Glossary entry

Italian term or phrase:

a bassa intensità e a bassa frequenza

English translation:

at low intensity and low frequency

Added to glossary by tradu-grace
Dec 10, 2011 13:49
12 yrs ago
Italian term

a bassa intensità e a bassa frequenza

Italian to English Tech/Engineering Electronics / Elect Eng hydromassage tubs
first of all, forgive me for putting in two terms, which is not usually allowed, but it is the collocations I am looking for in this instruction booklet.

I can't seem to make anything sound natural, and I hate doing stilted translations.

The client makes hot tubs, and has just created one where there are two buttons.
- Each button can be off, flashing or on - i.e. show a solid light (even that sounds stilted doesn't it?)
- The flashing can be faster or slower (frequenza)
- The light can be brighter or dimmer (intensità).

But when I come to translate a phrase like "Il pannello torna allo stato di tasto A spento e tasto B fisso a bassa intensità." or "Il raggiungimento di tale limite (fissato pari a 5 cicli di idromassaggio) viene indicato dalla stessa vasca, mediante uno specifico lampeggio contemporaneo dei 2 tasti A e B (alta intensità bassa frequenza)."

OK, so the Italian is not going to win any prizes for elegance, but unfortunately, whatever I try to write always sounds as if I'd had to rush one of my first technical translation exercises at translation college, with a (hypothetical) hangover to boot.

So is there a single term for each state that can be used in the circumstances which would sound better than my poor attempts, or can you point me towards a machine which has the same light functions (there must be millions of them, but I've been looking for them in vain for ages)

Many tanks (good Freudian typo there!)

Anthony
Change log

Dec 15, 2011 13:08: tradu-grace Created KOG entry

Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

Non-PRO (2): Tom in London, cilantro

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Proposed translations

+1
49 mins
Selected

at low intensity and low frequency


HIH

http://www.rehabilitation.bg/en-us-proceduri.php

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Note added at 23 ore (2011-12-11 13:04:01 GMT)
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Hi Anthony, I was sure you knew how to translate the terms.
I see your point. What about "dim blinking lights" instead of frequency?


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Note added at 1 giorno4 min (2011-12-11 13:53:58 GMT)
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or in one term as you asked for:
"soft and dim lighting emissions"

What you think about that?


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Note added at 4 giorni (2011-12-15 13:06:40 GMT) Post-grading
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Thank you indeed Anthony !!
Note from asker:
well yes, I know you *can* translate it like that, but it just sounds so awful - I was looking for something which takes into account that the client has just spent a few thousand euros (remember them) and gets a little pleasure from a well-written set of instructions which uses his/her usual terms. If we talk about frequency referring to light in English, we are talking about its colour - but in this case (unless I've totally got the wrong end of the stick) it refers to how fast the light flashes
Peer comment(s):

agree Gian
19 mins
thanks Gian
Something went wrong...
3 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "funny how two such simple concepts are so difficult to collocate!"
2 hrs

slow strobe and soft lights

your sybarite high-spender is groovin' away in his expensive tub with slowly strobing soft lights and his neighbour's barely pubescent daughter. How's that?
Something went wrong...
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