# it scared me straight (pun intended)



## felixgata

Hola, foreros,
Estoy traduciendo el libro titulado _Don't Burn this Book _de Dave Rubin. Rubin es gay y cuenta lo mucho que le costó salir del armario y lo mucho que le afectó psicológicamente. Estuvo fumando marihuana, bebiendo y automedicándose hasta el extremo de tener alucionaciones. Cuando las tuvo, dice:

"This was the moment I knew I had to get a grip on reality. I was literally self-medicating to the point of delusion and it scared me straight (pun intended)."

Mi traducció:
"Ese fue el momento en el que supe que tenía que poner los pies en la tierra. Me estaba automedicando hasta el extremo de tener delirios y me asusté de lo lindo (valga el doble sentido)."

Como veis, no consigo traducir el juego de palabras entre "straight" = mucho y "straight" = heterosexual, si es que se refiere a eso.  Le he dado muchas vueltas pero no se me ocurre nada. Cualquier sugerencia me vendrá bien.

Muchas gracias por adelantado,

Gata


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## Masood

In the expression "scare sb straight", the 'straight' refers to being well-behaved (ie a non-criminal activity). If someone is scared straight, they suddenly realise the consequences of their wrongdoing.

I don't know a translation that captures the pun, though.


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## SuperScuffer

Masood said:


> In the expression "scare sb straight", the 'straight' refers to being well-behaved (ie a non-criminal activity). If someone is scared straight, they suddenly realise the consequences of their wrongdoing.
> 
> I don't know a translation that captures the pun, though.


It's "straight" as in not using drugs.


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## User With No Name

Masood said:


> In the expression "scare sb straight", the 'straight' refers to being well-behaved (ie a non-criminal activity).





SuperScuffer said:


> It's "straight" as in not using drugs.


I don't think it's necessarily about drugs (although of course it could be). "Scared straight" is a set phrase meaning that someone engaged in some form of criminal activity had such a scary experience that they decided to stop engaging in such activity.


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## felixgata

OK!! I had got it wrong then. But I'm not sure what the pun is.  Does it have anything to do with him being gay? I don't really see it...
Any ideas? 

Thanks al lot to you all!

Gata


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## User With No Name

felixgata said:


> Does it have anything to do with him being gay?


Yes. "Straight" also means "heterosexual." So "scared straight" could also mean having such a frightening experience that it made him stop being gay. (I suspect it's just a silly play on words and doesn't have much of a literal meaning.)


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## x.y.z

felixgata said:


> Cualquier sugerencia me vendrá bien.
> 
> Muchas gracias por adelantado,
> 
> Gata


El susto me encogió el... (valga el doble sentido)


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## SuperScuffer

User With No Name said:


> I don't think it's necessarily about drugs (although of course it could be). "Scared straight" is a set phrase meaning that someone engaged in some form of criminal activity had such a scary experience that they decided to stop engaging in such activity.


Read the sentence again and you will see it's all about drugs.


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## felixgata

Could it be that it made him stop being straight since he's gay, User With No Name? It would make more sense, but I'm not a native speaker...
Buen intento. x.y.z.. Me gusta por dónde vas, pero faltaría el doble sentido, ¿no? Pienso...

¡Muchas gracias a los dos!

Gata


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## felixgata

SuperScuffer said:


> Read the sentence again and you will see it's all about drugs.



It make sense, SuperScuffer. Any ideas about how to translate it?  

Thanks a lot, again,

Gata


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## Masood

felixgata said:


> Could it be that it made him stop being straight since he's gay, User With No Name? It would make more sense, but I'm not a native speaker...
> Buen intento. x.y.z.. Me gusta por dónde vas, pero faltaría el doble sentido, ¿no? Pienso...
> 
> ¡Muchas gracias a los dos!
> 
> Gata


The pun is with the use of the word _straight_.
The first meaning is in the expression '_to scare sb straight_' - in this expression, the word 'straight' means_ honest/law-abiding, _although the overall meaning of the expression is as UWNN described above.
The second meaning is _heterosexual. _


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## sound shift

Although the author says "pun intended", it's a case of "no pun detected" for me, because the expression I know is "to scare somebody stiff".


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## felixgata

Thanks a lot, again, Masood, but I'm still not sure if the idea is that he got so scared as to become straight or the opposite...

And thanks to you, too, sound shift, Maybe I can think of something with "tieso".  Thanks for the help!

