'f - doesn’t make you a chair ‘f some ignoramus calls you a chair

[joseluisgarletti]

Estimados colegas:

En un relato policial encontré la siguiente cláusula introducida por "'f" que suena más a "even if" que a "if"... No obstante me suena a una especie de dicho popular... ¿Alguien lo conoce o puede descifrarlo?

El texto original es:

It would be that much worse if he actually ended up becoming part of the white establishment. Still, he hated being marked as phony by his own people. While he kept in mind his mother’s admonition that “it doesn’t make you a chair ‘f some ignoramus calls you a chair.

Mi intento:

Peor sería que realmente terminara siendo parte del destacamento de los blancos. Aun así, odiaba ser rotulado como un mentiroso por su propia gente. Mientras tenía presente el consejo de su madre de que “no te sientas nunca un jefe aunque algunos ignorantes te llamen así”.

¿Qué les parece?

Slds.

 

[gengo]

It's just a representation of spoken speech, in which the vowel of "if" is sometimes swallowed. There is no "even" there.

Also, "some ignoramus" is singular, but your translation is plural.

Finally, are you sure that "chair" means "jefe" here? It sounds more like a derogatory term to me, although I've never heard it used that way.

 

[joseluisgarletti]

"chair"also means president but on the whole my translation sounds a little bit blurred. That's why I asked you all for help.

Though, the ellited 'f may means "if" it doesn't help so much in the translation according to the context provided.

Any other suggestion in this respect?

An kind of help will be welcome.

 

[joseluisgarletti]

While he kept in mind his mother’s admonition that “it doesn’t make you a chair ‘f some ignoramus calls you a chair.

Si 'f = IF ¿podría quedar así: no te hace presidente si algún ignorante te llama así?

Qué opinan??

 

[gengo]

Without further context to prove otherwise, I would say that "chair" here is being used in its literal sense. That is, the mother used to tell her son that he is not something (anything, a chair, a door, a rock) just because someone calls him that.

It doesn’t make you a chair ‘f some ignoramus calls you a chair.
No te conviertes en una silla sólo porque algún idiota te llama así.

You can put that in more natural Spanish, but I believe that is the right idea.

 

[Bevj]

Yo traduciría 'chair' como 'silla'. Es un ejemplo inventado por la madre de la persona que habla, y no veo razón para pensar que significa algo más que silla.
Igualmente podría haber dicho 'calling you a potted plant doesn't make you a potted plant'.
Mi intento:
El hecho de que algún idiota te llame silla no te convierte en una silla.

EDIT Crossed with gengo

 

[OtroLencho]

Yo traduciría 'chair' como 'silla'. Es un ejemplo inventado por la madre de la persona que habla, y no veo razón para pensar que significa algo más que silla.

Concuerdo con los dos, se refiere a una silla.

 

[joseluisgarletti]

Me gustó el aporte de todos!

Gracias.