I am translating a book and came across certain lines (the bold parts) that I don't understand. Could you help me with their meaning? Thanks a lot.

‘How is your mother?’ she continued as if she needed to ask after such a tragedy.

‘Bad, since we were bombed out, miss. We're living with her sister and they don't get on, and me dad's with the Eighth Army in Italy. It’s all a bit of a crush.’

Roddy pushed Clare as Ella filled him in with her story, unaware that he was eyeing her with renewed interest. She would stop the traffic at his base with those looks. Perhaps if he’d stayed in England who knew … he sighed. Now she was spoken for and out of bounds. Served him right for leaving his return so long.

As the dust, smoke and the mist cleared Roddy could see they’d hit their target and knew they must take advantage of the hill and move forward ready to reclaim the ground they'd already lost. But in the scrum and rocks of the shattered village there might be Allied troops waiting, ready to join forces and seize more positions. If only they could link up and move as one unit.

‘Forward,’ waved their commander. ‘We've got a hold up there,’ he yelled as they formed a ragged line, pulling the mules up the craggy path, sure of a welcome from Allied troops.

Prosperity sat easy on Roddy, but he'd worked hard to develop the Express Diner end of the business.

Ella was such an unknown to him now. She chose not to come to his wedding, which had hurt, he admitted. She was modest about her success and reputation as a sculptor. Her infrequent letters were full of Clare, never herself. She was the nearest thing he had to a sister and he hoped there would be time for them to get to know each other all over again. He wanted her to like Patti and Kathleen and feel they were all one big family.

She’d always been a loner, an outsider, brought into their midst through the kindness of his grandfather and mother.

dag said:

I am translating a book and came across certain lines (the bold parts) that I don't understand. Could you help me with their meaning? Thanks a lot.

‘How is your mother?’ she continued as if she needed to ask after such a tragedy.

‘Bad, since we were bombed out, miss. We're living with her sister and they don't get on, and me dad's with the Eighth Army in Italy. It’s all a bit of a crush.’

Roddy pushed Clare as Ella filled him in with her story, unaware that he was eyeing her with renewed interest. She would stop the traffic at his base with those looks. Perhaps if he’d stayed in England who knew … he sighed. Now she was spoken for and out of bounds. Served him right for leaving his return so long. [The wording is very confusing here, mostly because I can't determine which antecedent (girl in this case) is being spoken of when it comes to her looks stopping traffic. I assume it's Ella and not Clare in the following rewrite]

Roddy pushed Clare as Ella filled him in with her story, Ella being unaware that he was eyeing her with renewed interest. Ella would stop traffic at his base with those looks. Perhaps, if he had stayed in England--who knew...he sighed. Now, she was spoken for and out of bounds. Served him right for having been away for so long.

As the dust, smoke and the mist cleared Roddy could see they had hit their target and knew they had to take advantage of the hill and move forward ready to reclaim the ground they hasd already lost. But in the scrum and rocks of the shattered village there might be Allied troops waiting, ready to join forces and seize more positions. If only they could link up and move as one unit! <-- ["if only" implies a point-of-view of the protagonist so you either reference "he thought" at the end or place a exlamation to show it's not a neutral statement being made by the omniscient narrator]

‘Forward,’ waved their commander. ‘We've got a hold up there,’ he yelled as they formed a ragged line, pulling the mules up the craggy path, sure of a welcome from Allied troops.

[I don't see anything wrong with the "We've got a hold up there". It simply means they have control of the situation at the upper point. but if that's not what you meant, let me know]

Prosperity sat easy on Roddy, but he'd worked hard to develop the Express Diner end of the business. [apparantly there's two parts to the business. The Express Diner must be the restaurant part--they family must be doing another business in addition]

Ella was such an unknown to him now. She chose not to come to his wedding, which had hurt, he admitted. She was modest about her success and reputation as a sculptor. Her infrequent letters were full of Clare, never herself. She was the nearest thing he had to a sister and he hoped there would be time for them to get to know each other all over again. He wanted her to like Patti and Kathleen and feel they were all one big family.

She’d always been a loner, an outsider, brought into their midst through the kindness of his grandfather and mother.

