El sábado 21 de marzo de 2009 a las 23:32, Sue escribió:

> Hello Ignacio

Hello Sue!

Thank you, too, for your invaluable help. Some comments below.

> Right now I am wrestling with the use of the word,
> "cumplimientos." Using "compliments" in English does not
> convey this meaning to me.
>
> Tell me if I am wrong, but the idea of "cumplimientos" in
> Spanish is that of the fullfilling of an obligation.

You are right. Using 'compliment' was a bad choice.

'compliment' = <cumplido>

The word <cumplimiento> in the original text is a hard nut to
crack.

> "Visitas
> de complimiento" would then be "obligatory visits," or visits
> that one is required to make. Another way to say this in
> Spanish is "visita de cumplida."

Exactly.

By the way, would you prefer 'obligatory visits' to 'courtesy
calls'?

> I would then convey they idea of obligatory or required visit
> (courtesy call), and not use the word "compliments" at all.
> OR, perhaps you could say "complimentary visit."

Perhaps <cumplimiento> = 'obligation to content others'?

How do you like the changes below?

> > En los pueblos que por su magnitud y por su vecindario no son
> > grandes ni pequeños, el trato de las gentes suele ofrecer
> > varias dificultades, porque se sujetan las comunicaciones a
> > una especie de reglamento oficial de cumplimientos
> > insoportables. Entre los diversos inconvenientes que ofrece
> > al hombre de carácter franco y tranquilo y de índole
> > sosegada, el trato con los hombres, el más enfadoso, el más
> > insufrible es el de los cumplimientos, y entre las distintas
> > especies de cumplimientos no hay ninguno más intolerable que
> > el de "las visitas de cumplimiento".
> > La feliz invención de la tarjeta ha ido poco a poco
> > simplificando esa fórmula fastidiosa del trato de las gentes;
> > así es que en Madrid ha desaparecido la visita personal de
> > cumplimiento, bajo el poder cómodo y comunicativo de la
> > cartulina; y teniendo por poco dinero un ciento de tarjetas,
> > y con un ciento de tarjetas cien visitas recibidas o
> > devueltas, nadle se toma el trabajo de perder el tiempo
> > haciendo personalmente visitas inútiles.
> >
> > José Selgas, *Las visitas de cumplimiento* (primera parte)
> >
> > Courtesy calls
> >
> > In towns that, because of their magnitude and their
> > neighborhood, are neither big nor small, dealing with people
> > usually presents various difficulties, because communication
> > is subject to some sort of official regulation of intolerable
> > compliments.

... communication is subject to some sort of official regulation
of intolerable _obligations to content others_.

> > Among the diverse inconveniences that dealing
> > with men offers to the man of frank and relaxed character and
> > calm nature, the most annoying, the most insufferable is that
> > of compliments, and among the different types of compliments,
> > there is none more unbearable than that of "courtesy calls."

... the most insufferable is that of _obligations_, and among the
different types of _obligations_, there is none more ...

> > The fortunate invention of the card has been simplifying
> > little by little that tiresome formula of dealing with
> > people; thus, the personal courtesy call has disappered

(disappeAred)

> > in
> > Madrid, under the comfortable and communicative power of the
> > card; and having a hundred cards for little money, and with a
> > hundred cards a hundred visits received or returned, nobody
> > takes the trouble to waste time paying useless visits
> > personally.

Thank you again.


Ignacio