Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Portuguese term or phrase:
(algo que) não está escrito no gibi
English translation:
beyond belief; out of the ordinary
Added to glossary by
Oliver Simões
Dec 13, 2023 13:15
5 mos ago
33 viewers *
Portuguese term
(algo) não está escrito no gibi
Portuguese to English
Other
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
Dictionary of Idioms, Proverbs, and Sayings
não está escrito no gibi. I haven't found a single definition or explanation for this popular saying. In my perception, it is used for emphasis to indicate an increase in the intensity or quantity of something. Here are a few examples:
"O que tem de seguranças despreparados e com complexo de pequena autoridade por aí não está escrito no gibi."
"Vai ser uma intensidade de briga por profissionais que não está escrito no Gibi."
"O ranço que eu tô pegando do Thiago Maia não está escrito no gibi. Que jogadorzinho meia boca."
I'm looking for an idiomatic translation that I can use in all three instances. I thought of "(something) is beyond measure" and "out of this world". The latter seems to mean something else ("extremely good or impressive", according to Collins Dictionary). What do you guys think?
[The number of] unprepared guards with a low authority complex out there is beyond measure.
There's going to be an intense struggle for professionals beyond measure.
The distaste I'm developing for Thiago Maia is beyond measure. What a lousy player.
L2: EN_US
Register: idiomatic
"O que tem de seguranças despreparados e com complexo de pequena autoridade por aí não está escrito no gibi."
"Vai ser uma intensidade de briga por profissionais que não está escrito no Gibi."
"O ranço que eu tô pegando do Thiago Maia não está escrito no gibi. Que jogadorzinho meia boca."
I'm looking for an idiomatic translation that I can use in all three instances. I thought of "(something) is beyond measure" and "out of this world". The latter seems to mean something else ("extremely good or impressive", according to Collins Dictionary). What do you guys think?
[The number of] unprepared guards with a low authority complex out there is beyond measure.
There's going to be an intense struggle for professionals beyond measure.
The distaste I'm developing for Thiago Maia is beyond measure. What a lousy player.
L2: EN_US
Register: idiomatic
Proposed translations
(English)
3 | beyond belief | Eduardo L Confortin |
4 +2 | You woudn't believe | Rafaela Lessa Ribeiro Francis |
4 +1 | You can't make this stuff up | Michelle Lebowe |
4 | gobsmacking | Richard Purdom |
References
"Não está no gibi" | Flávia Tróglio |
Proposed translations
9 hrs
Selected
beyond belief
I believe this is pretty close to the original term.
A few examples:
It's beyond belief how anyone could make so many factual errors in such a short document.
The athleticism they displayed was beyond belief.
It hurt like nothing I'd ever felt before and I was humiliated beyond belief.
A few examples:
It's beyond belief how anyone could make so many factual errors in such a short document.
The athleticism they displayed was beyond belief.
It hurt like nothing I'd ever felt before and I was humiliated beyond belief.
Note from asker:
Thank you. Nice translaton. |
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you, Eduardo. Your translation fits well into my context. I have also entered an additional translation into my dictionary and the glossary. See further explanations/examples on the Discussion Board. Thank you all."
+1
1 hr
You can't make this stuff up
You could use
"you can't make this stuff/this stuff up"
There are so many untrained/unprepared guards with a God complex around. You can't make this stuff up."
"People are going to fight tooth and nail for professionals. You can't make this stuff up."
"The grudge I hold for Thiago Maia. You can't make this stuff up. What a half-baked player." (There's another way to say half-baked but it involves somewhat of a swear word lol)
"you can't make this stuff/this stuff up"
There are so many untrained/unprepared guards with a God complex around. You can't make this stuff up."
"People are going to fight tooth and nail for professionals. You can't make this stuff up."
"The grudge I hold for Thiago Maia. You can't make this stuff up. What a half-baked player." (There's another way to say half-baked but it involves somewhat of a swear word lol)
Example sentence:
The grudge I hold for Thiago Maia. You can\'t make this stuff up. What a half-baked player.