Gata


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## SuperScuffer

sound shift said:


> Although the author says "pun intended", it's a case of "no pun detected" for me, because the expression I know is "to scare somebody stiff".


Haven't you heard of straight being used for a drug addict who is no longer on drugs?  From Urban Dictionary:-

Straight
1) A heterosexual person.
2) A word used to describe a line that has no curves.
3) Not on drugs.
1) Are you gay? Naw, I'm straight.
2) That line is straight.
3) You on crack? No, I'm straight.


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## felixgata

So the pun would be that he got so scared that he quit drugs and quit being gay/heterosexual??? Does it make any sense?

Thanks again, SuperScuffer,

Gata


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## Masood

felixgata said:


> Thanks a lot, again, Masood, but I'm still not sure if the idea is that he got so scared as to become straight or the opposite...


Well, I don't know the story, so I can't say for certain, but it's highly unlikely that he became heterosexual as a result of his bad experience with drugs.


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## felixgata

No, he doesn't become heterexual at all, Masood. Could it be the opposite? I still don't really see the pun here...
Thanks a lot for your help,

Gata


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## Masood

felixgata said:


> No, he doesn't become heterexual at all, Masood. Could it be the opposite? I still don't really see the pun here...


In the expression he says " it scared me straight". This means that his experience with drugs was so bad that he didn't want to take drugs any more. i.e " it (the bad experience) scared me (sufficiently to cause me to become) straight".  In this context 'straight' means law-abiding. 
The second meaning of _straight _is _heterosexual_. Hence, the double meaning.

Does that help? If it's still unclear, let us know.


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## SuperScuffer

felixgata said:


> So the pun would be that he got so scared that *he quit drugs and quit being gay*? Does it make any sense?
> 
> Thanks again, SuperScuffer,
> 
> Gata


That is exactly what it means.  I think the others on this thread simply can't see the double meaning.


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## bandini

This pun originally comes from a Youth Intervention Program, and later a TV special, where a group of delinquents is rounded up and sent to prison for a day, to catch a glimpse of the life that awaits them.  It was called, _Scared Straight._


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## felixgata

And coudn't t it be that he got so scared that he 


Masood said:


> In the expression he says " it scared me straight". This means that his experience with drugs was so bad that he didn't want to take drugs any more. i.e " it (the bad experience) scared me (sufficiently to cause me to become) straight".  In this context 'straight' means law-abiding.
> The second meaning of _straight _is _heterosexual_. Hence, the double meaning.
> 
> Does that help? If it's still unclear, let us know.


Thanks, Masood!! I get the first part of the "pun", but I'm still unclear about the second. Culd it be that he got so scared that he became even more gay, if this makes any sense at all?  The thing is that I don't see the point in saying that he quits being gay, when the whole chapter is about being the real thing and not being scared to be who you really are....

I love this forum and the people in it!!

Gata


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## felixgata

SuperScuffer said:


> That is exactly what it means.  I think the others on this thread simply can't see the double meaning.


Thanks again, SupperScuffer. I have the same question I've asked Masood about the gay thing...


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## felixgata

bandini said:


> This pun originally comes from a Youth Intervention Program, and later a TV special, where a group of delinquents is rounded up and sent to prison for a day, to catch a glimpse of the life that awaits them.  It was called, _Scared Straight._


Really interesting, Bandini!! And what does the pun refer to? 

Thanks a lot,

Gata


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## bandini

felixgata said:


> Really interesting, Bandini!! And what does the pun refer to?
> 
> Thanks a lot,
> 
> Gata



Well, as pointed out, "straight" has two cult meanings.  The first is "going straight" which means giving up the life style and becoming a citizen with a boring job, etc.  The second is kind of a pejorative term for heterosexual.  So, in the case of Dave Rubin, he's probably employing a mixed metaphor  in an attempt at humor (doble sentido) or as they say here, _"albur."_


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## michelmontescuba

and it scared me straight

Yo diría: "y del susto me enderecé", "y me enderecé del susto".

En mi opinión esto resuelve el asunto del "pun".


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## bandini

michelmontescuba said:


> and it scared me straight
> 
> Yo diría: "y del susto me enderecé", "y me enderecé del susto".
> 
> En mi opinión esto resuelve el asunto del "pun".



¡eso!


