Sounds good to me, but you can still use "courtesy calls." Translation
makes one think!!!!!

But instead of saying, "to content others," I would be more likely to say
"to please others," or " to satisfy others." We don't usually use "content"
in this way.

Sue

On Sat, Mar 21, 2009 at 10:26 PM, Ignacio <ignafiuba@...> wrote:

>
> 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
>
>
>



--
La libertad, cuando empieza a echar raíces, es una planta de rápido
crecimiento ».

---George Washington


[Se han eliminado los trozos de este mensaje que no contenían texto]