[nothing is wrong with that bolded part either--it's a simple idiom to show that she was introduced into their group]

dag said:

I am translating a book and came across certain lines (the bold parts) that I don't understand. Could you help me with their meaning? Thanks a lot.

‘How is your mother?’ she continued as if she needed to ask after such a tragedy.

‘Bad, since we were bombed out, miss. We're living with her sister and they don't get on, and me dad's with the Eighth Army in Italy. It’s all a bit of a crush.’ - THERE IS NO SPACE WHERE THEY ARE LIVING. THEY ARE CRUSHED/SQUASHED INTO THE LIVING AREA - TOO MANY PEOPLE IN TOO LITTLE SPACE

Roddy pushed Clare as Ella filled him in with her story, unaware that he was eyeing her with renewed interest. She would stop the traffic at his base with those looks. Perhaps if he’d stayed in England who knew … he sighed. Now she was spoken for and out of bounds. Served him right for leaving his return so long. - HE HAS BEEN AWAY FOR TOO LONG. OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND YOU COULD SAY

As the dust, smoke and the mist cleared Roddy could see they’d hit their target and knew they must take advantage of the hill and move forward ready to reclaim the ground they'd already lost. But in the scrum and rocks of the shattered village there might be Allied troops waiting, ready to join forces and seize more positions. If only they could link up and move as one unit.

‘Forward,’ waved their commander. ‘We've got a hold up there,’ he yelled as they formed a ragged line, pulling the mules up the craggy path, sure of a welcome from Allied troops. - A HOLD UP IS A DELAY. SOMETHING IS STOPPING YOU DOING SOMETHING. A HOLD UP CAN ALSO MEAN A STICK UP AS IN ROBBERY, BUT NOT IN THIS CASE. YOU SAY "YOU PUT A HOLD ON SOMETHING" WHEN YOU HAVE TO STOP DOING SOMETHING LIKE A PROJECT BECAUSE THERE IS A PROBLEM

Prosperity sat easy on Roddy, but he'd worked hard to develop the Express Diner end of the business. - HE WORKED HARD ON TRYING TO MAKE THAT SIDE OF THE BUSINESS DO WELL

Ella was such an unknown to him now. She chose not to come to his wedding, which had hurt, he admitted. She was modest about her success and reputation as a sculptor. Her infrequent letters were full of Clare, never herself. She was the nearest thing he had to a sister and he hoped there would be time for them to get to know each other all over again. He wanted her to like Patti and Kathleen and feel they were all one big family.

She’d always been a loner, an outsider, brought into their midst through the kindness of his grandfather and mother. - BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION/COMPANY OF OTHERS - LOOK UP MIDST IN THE DICTIONARY

imago said:

dag said:

I am translating a book and came across certain lines (the bold parts) that I don't understand. Could you help me with their meaning? Thanks a lot.

‘How is your mother?’ she continued as if she needed to ask after such a tragedy.

‘Bad, since we were bombed out, miss. We're living with her sister and they don't get on, and me dad's with the Eighth Army in Italy. It’s all a bit of a crush.’ Here I am not sure if it means that it's everything is bad or that there are too many people living in one house.

Roddy pushed Clare as Ella filled him in with her story, unaware that he was eyeing her with renewed interest. She would stop the traffic at his base with those looks. Perhaps if he’d stayed in England who knew … he sighed. Now she was spoken for and out of bounds. Served him right for leaving his return so long. [The wording is very confusing here, mostly because I can't determine which antecedent (girl in this case) is being spoken of when it comes to her looks stopping traffic. I assume it's Ella and not Clare in the following rewrite] Yes it's Ella. But I don't understand what they mean by "served him right for leaving his return so long. Actually, the word "return" could have two meaning: 1. his return to the base. 2. His return to England, cause as a child, he ran away from his mother to US to live with is dad and came back to the UK as an adult during the war. So I am not sure which return they are referring to and the whole bolded part doesn't make sense to me.

