# That didn't take long.



## Necsus

Buondì, forum! Avrei bisogno di una mano per capire come rendere queste battute, da 'Desperate Housewives'. Danielle è stata appena lasciata dal marito e va a trovare sua madre, Bree. Ecco le battute:



BREE
Oh, honey, I am so sorry about you and Leo.
DANIELLE
Thanks, Mom.
BREE
Not that I didn't see it coming.
(see...coming = 'know it was going to happen')
DANIELLE
*That didn't take long.*
BREE
Neither did the marriage. So how are you holding up?
(holding up = 'coping')





Immagino che "That didn't take long" voglia dire "non c'è voluto molto", ma non ho trovato un significato che mi permetta di mantenere il collegamento con la risposta di Bree (che dovrebbe riguardare la durata del matrimonio). Quale potrebbe essere? Per il momento ho pensato a "non (ti) ci è voluto molto / neanche (a te) per separarti".
Grazie!


----------



## Peninsular

"è arrivato presto il commento"
"anche la fine del matrimonio"
Too clunky?

or maybe 
"c'hai messo poco"
"anche tu"
still too clunky?


----------



## Gianfry

_E' stato tutto così veloce.
Come il matrimonio, del resto._
Nec, non capisco il perché di quel "ti" fra parentesi.


----------



## Anja.Ann

Ciao, Necsus  

Ci provo, anche se non è così letterale ...

Bree: Mi aspettavo un epilogo del genere.
Danielle: Un epilogo arrivato in fretta.
Bree: Anche per il capitolo "matrimonio".


----------



## You little ripper!

Doesn't the comment "That didn't take long" mean that it didn't take long for Bree to work out that it wouldn't take long for the marriage not to work out?


----------



## Peninsular

I think she's saying it didn't take her long to get round to saying 'I told you so'


----------



## gandolfo

> Doesn't the comment "That didn't take long" mean that it didn't take long for Bree to work out that it wouldn't take long for the marriage not to work out?



"That didn't take long" I thought referred to the response: "Not that I didn't see it coming" of Bree, doesn't it Chas? 

It's a sarcastic comment, the mother is basically saying "I knew the marriage would end" and the daughter replies "I knew you would say that"

"E ti pareva!"

EDIT
Peninsular 
Yes! That's what I meant and was too slow and too convoluted!


----------



## You little ripper!

Peninsular said:


> I think she's saying it didn't take her long to get round to saying 'I told you so'


You're probably right, Pen! Your translation ("c'hai messo poco") works either way.


----------



## Lorena1970

Concordo con la visione di Nec.
Non capisco perché non ti torna con la risposta di Bree...



DANIELLE*That didn't take long.* Non ci è voluto molto.BREENeither did the marriage. Neanche per il matrimonio. So how are you  holding up?
(holding up = 'coping')



A me sembra chiaro da questo dialogo che Danielle è stata lasciata così velocemente come era stata sposata (l'intonazione sarcastica aiuterà...)
Troppo semplice...?


----------



## Holymaloney

Charles Costante said:


> You're probably right, Pen! Your translation ("c'hai messo poco") works either way.



Hi CC !
Yes, I agree with Pen's interpretation too. In Danielle's reply to her mother she says '..._*that*_ didn't take long...' where _*that*_ clearly refers to the remark made by Bree about knowing that her daughter's marriage would end soon.
That didn't take long=it didn't take you long to make that remark



BREEOh, honey, I am so sorry about you and Leo.DANIELLEThanks, Mom.BREE*Not that I didn't see it coming.*DANIELLE*That didn't take long.*BREENeither did the marriage. So how are you holding up?


