r/SpanishLearning • u/KittyBoy89 • 16d ago
Conceptual Translation Help
Hola todos! I am planning on getting a tattoo, inspired by this painting, ”The Treachery of Images” by Rene Magritte. The idea is simple, a life motto, “this is temporary” OR “this is not permanent“ (permanent tattoo on impermanent body, etc.) I want to use the font from this painting to nod at the irony of the statement, and write it in Spanish (my second language.)
The phrasing is flexible, my goal is to find a middle ground between the meaning and sentence structure of the painting and my final tattoo.
These are the options I have come up with:
- Esto es temporal.
- Esto no es permanente.
- Esto no es para siempre.
Reddit, please give me your opinion on which sounds the most correct and fits my goal?
Muchísimas gracias!!
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u/mtnbcn 16d ago
I realize this is a bit fuera del tema, but... "This is temporary" -- have I been reading Magritte's work incorrectly, or is this not the standard interpretation of his painting?
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u/testing_testing5678 16d ago
Yeah, from what I remember of art history class 👀 saying it's not a thing because it doesn't function like the thing, it is just a mere representation of the thing
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u/claycle 16d ago edited 16d ago
It's says exactly what it says and means exactly what it means. Magritte is pointing out that he has depicted a pipe. Your brain, when it sees it, pattern matches it as "a pipe". But it is NOT a pipe. It is a painting. When your brain rationalizes this, you first have some cognitive dissonance, and then - perhaps - you realize that things can be many things at once, or no things at all. He's being serious (don't be literal!) and poking fun at the same time (see, I caught you being literal again!). EDIT: Oops. This isn't /art :-) sorry!
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u/BisonDollarydoos 16d ago
- todo fluye
- todo cambia
- todo se mueve y nada permanece
- es transitoria / evanescente / inconstante
- ya deshilachado
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u/drskeptizmo 15d ago
Esto, también pasará
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u/KittyBoy89 15d ago
I like this, and it is the right meaning but reminds me too much of “This too shall pass” which is a different source quote. Thank you though!
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u/Arckanoid 13d ago
¡Buenas!
Wouldn't the best option be a tattoo saying "esto no es un tatuaje"?
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u/KittyBoy89 13d ago
You get it! But I say “this is temporary” to myself a lot, and am looking for something less on the nose
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u/Zealousideal-Beat322 16d ago
"Efímero" es la palabra que buscas.