Michael Korovkin Jan 7, 2010:

I'm sorry, there is a pop-up window that won't go away, so I don't see what I'm typing (like "me cagavo" instead of "mi cagavo, etc. IMCO, Jim is dead wrong: I would say caghetto in the faculty meeting (sounds childishly funny) but not "scared shitless" in the equivalent faculty meeting at, say Tafts. As for socially unacceptable, both, alas, are quite accepted: nowadays one hears "fuck" on TV more frequently than "love"...

Michael Korovkin Jan 7, 2010:

Hah! And then you overshot: "Caghetto" is not nearly as vulgar as scared shitless, which would be close to "me cagavo adosso". Caghetto is rather mild. Ask the natives... although I, too, live in Italy for over 30 years. To me it sounds almost like "having collywobbles", rather than shitting oneself. I do see that you're searching for an answer in good fail, and so in good faith I'm trying to help. Di punti non me ne frega niente.

Daniel Gold (asker) Jan 7, 2010:

To Michael Korovikin, to clear things up At the outset, I did want a term that was not vulgar. Subsequently, after reading the suggestions in these posts, I asked the agency for additional guidelines about the job. The response was to conserve the tone of the original. I'm sorry if I didn't make that clear.

Michael Korovkin Jan 6, 2010:

Ci sta prendendo in giro? You said you wanted a "a translation that's not vulgar in English, yet is strong enough to convey the meaning." and then choose one of the most vulgar and yet conveying the meaning which is only marginally suitble for the term in question. . Disconcerting, I must say.

James (Jim) Davis Jan 5, 2010:

Just as socially unacceptable in Italian as in En I just want to reiterate what I have already said. Either discuss it with the author or stick to a genuine translation, with a clear reference to shits and/or runs. Hardly appropriate for a masters application in either language, except with "poetic" license.

Sylvia Gilbertson Jan 4, 2010:

Do you know what the academic subject matter is? From this context, I don't see any reason to believe it's psychology. And if it's something like fine arts and this is a writing sample, you need to stick to the original language. My two cents, anyway.

David Russi Jan 4, 2010:

The public is what matters most here I am really unsure to what degree the Italian term is acceptable in a document that will be read for acceptance for a Masters program, but I do think that unless this is some type of creative writing assignment, in English this would be culturally inappropriate. Your best option may well be to deviate from the scatological image and express this in terms of "scared".

David Russi Jan 4, 2010:

@Sylvia I don't think "caghetto", a slangish, somewhat humorous word for the runs, is actually part of the repertoir of a 6 year old (primi mesi di scuola elementare); on the contrary, it seems to me that it is used ironically by the adult narrator.

Sylvia Gilbertson Jan 4, 2010:

You essentially have two characters here - the adult narrator and the child. The narrator is speaking of the child, his boy self, who would probably not say anything so vulgar as "I shit my pants." As a literary device, I think you want to impart the sense of the child's feelings here, not the adult's.

James (Jim) Davis Jan 4, 2010:

Revolting My first reaction was that "caghetto" is something so revolting you don't even want to think about it, you just hold your nose and change the nappy. However, having googled it at google.it (not google.com) the second page up is
SE NON LO CONDiViDi Ti ViEN iL CAGHETTO A SPRUZZO -.-'' | Facebook
SE NON LO CONDiViDi Ti ViEN iL CAGHETTO A SPRUZZO -.-'' is on FacebookSign up for Facebook to connect with SE NON LO CONDiViDi Ti ViEN iL CAGHETTO A SPRUZZO ...
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=96838422349 - Copia cache -
I didn't have the stomach to read further (just eaten).

Personally, what she communicated to me was: "I got the shits", but just a bit more graphically and more colourfully. I would think more than twice about using the term if this was part of my own application for a master, but in these cases I think most people would agree with me that the translator would be ethically wrong to improve (or perhaps detract from) the application in translation, and should not be pressured by an agency, to "adjust" it.
Clearly suggestions to rewrite the original, would be acceptable.

Daniel Gold (asker) Jan 4, 2010:

Context Here's what the agency said about the target group of this autobiography:

La Signorina deve presentare questo file per partecipare ad un Master a livello mondiale….suppongo che lo esamineranno degli esperti di selezione (psicologi ecc.).

Dan

Tom in London Jan 4, 2010:

hmm I think you mean "whose".

Dr Lofthouse Jan 4, 2010:

Whose autobiography :)? Would determine which option you use- eg Ronnie Wood would use a different phrase to Margaret Thatcher (I think!)