Can't really read it any other way I'm afraid .
Cheers


----------



## You little ripper!

Holymaloney said:


> Hi CC !
> Yes, I agree with Pen's interpretation too. In Danielle's reply to her mother she says '..._*that*_ didn't take long...' where _*that*_ clearly refers to the remark made by Bree about knowing that her daughter's marriage would end soon.
> That didn't take long=it didn't take you long to make that remark
> 
> 
> 
> BREEOh, honey, I am so sorry about you and Leo.DANIELLEThanks, Mom.BREE*Not that I didn't see it coming.*DANIELLE*That didn't take long.*BREENeither did the marriage. So how are you holding up?
> 
> 
> 
> Can't really read it any other way I'm afraid .
> Cheers


Hi Hm.  I agree the remark refers Bree knowing that her daughter's marriage would end soon. "That didn't take long" could mean that it didn't take Bree long to make the comment, but I still think it could also refer to Bree working out that it didn't take long. It's a bit difficult without knowing the personality of the characters.


----------



## Anja.Ann

Ok, then  

Necsus, non ho idea se la lunghezza possa fare al caso tuo ... ma, ci riprovo:

Bree: Sapevo che sarebbe successo. 
Danielle: Non hai resistito al commento, vero?     
Bree: Così come non ha resistito il tuo matrimonio, del resto.


----------



## Holymaloney

Charles Costante said:


> Hi Hm.  I agree the remark refers Bree knowing that her daughter's marriage would end soon (which is what I said in #5). "That didn't take long" could mean that it didn't take Bree long to make the comment, but I still think it could also refer to Bree working out that it didn't take long. It's a bit difficult without knowing the personality of the characters.


Charles, don't tell me you've never seen Desperate Housewives

Right! So for those of us who _do _watch it (yeah, well, _I_ think it's hillarious), I'd say that _both _interpretations could indeed fit the personalities:
that didn't take long=it didn't take Bree long to make that remark
that didn't take long=it didn't take Bree long to figure out that Danielle's marriage would end soon.
But I'm still inclined to think that it's the first one !
Cheers


----------



## You little ripper!

Holymaloney said:


> Charles, don't tell me you've never seen Desperate Housewives
> 
> Right! So for those of us who _do _watch it (yeah, well, _I_ think it's hillarious), I'd say that _both _interpretations could indeed fit the personalities:
> that didn't take long=it didn't take Bree long to make that remark
> that didn't take long=it didn't take Bree long to figure out that Danielle's marriage would end soon.
> But I'm still inclined to think that it's the first one !
> Cheers


I didn't say I've never seen it, Hm! I watched the first couple of series and then got bored (same ol' same ol' ). Even with knowing the characters one can't be certain it means one or the other. I think it's best to translate it literally (as Pen and Necsus have done) without putting an interpretation on it .


----------



## Peninsular

I've got to be honest Charles, I think the only interpretation is that Danielle is reacting to the speed of her mother's 'I told you so' - otherwise, surely it would have to be '_*it*_ didn't take long' if the subject was anything else, or '_*which*_ didn't take long' or 'that wouldn't have taken you long' if it was the second of the two above possibilities above


----------



## Necsus

Grazie a tutti!
Hmm... anch'io a questo punto interpreterei la battuta di Danielle come riferita al commento appena fatto da Bree [Not that I didn't see it coming], più che al contenuto del commento stesso (che sapeva il matrimonio sarebbe finito presto). Penserei quindi a qualcosa del tipo "Non hai perso tempo, eh?" - "Come te per separarti"...
@Annja: la seconda proposta è carina e funziona, mala non è utilizzabile per la lunghezza.


----------



## You little ripper!

Peninsular said:


> I've got to be honest Charles, I think the only interpretation is that Danielle is reacting to the speed of her mother's 'I told you so' - otherwise, surely it would have to be '_*it*_ didn't take long' if the subject was anything else, or '_*which*_ didn't take long' or 'that wouldn't have taken you long' if it was the second of the two above possibilities above


Pen, I can't imagine saying "*It* didn't take long" in either case; the other two sound unnatural to me. But as I said earlier, I don't think it really matters and a literal translation would be Necsus's best bet. 

