Translation Help!

[Marketgirl]

Hola

I have been given the following to translate for a exercise and it just doesn't sound right to me. Can you help?

No, aqui solo esta permitido doblar a la izuierda. Tiene que continuar hasta la
proxima calle.

My translation (don't laugh) is

No, here it is permitted to turn left. You have to continue up the neighbouring street.

Where did I go wrong?

Saludos

Nadia

[GringoCArlos]

I think the proper translation should be:

"No, here you are only permitted to turn to the left. You have to continue until the next street."

[Marketgirl]

That makes much better sense and now follows on from the initial question

Puedo doblar a la derecha en esta calle?

translatted as

Can I turn right in this street?

Gracias

Nadia

[Hillbilly]

And you are right! Well done Carlos.

HB

[ricktoronto]

Isn't girar more typical for turning especially when driving? I thought doblar is to double.

[GringoCArlos]

Wow, thank you, Hillbilly.

Marketgirl, I think your second question should be: " ?Can I turn to the right in this street? "

Rick, I think it is just more common for dominicans to use "doblar" instead of "girar".

A friend also explained something which he had had a hard time understanding, and that is when one gets in a taxi, and you are going down the street in Santo Domingo, if you want to turn in the "inland" direction, you are more easily understood if you say "pa' arriba". For a turn towards the ocean, you need to say "pa' bajo" (even if the road is inclined upwards toward the ocean, hehe.)

Even if you are nowhere near the ocean, they more readily understand this, more than using "izquierda" , "derecha", or the very common.........

""NO, NO, la OTRA izquierda, amigo".........

[Rocky]

Originally Posted by ricktoronto

Isn't girar more typical for turning especially when driving? I thought doblar is to double.

Not in the DR, it isn't, but it might be the right term in Spain.
Girar, would mean more like spin, than turn.
Turning right around, would be, dar la vuelta.

[monsoon68]

Originally Posted by Rocky

Not in the DR, it isn't, but it might be the right term in Spain.
Girar, would mean more like spin, than turn.
Turning right around, would be, dar la vuelta.

In Spain, I think we use more "doblar" than "girar", at least colloquially.

[Hillbilly]

Pollos "giran" over charcoal!! Since Rick has a "close personal relationship" with pollos, he naturally thought of "girar" as the correct word...jus' natcheral!!

The Pa' riba, and Pa' bajo, here is the Cibao, means towards Santo Domingo (para arriba) or towards Montecristi (para abajo).

For some unfathomable reason, we go "down the line" towards the North and we go "up the line" when we go South to Santo Domingo, or East to Samaná.

We "climb" to Puerto Plata (Subí a Puerto Plata) and we also climb to Santo Domingo (¿Cuándo vas a subir a la Capi, compadre? = When are you coming (up) to the capitol, compadre?)

And remember folks: DERECHO is "straight ahead" and DERECHA is Turn Right!

And while we are on the subject, remember that when you ask where something is, the answer "Ahí mi' mimito" (Right up there), can mean a few hundred yards or a few kilometers...

Have a nice day

HB

[ricktoronto]

In Managua where there are no street names nor addresses on buildings all directions are from a landmark (which may not be there anymore but was at one time -scant help for the visitor if you don't know donde fue Sandy's) and they use "al lago" for North (Lake Managua is north), "arriba" for east (the sun rises in the east) , "bajo" for west (the sun goes down) and only use "sur" for well, sur.

They also measure finer distances than blocks (cuadras) in varas, which is .87 metres and is a measurement that goes back about 400 years to the Spanish.

What is amazing in such a poor country (much poorer than the DR) is that mail addressed in such a manner with additional details, down to the color and description of the house typically, is delivered in my experience in under a week from Canada.