# تجري في عروقه دماء ثقيلة



## castawaypancake

I'm trying to translate a passage from a book I'm translating. The author is describing all the people he watches walk by on the street throughout the day. I am familiar with the term "دم ثقيل" in the sense that the person is boring or unsocial. But I'm trying to translate this one passage:
"أعرف الساعة التي يمر فيها ذلك المكسيكي الضخم الذي تجري في عروقه دماء ثقيلة والذي يغطي شاربه المبعثر نصف وجهه."

Right now I have it translated as: 
I know what time that fat Mexican passes by, with his moustache that covers half his face and in whose veins runs bad blood.

Should I keep it as bad blood, or should I change it to something about his personality, like he's surly or boring or something? Does this have the same meaning as "دمه ثقيل"?

Thanks!


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## إسكندراني

We use it for someone who's got, for example, no sense of humour; the connotations are similar to someone is a bit of a bore; a burden when those around him are trying to relax. Bad blood does not convey the meaning; it's not about descendancy at all.


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## Ustaath

in this context, it means 'boorish'


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## Kinan

could be also: rude, stubborn, aggressive


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## rayloom

Just a side note:
I would disagree with translating ضخم as fat.


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## castawaypancake

rayloom said:


> Just a side note:
> I would disagree with translating ضخم as fat.



Would you translate it as "huge" or "enormous" instead? That is what I had to begin with, but wasn't sure.


Thanks everyone else for the suggestions on دم ثقيل!
I decided to say:
"I know what time that huge Mexican passes by with his surly demeanor and his moustache that covers half his face. "


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## rayloom

castawaypancake said:


> Would you translate it as "huge" or "enormous" instead? That is what I had to begin with, but wasn't sure.
> 
> 
> Thanks everyone else for the suggestions on دم ثقيل!
> I decided to say:
> "I know what time that huge Mexican passes by with his surly demeanor and his moustache that covers half his face. "



Like in your translation, I prefer "huge" over "enormous".

As for دم ثقيل as used here, I'm not sure if it's right to describe him as surly. I think more context is needed to know what the author meant by دم ثقيل. Was he referring to an "abnormal" sense of humor to put it lightly, or did he refer to something else.

What do you feel after reading what the author writes about the man?


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## castawaypancake

rayloom said:


> Like in your translation, I prefer "huge" over "enormous".
> 
> As for دم ثقيل as used here, I'm not sure if it's right to describe him as surly. I think more context is needed to know what the author meant by دم ثقيل. Was he referring to an "abnormal" sense of humor to put it lightly, or did he refer to something else.
> 
> What do you feel after reading what the author writes about the man?



The rest of the passage is:
"عندما يمر امام المقهي يتوقف لحظة ليؤدي رقصة لا تتماشي مع شكله المنفر بعد أن يخاصر الفتاة الانجليزية التي تعمل على جلب السياح محاولة اقناعهم باثمنة المحل ثم يمضي مسرعا بعد أن يرفع يده محييا الانجليزي الذي يشبه السيد بارنز في مسلسلة عائلة سيمبسون.

And I have it translated as:
"He stops in front of the café and performs a dance that doesn’t fit with his repulsive appearance, after grabbing the hand of the English girl who lures in the tourists by trying to advertise the locale’s prices. Then he goes on his way, after raising his hand to say goodbye to the Englishman, who looks like Mr. Burns from the series The Simpsons"

To me, he seems unfriendly and gruff, in a rude, presumptuous kind of way. Maybe "gruff" or "boorish" is better than "surly."


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## rayloom

He does have a boorish sense of humor!


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## ilyes

Hi, 
"تجري في عروقه دماء ثقيلة = بغيض" this expression is used in Arabic to describe a man who says every thing and doesn't take care of what he says so he may hurt peaple around him, so that makes people hate him.
I think unfriendly, hateful better than in this context.
So the expression becomes: "I know the hour that hateful fat Mexican passes by, with his moustache that covers half his face".


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## إسكندراني

This book seems quite funny! What's it called?


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## magdienaba

Hi, I totally agree with Iskandarani that the book seems very interesting. I have a couple of notes on the translation:
- You translated محاولة إقناعهم بأثمنة المحل by :who lures in the tourists by trying to advertise the locale’s prices". Here المحل means "shop" not locale. so the meaning is that this girl trying to convince the tourists that the shop's prices are so good. 

- for تجري في عروقه دماء ثقيلة, I would translate it as "he is by naure an insufferable bore." 

- the word يخاصر, I see it is not "grabbing the hand", it is "put his arm around her waist". 

Best wishes
Magdi


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## castawaypancake

إسكندراني said:


> This book seems quite funny! What's it called?



It's called "يوميات مهاجر سري"  by "رشيد نيني", a Moroccan author who lived in Spain as an illegal immigrant for three years. It's also published in Spanish as _Diario de un ilegal_ and I'm translating the entire book for my senior thesis.


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## ayed

> Magdi ; the word يخاصر, I see it is not "grabbing the hand", it is "put his arm around her waist".
> 
> Best wishes
> Magdi


Not necessary.It could mean "...having walked by the English girl's side..."

The exact meaning could be revealed by the whole context.


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## magdienaba

Hi Ayed, thank you. But I think the context is clear as it is about a dance. I also think that putting hands on a lady's waist is a common practice while dancing.  

Best wishes

Magdi


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## ayed

magdienaba said:


> Hi Ayed, thank you. But I think the context is clear as it is about a dance. I also think that putting hands on a lady's waist is a common practice while dancing.
> 
> Best wishes
> 
> Magdi


 Now that we have a sort of dance, be it.Just wrap his arm around the English girl's waist.


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## إسكندراني

I can't find any way to get hold of this book! Where did you find it?


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## castawaypancake

إسكندراني said:


> I can't find any way to get hold of this book! Where did you find it?



It's a bit obscure and took me a while to find. Eventually I found it in the Harvard library, and I think a couple other university libraries have it in the US, so I just requested it as a loan. couldn't find it online anywhere, or in any Arabic book-selling sites.


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