P.S. On second thoughts I can imagine saying "It didn't take long" (now that I've said it in my mind a couple of times ) related to figuring out that the marriage would end, but I still think 'that' could refer to either.


----------



## Necsus

Sì, Charles, probabilmente hai ragione, ma anche per tradurre letteralmente ho bisogno prima di capire qual è il significato.


----------



## You little ripper!

Necsus said:


> Sì, Charles, probabilmente hai ragione, ma anche per tradurre letteralmente ho bisogno prima di capire qual è il significato.


Necsus, if the literal translation can mean either in Italian, I don't think it is necessary to know what is intended. It would only be necessary if it had only one meaning.


----------



## Necsus

D'accordo, la traduzione letterale, fuori dal contesto, quale sarebbe? Se non ho capito male, letteralmente dovrebbe voler dire "Non c'è voluto molto tempo per questo", oppure "Questo non ha richiesto molto tempo", o anche altro, immagino. Ma così non si capisce a cosa si riferisce! Voi stessi madrelingua avete discusso su 'that' e 'it'. E poi c'è da considerare anche la risposta, e il sinc, che ovviamente influiscono sulla traduzione. Per questo devo necessariamente prima capirla.


----------



## london calling

Ho letto tutto i vostri post, giuro! My (loose) penny's worth:

D: _Hai fatto presto a capirlo_ (detto alla mamma , che non ha messo molto a capire che sarebbe finito presto, che l'aveva già previsto, messo già in conto)
B: _E il matrimonio è finito presto_ (troppo lungo, però- crea problemi di sync, vero?)

Hmmmm...


----------



## Lorena1970

Dopo London, mi è venuta in mente una variante. Non so se funziona, ma non mi sembra pessima quindi la butto nel calderone:

D: Sei (stata) un lampo!
B: Anche il tuo matrimonio...


----------



## Peninsular

Hi London - but if she was saying that her mum had understood straightaway that the marriage wasn't going to last, wouldn't she have said "that didn't take you long", or more likely "and it/which didn't take you long"?
I can't believe I'm dedicating myself so totally to one throwaway line out of Desperate Housewives!


----------



## Necsus

@Lorena: anche se probabilmente non potrò usarla, è bellissima! 

@London: quindi tu sei per il riferimento al contenuto del commento più che al commento stesso? 

@Peninsular: vedi su quali lande inesplorate ci spinge la mutua assistenza in WRF?


----------



## Anja.Ann

Necsus,  

Ma come risolvi? 
Personalmente, per quanto può valere, sono per l'interpretazione di London per la possibile versione da rendere in italiano ... non credo, infatti, che sia possibile trovare la stessa ambivalenza  offerta dall'inglese "to take too long"  

Tuttavia,  il "lampo" di Lorena mi ha suggerito il "fulmine" ... forse può servirti come ulteriore spunto su cui lavorare:
Bree: "Non che non l'avessi previsto ..."
Danielle: "Bel commento, fulmineo ... " 
Bree: "Come il tuo matrimonio ..." 

ma ammetto di non avere mai visto la serie e non so che tipo di rapporto intercorra tra le due donne ...


----------



## Necsus

Mooolto carina, Annja! Grazie!


----------



## london calling

Peninsular said:


> Hi London - but if she was saying that her mum had understood straightaway that the marriage wasn't going to last, wouldn't she have said "that didn't take you long", or more likely "and it/which didn't take you long"? I think T_hat didn't take you long_ is short for "....to understand my marriage was going to be a failure".
> I can't believe I'm dedicating myself so totally to one throwaway line out of Desperate Housewives! And I've never watched even ONE episode!


----------



## You little ripper!

Necsus said:


> E poi c'è da considerare anche la risposta, e il  sinc, che ovviamente influiscono sulla traduzione. Per questo devo  necessariamente prima capirla.


Ah, yes! La risposta! 



