# hagués buidat



## rhiannonhelen

Hi everybody,
I am writing an essay in English and I have found a quote I think I would like to include but I can't understand Catalan.  Could someone please tell me what it means?

L’esperit nacional no existiria…si la unitat de llengua no hagués buidat en un motlle únic el pensament nacional.
 
All I understand is: National spirit would not exist... if the unity of language was not founded??? on a unique... of national thought??
I would be very grateful for any help with the translation!
Thank you


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## Cristina.

Buidar= to empty (out)
Motlle = mould, mold


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## belén

Let me give it a try, it's a free translation, "retouch" my English!:

The national spirit wouldn't exist if the unity of language wouldn't have emptied out the national thought in an only mould.


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## TraductoraPobleSec

belén said:


> The national spirit wouldn't exist if the unity of language wouldn't have emptied out the national thought in an only mould.


 
Sounds like a good trans to me, although I am not a native English speaker. I also thought about "in just a mould".

As for *mould*, I wonder what an English speaker would say... I've heard many times the word *cast* as the equivalent for *motlle*.


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## belén

You are right, "just" sounds much better than "only"
And so does "cast" to be honest.

Team work! Let's see what natives say...


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## TraductoraPobleSec

Mould sounds to me like for cakes; but of course I am not a native speaker. Yes, see what the anglos have to say.


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## papillon

I think mould (or m*o*ld) is quite fitting in this context. The word is widely used in figurative speech. _They broke the mould when they made you_ - there is nobody like you _(from OALD). She succeeded in breaking the mould of political leadership.__(examples from OALD)_


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## papillon

I just had took a look at the IEC dictionary, looking for _buidar, _and, in addition _to empty_ found a number of meanings, one of which corresponding to the English verb  _to mold_:
*5 *tr. [LC] Formar (un objecte) abocant metall fos o qualsevol altra matèria blana dins un motlle buit.
Another one seems to correspond _to sharpen_:
*3 *_2 _tr. [LC] Esmolar (una eina de tall). Buidar un ganivet, un raor.

If in this case the meaning corresponding to _to mold_ was intended, I would offer the following translation:
National spirit would not exist if the unity of language hadn't been cast in a unique mould of national psyche.


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## Orreaga

rhiannonhelen said:


> Hi everybody,
> I am writing an essay in English and I have found a quote I think I would like to include but I can't understand Catalan.  Could someone please tell me what it means?
> 
> L’esperit nacional no existiria…si la unitat de llengua no hagués buidat en un motlle únic el pensament nacional.



Hello rhiannonhelen and everybody,

May I ask why you think this sentence is something you would include in an essay when you're not sure of its meaning??    I wish I could help, but while I understand the individual words I feel unable to capture the overall meaning....    Is the ellipsis (...) part of the original, or have you removed something from the text?  

Maybe more context would be helpful, is it referring to Catalan national spirit, Catalan linguistic unity, or that of another nation?

For "un motlle únic" I think I would use "a single mold".


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## Orreaga

rhiannonhelen said:


> Hi everybody,
> I am writing an essay in English and I have found a quote I think I would like to include but I can't understand Catalan.  Could someone please tell me what it means?
> 
> L’esperit nacional no existiria…si la unitat de llengua no hagués buidat en un motlle únic el pensament nacional.



Wait a minute, I think I'm picturing it better, after rereading papillon's contribution.   We say "to hollow out a mold", in other words create a hollow shape (in the sand, etc.) for something to fill, I think this is the equivalent meaning for "buidar".  Something like:  "The national spirit wouldn't exist, had linguistic unity not hollowed out a single mold for the national psyche."  Or have I misunderstood?


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