Thanks for your help. I have figured most of the parts from your reply except for the above quoted ones (See my reply in green). This is an English book that I am translating into my native language and I am not saying they are wrong. I just wasn't sure of the meaning of certain idioms because I couldn't find them anywhere.

dag said:

imago said:

Thanks for your help. I have figured most of the parts from your reply except for the above quoted ones (See my reply in green). This is an English book that I am translating into my native language and I am not saying they are wrong. I just wasn't sure of the meaning of certain idioms because I couldn't find them anywhere.

Served him right == means that he feels that he deserves the negative situation he is in.

"For leaving his return for so long"....Here you can not do a literal translation. You simply have to reword it to: " for having been away so long."

"been" away implies that he has returned from a long journey, so there's no need to say that he actually returned. Been means to leave and come back. Gone means to go but you are still away.

Soooooooo, just say : "Serves him right for having been away for so long." <---This is said by the omniscient narrator, but with an implied emotional connection to the protagonist. Therefore, if you want ot emphasize that they are his thoughts and not the story tellers (in this situation that would be correct), then write it in italics. Serves him right for having been away for so long.

imago said:

dag said:

Thanks for your help. I have figured most of the parts from your reply except for the above quoted ones (See my reply in green). This is an English book that I am translating into my native language and I am not saying they are wrong. I just wasn't sure of the meaning of certain idioms because I couldn't find them anywhere.

Served him right == means that he feels that he deserves the negative situation he is in.

"For leaving his return for so long"....Here you can not do a literal translation. You simply have to reword it to: " for having been away so long."

"been" away implies that he has returned from a long journey, so there's no need to say that he actually returned. Been means to leave and come back. Gone means to go but you are still away.

Soooooooo, just say : "Serves him right for having been away for so long." <---This is said by the omniscient narrator, but with an implied emotional connection to the protagonist. Therefore, if you want ot emphasize that they are his thoughts and not the story tellers (in this situation that would be correct), then write it in italics. Serves him right for having been away for so long.

Now I get it. Thanks.

Another idiom I came across:

Each to his own.

dag said:

imago said:

Served him right == means that he feels that he deserves the negative situation he is in.

"For leaving his return for so long"....Here you can not do a literal translation. You simply have to reword it to: " for having been away so long."

"been" away implies that he has returned from a long journey, so there's no need to say that he actually returned. Been means to leave and come back. Gone means to go but you are still away.

Soooooooo, just say : "Serves him right for having been away for so long." <---This is said by the omniscient narrator, but with an implied emotional connection to the protagonist. Therefore, if you want ot emphasize that they are his thoughts and not the story tellers (in this situation that would be correct), then write it in italics. Serves him right for having been away for so long.

Now I get it. Thanks.

Another idiom I came across:

Each to his own.

To each, his own.

Oops, if you're asking what that means:

To each, his own. <--- that means everybody has their own style or taste.

imago said:

Oops, if you're asking what that means:

To each, his own. <--- that means everybody has their own style or taste.

Yes, thanks.

I wasn't sure if it meant that usually people or things of the same kind go together or if one gets what they deserve. I had few ideas, but this didn't cross my mind. so thanks once again.

"To each, his own" is often spoken in two voices.

#1) as an acknowedgment of our differences

#2) as a sarcastic remark about how somebody's style, method, or way of thinking is beneath your own. A better remark is "there's no accounting for taste." which is always sarcastic.

Thank you, guys, for everything. You have helped me a lot. I really appreciate it.

...this is why I stick to books with pictures...

One more thing. What is "OT U"? Here's the excerpt:

There’s talk of a ground job coming up for me. I suppose a third tour of ops is pushing it, but experience is what helps get the younger chaps through their first sorties. Firing torpedoes into submarines on a stinking night needs training and practice. You get protective of these young boys straight out of school, so green, so enthusiastic and so quickly lost without proper tactical training. Yes, I can do some of this in an OT U but we’ll see how things are in the new year.

And GROIN NIGGLE? Is that a desease or something?

Why don't you translate something that is well written in the first place? This hardly seems worth it.

PurpleJedi said:

...this is why I stick to books with pictures...

I always joke that's one reason I studied art history - the books almost always have pictures!

jone70 said:

PurpleJedi said:

...this is why I stick to books with pictures...

I always joke that's one reason I studied art history - the books almost always have pictures!