jgundisalvo on Nostr: Spanish is a tricky language to speak straightforwardly. You either convey euphemisms ...
Spanish is a tricky language to speak straightforwardly. You either convey euphemisms or insults with nothing in between.
English is way better because it’s more “physical” (as Borges said) and therefore, more practical.
When you say that a founder of some organization was a narcissist, you are referring to a personality disorder and that’s that.
On the contrary, talking in Spanish about the same person as “era un narcisista” sounds like you’re insulting him. But saying “padecía un transtorno narcisista” sounds a bit too bland. Of course you can say “las notas características de la personalidad narcisista estaban entremezcladas con su conducta cotidiana de forma profunda” but, by the time the reader finishes you have lost their attention.
English is way better because it’s more “physical” (as Borges said) and therefore, more practical.
When you say that a founder of some organization was a narcissist, you are referring to a personality disorder and that’s that.
On the contrary, talking in Spanish about the same person as “era un narcisista” sounds like you’re insulting him. But saying “padecía un transtorno narcisista” sounds a bit too bland. Of course you can say “las notas características de la personalidad narcisista estaban entremezcladas con su conducta cotidiana de forma profunda” but, by the time the reader finishes you have lost their attention.