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This question was closed without grading. Reason: No acceptable answer
Mar 15, 2015 14:12
9 yrs ago
1 viewer *
Spanish term

El que no sabe es como el que no ve

Spanish to English Art/Literary Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
I have to translate that idiom into English. Is there an idiom with the same meaning?
THank you.
Proposed translations (English)
3 +8 There Are None So Blind As Those Who Will Not See
4 +1 Out of sight is out of mind / Out of sight, out of mind
5 Those who do not know are like those who do not see
4 the only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision
4 Not knowing is (like) being blind
3 if you don't have it in mind it's worse than being blind
3 The ignorant are blind / The ignorant are like the blind

Discussion

Charles Davis Mar 16, 2015:
@Carol Hear, hear!
Carol Gullidge Mar 16, 2015:
Context? this could be an ironic take on "What the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve over" (ha ha!).

But seriously, this context SHOULD have been posted right from the start, as most if not all of our suggestions are now way off the mark - i.e., they might work somewhere else but are inappropriate for this context. I know I bang on about questions without context, but this is a classic example of how important it is: we've all been groping in the dark with this one...

As for the maid, I think she's just as likely to reply with something along the lines of "Well, that just goes to show how little/much I know about fashion these days!" or "Now I'm showing my ignorance!" as she is to come out with some really pithy idiom. OK, I guess you're looking for a snappy riposte, but there was no hint of this in the question posted.
Charles Davis Mar 16, 2015:
In that situation, she might simply say "Oh, my mistake" (or "my bad"). Or possibly "It's all Greek to me" (meaning I just don't understand that world).

I think Carol's "There are none so blind", or indeed my own "Ignorance is bliss", would sound idiomatic, but the maid would be making a different point.
Fernando Tognis (asker) Mar 16, 2015:
Context A designer (a man) is talking with a maid. The designer shows her a fancy dress and she says, "the dress is beautiful but, there is a sleeve missing". The designer tells her that his intention was to create a the dress with one sleeve only. So she says "El que no sabe es como el que no ve". I guess she admits her ignorance about the trends of the fashion world.
AllegroTrans Mar 15, 2015:
We still have no idea... ...who is saying it and in what circumstances
Perhaps you could tell us asker?
Julie Thurston Mar 15, 2015:
Do you think he could just say, "blind ignorance"
Charles Davis Mar 15, 2015:
I agree with Carol to the extent that there is a trade-off here. I don't think there is an idiom with this meaning. So you can either have an idiom with a different meaning, such as "There are none so blind as those who will not see" or "Out of sight, out of mind", or (one that nobody has suggested) "Ignorance is bliss", or you can have a non-idiom with the same meaning. It depends, as Carol says, on whether the priority is to be accurate or to be idiomatic. But none of the three idioms mentioned above is even approximately accurate as a translation of this Spanish phrase and in most contexts I don't think they'd be viable translations.
AllegroTrans Mar 15, 2015:
It all depends really on how the phrase is being used

Proposed translations

4 mins

if you don't have it in mind it's worse than being blind

P
Peer comment(s):
neutral AllegroTrans : Not an idiom or saying that I have ever heard
8 hrs
I know...Just a shot in the dark...
Something went wrong...
+8
9 mins

There Are None So Blind As Those Who Will Not See

this is the nearest I can get for the time being, but hopefully it will get things moving. It fits to a certain degree, and sometimes this is the best we can aspire to...

According to the ‘Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings’ this proverb has been traced back to 1546 (John Heywood), and resembles the Biblical verse Jeremiah 5:21 (‘Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not’). In 1738 it was used by Jonathan Swift in his ‘Polite Conversation’ and is first attested in the United States in the 1713 ‘Works of Thomas Chalkley’. The full saying is: ‘There are none so blind as those who will not see. The most deluded people are those who choose to ignore what they already know’.

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Note added at 12 mins (2015-03-15 14:24:59 GMT)
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As you can see, this is an actual proverb or well-known idiom.

