Glossary entry

Spanish term or phrase:

una inmensa humareda de polvo

English translation:

A gigantic dust cloud

Added to glossary by yugoslavia
Nov 14, 2021 08:21
2 yrs ago
28 viewers *
Spanish term

una inmensa humareda de polvo

Spanish to English Art/Literary Poetry & Literature Literature.
I would like to know the best translation of this phrase from Latin American Spanish into American English. Translator colleagues from Spain, feel free to send me your suggestions as well. This is a translation about the story of Ali Baba and the 40 thieves.

Is okay to translate it as to ask for a enormous cloud of dusk? or perhaps an immense cloud of dusk?

I hope that all of you are healthy and safe from The Covid19 Pandemic.

Here is the full paragraph for your review:

Un día, Alí Babá cortaba leña en lo alto de un árbol, cuando de pronto vio llegar en medio de una inmensa humareda de polvo y arena a un grupo muy numeroso de jinetes. Pararon justo al lado.......
Change log

Nov 20, 2021 20:45: yugoslavia Created KOG entry

Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

Non-PRO (2): Yvonne Gallagher, Toni Castano

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Proposed translations

+4
53 mins
Selected

A gigantic dust cloud

Is okay to translate it as to ask for a enormous cloud of dusKKK? or perhaps an immense cloud of dusKKK?

Dusk= anochecer, crepúsculo;
DusTTT= polvo;!!!
Note from asker:
Thanks Oliver.
Thanks for your help.
Peer comment(s):

agree Simone Taylor : Sorry for writing a similar answer, yours wasn't there when I started posting :) Agree to cloud rather than smoke.
5 mins
Thank you!
agree Marouchka Heijnen
2 hrs
Thank you!
agree philgoddard : Is okay.
6 hrs
Thank you!
agree Mónica Hanlan
2 days 2 hrs
Thank you!
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
57 mins

An immense sand and dust cloud

It is common to describe sand storms as "dust clouds". I see the translation uses "smoke", but I think it would be confusing in this context. It would appear to be from fire, not sand. You would have sand and dust because it would sound more idiomatic as the dust is a consequence of the sand and not the other way round "dust and sand".
Example sentence:

Sand and dust storms usually occur when strong winds lift large amounts of sand and dust from bare, dry soils into the atmosphere.

Note from asker:
Thanks Miss Taylor.
Something went wrong...
+1
2 hrs

an enormous/huge cloud of dust

Your option is good, but why "dusk"??? Dusk is "crepúsculo" in Spanish.

Some examples

A huge cloud of Saharan dust has darkened the skies over parts of the Caribbean.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-53177693

Enormous Cloud of Dust From Africa's Sahara Appears to Be Heading for Texas, Louisiana and Florida
https://www.newsweek.com/enormous-cloud-dust-africa-sahara-t...
Note from asker:
Thanks Cecilia.
Peer comment(s):

agree patinba : yes, that is the natural word order.
3 hrs
Thanks Pat!
Something went wrong...
6 hrs

an immense cloud of dust

:)
Note from asker:
Thanks Miss Peters.
Something went wrong...
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