> I think T_hat didn't take you long_ is short for "....to understand my marriage was going to be a failure".


I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought that, Jo! I was starting to get paranoid!


----------



## Peninsular

I can't stop!
Il mio dubbio è questo: se la frase detta da Danielle non fosse un po' acida, quale motivo avrebbe Bree per rispondere in modo così pungente? Se Danielle l'avesse dato, fondamentalmente, un complimento sulla sua perspicacia, perché rispondere con una cattiveria?
Potrei esssere d'accordo se avesse detto 
_that didn't take *YOU* long (_anche se suonerebbe sempre un po' strano_ - _non sarebbe più indicato_ *Which* didn't... o *It* didn't...)_
ma non _that didn't take long 
_Sarebbe come dire 
_-I knew the world economic system would collapse
-How clever, that didn't take long!
_Non mi torna proprio (anche se I might be wrong)!


----------



## Gianfry

Nec, ma non riesci a capire dall'espressione di Danielle qual è l'interpretazione giusta?
Devo dire, però, che Peninsular mi ha quasi definitivamente convinto 
Allora propongo, sulla scorta di Anja:
_Bree: Sapevo che sarebbe successo. 
Danielle: Non potevi resistere, eh!     
Bree: Come il tuo matrimonio (, del resto)._


----------



## You little ripper!

Peninsular said:


> I can't stop!
> Il mio dubbio è questo: se la frase detta da Danielle non fosse un po'  acida, quale motivo avrebbe Bree per rispondere in modo così pungente?  Se Danielle l'avesse dato, fondamentalmente, un complimento sulla sua  perspicacia, perché rispondere con una cattiveria?
> Potrei esssere d'accordo se avesse detto
> _that didn't take *YOU* long (_anche se suonerebbe sempre un po' strano_ - _non sarebbe più indicato_ *Which* didn't... o *It* didn't...)_
> ma non _that didn't take long
> _Sarebbe come dire
> _-I knew the world economic system would collapse
> -How clever, that didn't take long!
> _Non mi torna proprio (anche se I might be wrong)!


Pen, I don't think that example is put in quite the same way. 

BREE: Not that I didn't see it coming.      Not that I didn't see it coming (that the world economic system would collapse).
DANIELLE: That didn't take long. That didn't take long (for you to work out).

Makes perfect sense to me!


----------



## Peninsular

Hi Charles - I told you, the semantics of Desperate Housewives is obsession-forming!
I would possibly agree with you if it Bree had said this immediately before or upon discovering that the marriage had failed and her daughter had commented on her perspicacity *(that didn't take long, *meaning* wow! you picked up on that pretty quickly!*) - it obviously at this point _did_ take _too_ long, because the marriage is already over, as it is clear that both of them obviously already knew about the marriage breaking up before this discussion.


----------



## Necsus

Gianfry said:


> Nec, ma non riesci a capire dall'espressione di Danielle qual è l'interpretazione giusta?


Ma sì, Gian, l'ho già detto: per me la risposta di Danielle è riferita al commento di Bree, non al suo contenuto. E il rapporto tra loro due è sempre stato conflittuale, essendo Bree piuttosto autoritaria e competitiva. Anche la tua ottima proposta è in questo senso, ora.


----------



## You little ripper!

Peninsular said:


> Hi Charles - I told you, the semantics of Desperate Housewives is obsession-forming!
> I would possibly agree with you if it Bree had said this immediately before or upon discovering that the marriage had failed and her daughter had commented on her perspicacity *(that didn't take long, *meaning* wow! you picked up on that pretty quickly!*) - it obviously at this point _did_ take _too_ long, because the marriage is already over, as it is clear that both of them obviously already knew about the marriage breaking up before this discussion.


I agree that Bree knew about her daughter's failed marriage, but there is nothing to indicate that they have talked about it before this conversation. The only context we have is 'Danielle è stata appena lasciata dal marito e va a trovare sua madre, Bree." Unless Necsus can indicate otherwise, I see this as the first conversation they have about it because why would Bree say she is sorry about Leo and her daughter's marriage break-up? Unless, of course, she's repeating her sentiments. 