There is also "There Are None So Deaf As Those Who Will Not Hear",
i.e., if you don't wish to know something, you close your eyes or ears to it
Peer comment(s):
agree Ray Ables
8 mins
thanks Ray!
agree Billh
17 mins
thanks Bill!
agree philgoddard
1 hr
thanks Phil!
agree franglish
1 hr
thanks franglish!
agree Phoenix III
1 hr
thanks Phoenix III!
neutral Beatriz Ramírez de Haro : The Spanish versions of this idioms are "No hay peor ciego que quien no quiere ver// No hay peor sordo que quien no quiere oír", but that is not the meaning in this case. It's not about not wanting to know/see, but about not actually knowing.
2 hrs
Tx Beatrix! I did of course point out that this isn't an exact equivalent, and set the CR to 3 accordingly. However the Asker specifically requests a **set phrase/idiom**, and this does meet that requirement, without being far off in meaning//Yes, I know!
agree AllegroTrans
3 hrs
thanks Allegro!
neutral Ana Vozone : I agree with Beatriz, and do not think your suggestion is really equivalent. "Peor ciego es aquel que no quiere ver" is not the same as "El que no sabe es como el que no ve".@Carol, I had to justify my "neutral" grading, but every suggestion helps! ;)
3 hrs
No, and you'll see that I never claimed it was! But it is fairly close, and at least it is an idiom. With idioms and metaphors, something nearly always has to be sacrificed: the translator has to weigh up the importance of accuracy versus idiomacy.
agree Lizz Bremm
6 hrs
thanks Lizz!
agree Rachel Fell : although not an exact equivalent - I know it as "There's none so blind as those who will not see" - yes, I hope the asker takes your point about context...
9 hrs
Thanks Rachel! In fact, the context (posted at last!) shows that we've all been groping in the dark - a bit like the maid in question - with this one :( // I think I might now give up entirely on answering any questions posted w/o sufficient context
neutral Marina Ilari : I agree with Beatriz, and also in Spanish this is not a idiom.
23 hrs
Yes, well, as it now transpires, NOBODY has provided a suitable answer, but in any case an idiom was requested + I'm sure the Asker didn't need anyone to provide a straight translation of such a simple term.
Something went wrong...
+1
24 mins

Out of sight is out of mind / Out of sight, out of mind

Suggestion.

Reference:

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/out_of_sight,_out_of_mind

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/274400.html

Peer comment(s):
agree Lydianette Soza
2 hrs
Many thanks, Lydianette!
Something went wrong...
2 hrs

The ignorant are blind / The ignorant are like the blind

Not exactly a saying but could fit the bill.
Something went wrong...
3 hrs

the only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision

This si the closest English quote to the one given in the ST. As may be other similar quotes I grade at 4.

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/blind.html#MIEhDh...
Peer comment(s):
neutral AllegroTrans : Not an idiom or saying that I have ever heard
4 hrs
It is one that comes close to the Spanish version. Reference is given. You have a long way to go to hear one that you are familiar with.
Something went wrong...
2 hrs

Not knowing is (like) being blind

This is the real meaning of the Spanish idiom.
It's a simple comparison, meant to stress the blindness of ignorance, nothing to do with not wanting to see.
Hopefully my English-speaking colleagues will find a nicer way of putting it!

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs (2015-03-15 17:59:00 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

"Ignorance is blindness" could do the job.
Peer comment(s):
neutral Carol Gullidge : This is a correct translation of course, and pretty basic stuff that I'd have imagined the Asker would be able to translate by himself! However, where is the "idiom" that the Asker specifically requests?
43 mins
The asker specifically requests "with the same meaning". Any idiom, however similar, won't do the job IMO.
neutral AllegroTrans : Not an idiom or saying
5 hrs
As I said in my answer, I just explain the meaning of the Spanish idiom.
Something went wrong...
23 hrs

Those who do not know are like those who do not see

This is not an idiom in Spanish, it's just a phrase in your text that looks like that kind of sentence but not at all an idiom, therefore I'd just translate what it means in a formal, neutral, passive manner. Any other option would be imprecise.
Something went wrong...
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