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## x.y.z

michelmontesdecuba ha traducido por fin el _pun._


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## Masood

felixgata said:


> Thanks, Masood!! I get the first part of the "pun", but I'm still unclear about the second. Culd it be that he got so scared that he became even more gay, if this makes any sense at all?  The thing is that I don't see the point in saying that he quits being gay, when the whole chapter is about being the real thing and not being scared to be who you really are....


He doesn't quit being gay, though, as you said so yourself in post #17. 
I don't think the drugs had any effect on his sexuality. From the context, I think it's just a humorous play on words.


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## felixgata

Muchísimas gracias a todos, de veras. No sé qué haría sin este foro.
Me encanta, "Me enderecé del susto",  michelmontesdecuba, pero (perdón por mi ceguera, igual estoy demasiado pegada al texto), pero no termino de ver el juego de palabras. Veo la primera parte, pero no la segunda...  Había pensado en  "Me puse tieso del susto", pero me ocurre lo mismo...


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## felixgata

Se me ocurre poner "Me enderecé del susto, en más de un sentido" y quitar lo del juego de palabras. ¿Qué opináis?


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## michelmontescuba

felixgata said:


> Muchísimas gracias a todos, de veras. No sé qué haría sin este foro.
> Me encanta, "Me enderecé del susto",  michelmontesdecuba, pero (perdón por mi ceguera, igual estoy demasiado pegada al texto), pero no termino de ver el juego de palabras. Veo la primera parte, pero no la segunda...  Había pensado en  "Me puse tieso del susto", pero me ocurre lo mismo...


Ser gay es "supuestamente" un comportamiento desviado o torcido a los ojos de algunos. Cuando algo está torcido o desviado entonces lo enderezas. Por otro  lado, a los gays se les ve como "flojos" en muchos casos. En Cuba al menos, cuando alguien está flojo o tiene algún amaneramiento, a veces se le dice "enderézate que te veo flojo".


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## michelmontescuba

felixgata said:


> Se me ocurre poner "Me enderecé del susto, en más de un sentido" y quitar lo del juego de palabras. ¿Qué opináis?


Esto que propones "en más de un sentido" creo que puede funcionar, me parece que transmite la idea de "pun intended".


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## felixgata

Genial tu explicación, michelmontescuba. Lástima que en España no se emplee "enderézate" con ese sentido (creo). Es una resolución perfecta a un "pun" muy difícil de traducir.

Un placer leerte,

Gata


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## felixgata

michelmontescuba said:


> Esto que propones "en más de un sentido" creo que puede funcionar, me parece que transmite la idea de "pun intended".


Gracias. Lo dejaré así.

Gracias a todos, una vez más. 

Gata


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## nelliot53

Without having read all the answers to the question, except Masood's, I would say the pun is on the fact that a scary state of delusion, was what, ironically, brought him back to straight grip on reality.  Nothing to do with his sexual inclination, although that fact seems subliminally implied, and he came out of the closet. 

"This was the moment I knew I had to get a grip on reality. I was literally self-medicating to the point of delusion and it scared me straight (pun intended)."

Now to the others' answers to see how they "see" it. (Pun intended)


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## User With No Name

Masood said:


> He doesn't quit being gay, though, as you said so yourself in post #17.
> I don't think the drugs had any effect on his sexuality. From the context, I think it's just a humorous play on words.


  Exactly. It's just (slightly) amusing that a gay guy would say he was "scared straight," given that "straight" can mean "heterosexual."



bandini said:


> The second is kind of a pejorative term for heterosexual.


I'm not sure "straight" is even pejorative (although it may be dated). I seem to recall that "gay-straight alliances" were a thing in some schools in the U.S. at one point.


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## felixgata

I see. So maybe it's just the ambiguity of "straight", or the fact that it has more than one meaning, what he refers to as "pun".

Thanks al lot to both of you,

Gata


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## User With No Name

felixgata said:


> So maybe it's just the ambiguity of "straight", or the fact that it has more than one meaning, what he refers to as "pun".


I think so, yes. "Pun intended" (and "No pun intended") are set phrases that people sometimes say when they say something, perhaps by accident, that appears to be a play on words. People say it even if the play on words in question isn't, strictly speaking, a pun.


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## felixgata

Thanks, UWNN, again!
I think it has been a very interesting thread, at least for me. I've leant a lot.


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## Masood

felixgata said:


> I've leant a lot.


I'm inclined to agree (pun intentional).


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## felixgata




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