Anyway, it seems that Necsus has already made up his mind.


----------



## Necsus

Ah, scusa, Charles, non mi ero reso conto che non era chiaro: Bree sa già del fallimento del matrimonio della figlia, è proprio in seguito a quello che Danielle va a trovarla.


----------



## You little ripper!

Necsus said:


> Ah, scusa, Charles, non mi ero reso conto che non era chiaro: Bree sa già del fallimento del matrimonio della figlia, è proprio in seguito a quello che Danielle va a trovarla.


But how does she find out, Necsus? Is it her daughter who tells her? Or did she find out some other way?


----------



## Einstein

Arrivo in ritardo, ma questo


Gianfry said:


> _Bree: Sapevo che sarebbe successo.
> Danielle: Non potevi resistere, eh!
> Bree: Come il tuo matrimonio (, del resto)._


mi sembra perfetto.


----------



## Necsus

Charles Costante said:


> But how does she find out, Necsus? Is it her daughter who tells her? Or did she find out some other way?


Her daughter told her. She probably called her asking if she could stay some days with her son at her mother's house.

PS: non è mai troppo tardi, Einstein...!


----------



## You little ripper!

Necsus said:


> Her daughter told her. She probably called her asking if she could stay some days with her son at her mother's house.
> 
> PS: non è mai troppo tardi, Einstein...!


Well, that does change things somewhat, but it depends on what was said in the conversation. Since the marriage break-up has just happened I'd put a bet on both horses, just to be on the safe side . But it doesn't help with a translation, so maybe it's best to go with what the majority think.


----------



## Anja.Ann

Grazie a te, Necsus!  

Gianfry, ciao! 
Perché "non potevi resistere, vero?" anziché "non hai resistito, vero?" del resto sia il commento che il matrimonio sono "eventi passati"


----------



## Gianfry

Anja.Ann said:


> Perché "non potevi resistere, vero?" anziché "non hai resistito, vero?" del resto sia il commento che il matrimonio sono "eventi passati"


Ciao Anja!
Sì, certo, anche... Solo una questione (personale) di orecchio, credo.


----------



## Necsus

Anja.Ann said:


> Gianfry, ciao!
> Perché "non potevi resistere, vero?" anziché "non hai resistito, vero?" del resto sia il commento che il matrimonio sono "eventi passati"


Tra i due direi decisamente "non hai resistito". Se per miracolo ci entrasse sarebbe ancora meglio "non hai potuto/saputo resistere".


----------



## Gianfry

Necsus said:


> Tra i due direi decisamente "non hai resistito". Se per miracolo ci entrasse sarebbe ancora meglio "non hai potuto/saputo resistere".


Giust, nec. Rileggendo, il passato prossimo funziona meglio. Il punto è, che mi ero concentrato sulla presenza di "potere": era quello che mi piaceva, più che il tempo


----------



## Anja.Ann

Necsus, mi sono venute in mente alcune alternative ...

-Che giudizio rapido! 
-Tanto quanto il tuo matrimonio!

-Bel commento, breve!
-Come il tuo matrimonio.

-Critichi in fretta!
-In fretta ... è finito il tuo matrimonio.


----------



## Necsus

Annja, sei una sorta di spara-proposte!  Grazie!
A questo punto andrommi a rileggere con calma questo breve thread, in fase di revisione.


----------



## Anja.Ann

Necsus  ... breve il thread ... breve il commento ... breve il matrimonio ... e anch'io, per farla breve  ...  spero sempre di sparare-proposte ... e non altro!


----------



## Necsus

Spara, spara...


----------



## Anja.Ann

Agli ordini, Capitano!  ... chissà che, con l'esercizio, la "mira" non diventi infallibile alla fine!


----------