Note from asker:
Thank you. I would say "acredite se quiser" would be a better match for the translation you proposed. If fits well in both examples provided by Farlex and there's no need to break down the larger sentence into two as in your translation of my examples. |
PS: I wouldn't replace non-idiomatic with idiomatic. For example, "fight tooth and nail" translates as "lutar/brigar com unhas e dentes" and it's already in the dictionary as such. The reason for the non-replacement is simple: different registers. |
+2
3 hrs
You woudn't believe
I know it is not an idiom, but I think "You wouldn't believe" fits in all of the examples you gave.
Note from asker:
Thank you. It works well with #1 and #3. Not sure about this one:"Vai ser uma intensidade de briga por profissionais que não está escrito no Gibi." |
Never mind. It's not idiomatic anyway. |
You wouldn't believe: Você não vai acreditar. (very common in PT-Br) https://context.reverso.net/traducao/portugues-ingles/você+não+vai+acreditar |
Peer comment(s):
agree |
Holly Holmes
: Both solutions work well, imo!
4 mins
|
agree |
Bett
: IMHO this is better in this context.
3 hrs
|
21 hrs
gobsmacking
Or standalone, "Gobsmacking stuff."
overwhelmed with wonder, surprise, or shock : ASTOUNDED
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gobsmacked
overwhelmed with wonder, surprise, or shock : ASTOUNDED
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gobsmacked
Note from asker:
Thank you. Sorry, it can't be a single word. It has to be an idiom. "Gobsmacking stuff" won't fit into my context. |
Reference comments
5 hrs
Reference:
"Não está no gibi"
Como subentrada de gibi, o mesmo dicionário (Houaiss) acolhe a expressão, também informal, «não estar no gibi», no sentido de «ser inacreditável, impossível de ser imaginado». Se não está sequer no gibi, é porque se trata de uma história inimaginável.
https://ciberduvidas.iscte-iul.pt/consultorio/perguntas/a-ex...
https://ciberduvidas.iscte-iul.pt/consultorio/perguntas/a-ex...
Note from asker:
Obrigado. A colega Holly Holmes já havia fornecido esta referência num comentário no DB. |
Discussion
beyond belief
(que) não está (escrito) no gibi
bom/mau/difícil/etc. demais para ser imaginado. (Cambridge, trad. própria). Se algo "não está no gibi", quer dizer que é "inacreditável" ou "impossível de ser imaginado" (Houaiss apud Rocha, 2012). "The brutality of the murders was beyond belief." (Ibidem). (A brutalidade dos assassinatos não estava no gibi.) © Oliver Simões
PS: Please note that non-idiomatic translations are unacceptable when idiomatic is available.
(something) is out of the ordinary [https://n9.cl/fad07 ]
(algo) é fora do comum; (algo) não está (escrito) no gibi
Diz-se de algo "inusitado, diferente ou estranho". (M-W, trad. própria). Se algo "não está no gibi", significa que é "incrível", "fora do comum" (Priberam), "inacreditável" ou "impossível de ser imaginado" (Houaiss apud Rocha, 2012).
1. (omitted)<br>2. "It seems strange that no one saw anything wrong with Charlie when he was 13, because what he did was out of the ordinary." (Townsend, 2022). (Parece estranho que ninguém tenha visto nada de errado com Charlie quando ele tinha 13 anos, porque o que ele fez não estava escrito no gibi.) © Oliver Simões
Sorry for the inconvenience.
(p. 300)
"não estar no gibi: Ser fora do comum, extraordinário, inusitado, inacreditável.
Gibi era o nome de uma revista de quadrinhos, dirigida ao público infantojuvenil, atraído pelas histórias fantasiosas e aventurescas que se constituíam como sua característica."
Other references:
https://ciberduvidas.iscte-iul.pt/consultorio/perguntas/a-ex...
https://dicionario.priberam.org/não estar no gibi
As far as "beyond measure", I beg to disagree. It is idiomatic and it's in several dictionaries of idioms, including Farlex ( https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/beyond measure ) and the American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms ( https://n9.cl/2elqe ). In regard to "low authority complex", I never said or implied that it's an idiom. Of course, it isn't.
It has two meanings: 'consisting of an idiom' (eg 'out of this world' and 'fluent and natural sounding'. My suggestion is idiomatic by the second definition.
You're trying to translate idioms with idioms, which is often impossible.
By the way, 'low authority complex' and 'professionals beyond measure' are not idiomatic by either definition.
PS: If nothing better comes up, I'll stick to my translation.