Pop - Holly-pop

[Comla]

I am translating a television series. It's a thriller, and the main character, Holly, is a girl in her 20s. After a series of tragic events (suicides, corruption, murders...) the girl returns to her father's house, in a small town on the Scottish coast. Her father is an old sailor, somewhat rough, but since he sees that her daughter is very depressed, he tries to cheer her up. On one occasion, the girl is locked in her room, and her father asks her if everything is alright. Since the girl doesn't respond, the father insists and calls her "Holly-pop?" . And that is precisely what I would like to ask you. How does a native understand that name? Any clue as to what might be equivalent in Spanish?

 

[Arthur Harold Kane]

I understand it as a pet name for Holly, one he probably used to use for her when she was young. Likely a play on the word "lollipop".

 

[Bevj]

Añadir pop o pops al nombre es una expresión afectiva.
Lo siento pero no sé cuál sería el equivalente en español.
Espera más respuestas.

 

[fenixpollo]

Añadir pop o pops al nombre es una expresión afectiva.

¿En serio que en el inglés británico se puede agregar “pop” a cualquier nombre para convertirlo en un nombre de cariño? Yo pienso igual que @Arthur Harold Kane que somo se hace aquí para jugar con lollipop - holly, lolly, hollypop, lollipop.

Para traducirlo, yo aplicaría la regla de los diminutivos en español: agregar “-ito” para dejarlo como Hollycita.

 

[Bevj]

¿En serio que en el inglés británico se puede agregar “pop” a cualquier nombre para convertirlo en un nombre de cariño?

in my BrE, yes (mire usually pops). Especially but not exclusively with children and pets.
I see the source text is BrE.

 

[Comla]

In any case, I understand that it is an affectionate name, without a precise meaning, and that it does not have negative connotations at all.
Thank you for your answers

 

[Bevj]

It's definitely not negative.

 

[gengo]

Likely a play on the word "lollipop".

I would bet big money on that being right. A search of UK sites shows that the word lollipop is in widespread use there, even if the word did originate in the US.

This is almost impossible to translate, since Holly is an English name and is also a common noun (holly/acebo). Around here a paleta is a popsicle, but I doubt that Jaleta (Spanish transcription of Holly (Jali) + paleta) would make any sense in Spanish.

Please let us know what you end up using.

 

[cidertree]

I suspect it's a diminutive of poppet - a term of endearment for a girl or child.

 

[Toby Sherman]

I suspect it's a diminutive of poppet - a term of endearment for a girl or child.

And the similarity to "lollipop" is just a random coincidence? I find that very unlikely.

 

[Comla]

As for what I finally decided to use, Gengo, I must first clarify that I am not actually translating the text into Spanish, but into Basque, for the dubbing for Basque Television. I finally used the Basque word "zoli", which rhymes with Holly. That word means "clever, lively, keen, ready", and it is very affectionate. Besides, it is also often used as a name for dogs.

Thanks again for your clarifications.

 

[gengo]

I finally used the Basque word "zoli", which rhymes with Holly.

Just FYI, the first vowel in Holly (o) is the Spanish A sound. That is, Holly roughly equals Jali. At least in AmEn.

I know nothing about Basque, but it sounds like you came up with a good translation. Thanks for telling us.