Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Italian term or phrase:
a colpo d'occhio
English translation:
effortless
Added to glossary by
Claire Titchmarsh (X)
Oct 13, 2005 20:37
18 yrs ago
4 viewers *
Italian term
a colpo d'occhio
Italian to English
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and finally...
They're still on about creative minds, unfortunately mine is anything but this evening.
SEMBRA CHE SI LAVORI A “COLPO D’OCCHIO”..INVECE E’ LA PROFESSIONALITA’ CHE VINCE SUL FILO DEI SECONDI
Could I get away with "instinct" ?
They're still on about creative minds, unfortunately mine is anything but this evening.
SEMBRA CHE SI LAVORI A “COLPO D’OCCHIO”..INVECE E’ LA PROFESSIONALITA’ CHE VINCE SUL FILO DEI SECONDI
Could I get away with "instinct" ?
Proposed translations
(English)
| 4 +5 | effortless |
Linda 969
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| 5 | spur of the moment (but change sentence) |
nyteck
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| 4 | at a glance |
MaxCastiglia
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Proposed translations
+5
5 mins
Selected
effortless
again, far from literal but I've stated my case already ;-)
it looks easy to do but actually requires talent & effort
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Note added at 15 mins (2005-10-13 20:52:31 GMT)
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you'd need to recast the sentence to incorporate this of course
"Results so accomplished they look effortless: but it's professionalism and talent that win the day"
it looks easy to do but actually requires talent & effort
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Note added at 15 mins (2005-10-13 20:52:31 GMT)
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you'd need to recast the sentence to incorporate this of course
"Results so accomplished they look effortless: but it's professionalism and talent that win the day"
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Rachel Fell
: (or effortlessly) - talent, effort and skill...;-)
6 mins
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thanks, Rachel ;-)
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| agree |
Enza Longo
8 mins
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thanks, Enza!
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| agree |
Kimberly Wastler
17 mins
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thanks, Kimberly!
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| agree |
Michele Fauble
46 mins
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thanks, Michele!
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| agree |
silvs
: linda, great way of turning the phrase around!
9 hrs
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thanks, silvs ;-)
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| neutral |
Bahram Salehi
: immediately
62 days
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thanks very much. "
11 hrs
spur of the moment (but change sentence)
I would modify the sentence as well in order to convey the meaning.
"They almost seem to make spur of the moment decisions, while in fact professionalism is behind their excellent results"..
something like that!
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Note added at 11 hrs 44 mins (2005-10-14 08:21:30 GMT)
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sorry, I forgot- I would add "professionalism under pressure" to my above suggestion in order to convey the "filo dei secondi" concept.
"They almost seem to make spur of the moment decisions, while in fact professionalism is behind their excellent results"..
something like that!
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Note added at 11 hrs 44 mins (2005-10-14 08:21:30 GMT)
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sorry, I forgot- I would add "professionalism under pressure" to my above suggestion in order to convey the "filo dei secondi" concept.
5314 days
at a glance
I think the original is poorly written. lavorare a colpo d'occhio is not a very intuitive expression and if you google it you will get 1-2 results if any. It literally means at a glance, what you see quickly on a superficial and visual level, but lacking more in-depth information. I would definitely not translate it as effortlessly. Without reading the fuller context and trying to understand the autor's overextended style, I would suggest the following translation: It seems like they are working haphazardly...but it's professionalism that allows you to win by mere seconds. The expression sul filo dei secondi is often used when talking about activities like motorsports to mean that the difference between winning and losing is a matter of seconds.
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Note added at 5314 days (2020-05-02 08:44:04 GMT) Post-grading
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Edit: a colpo d'occhio is a common saying = at a glance. Lavorare a colpo d'occhio = ?? not intuitive at all
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Note added at 5314 days (2020-05-02 08:44:04 GMT) Post-grading
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Edit: a colpo d'occhio is a common saying = at a glance. Lavorare a colpo d'occhio = ?? not intuitive at all
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