# assured understatement



## tatius

Do you think that the translation into Spanish could be "discreción garantizada"?

If that's right, I have a new problem because here, in Spain, that sentence is often used in prostitutes' adds. So...

¡Ayuda! 

Necesito traducir "assured understatement" sin que suene a anuncio de contactos...


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## araceli

Privacidad garantizada
Datos a resguardo/resguardados
Política de privacidad
Reserva garantizada


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## tatius

Gracias... pero el problema es que no se refiere a la protección de una identidad o de unos datos
El contexto es que buscan tratar a un cliente de una forma lujosa pero sin excentricidades...


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## mhp

A full sentence?

to say it wasn’t well attended is an understatement = decir que no estuvo muy concurrido es quedarse corto

that’s the understatement of the year = ése es el eufemismo del año

a master of understatement = un experto en la descripción mesurada y comedida


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## tatius

El contexto: un nuevo enfoque en el servicio al cliente de una marca que pretende ser lujosa sin ostentación... 

La frase en cuestión ofrece poca aclaración: 
"The approach is perhaps best described as assured understatement."


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## mhp

My try: confianza/seguridad sin despilfarro/derroche

---
I'm sorry I'm trying to understand how to say that in English in another way, but I still can't understand what the speaker is sayng from the context.


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## tatius

Ok, mhp, don't worry... Me las arreglaré... de todas formas, si un nativo tampoco acaba de entenderlo del todo, me siento con más libertad.

Thank you very much!


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## Dr. Quizá

¿"Con total discreción"?


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## Sabelotodo

Maybe... un subestimación seguro.

"Discreción" No me parece como una traducción buena de "understatement."  "Understatement" y "discretion" no son la misma cosa.


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## Dr. Quizá

Anda, pues es verdad... pero entonces no veo cómo encaja en el contexto expuesto.


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## tatius

Sufrid, queridos, sufrid...


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## tatius

Sabelotodo, could you, please, try to explain what do you understand?
"Una subestimación segura" doesn't make sense...

Thank you very much to you all!


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## Like an Angel

Y que tal: _La propuesta es quizás mejor descripta como "modestia asegurada"..._ no, olvídalo, ni a mi me convence.


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## Dr. Quizá

¿Qué tal esto?

"...sobrio y elegante."


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## tatius

Si es que, si os soy sincera, no llego a entender ni qué es sujeto ni qué sustantivo o qué complementa a qué o... ¿¡¿qué es esto?!?

Repito la frase original: "The approach is perhaps best described as assured understatement."

¿de dónde has sacado "elegante", Dr. Quizá?

Gracias de nuevo.


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## Like an Angel

tatius, ¿nos podrías pasar el párrafo completo para ver qué se puede o cómo se podría poner?


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## tatius

Ah pues mira, sí...

Luxury must pervade every aspect of the customer's interaction with the brand but it should be understated and unremarkable. The approach is perhaps best described as assured understatement. We must never lose sight of the fact that the customer is special... bla bla bla


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## lanceb

Ok, now we're getting somewhere. Another way to say "assured understatement" in this context is "confidant modesty", something like _modestia segura_ in Spanish.

Lance


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## lanceb

... or maybe "confidant simplicity", maybe _sencillez segura_.


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## tatius

what about... "una sencillez que despierte confianza"?


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## lanceb

Seems like the right meaning if it sounds good in Spanish.

Lance


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## Like an Angel

tatius said:
			
		

> Luxury must pervade every aspect of the customer's interaction with the brand but it should be understated and unremarkable. The approach is perhaps best described as assured understatement. We must never lose sight of the fact that the customer is special... bla bla bla


 
_El lujo debe impregnar cada aspecto de la interacción del cliente con la marca, pero debería ser subestimado y cotidiano/rutinario. La propuesta se describe mejor, quizás, como modesta/sencilla/de bajo perfil. No debemos perder de vista el hecho de que el cliente es especial_...

No creo que signifique _sencillez que despierta confianza_, sino simplemente que enfatiza la calidad de modestia, de austeridad de la propuesta. Supongo que la idea es mantener el bajo perfil, ofrecer al cliente lo mejor de lo mejor, pero sin hacer demasiada alharaca por ello. De más está decir que es solo mi humilde opinión.


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## lanceb

> _La propuesta se describe mejor, quizás, como modesta/sencilla/de bajo perfil._


These options all are lacking some translation of the "assured[=confident or confidance-inspiring]" part of "assured understatement". I don't know how to translate it myself, but I think it's important enough to translate.
Good luck guys!

Lance


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## tatius

Una modestia que despierte confianza.

Si entendemos understatement como eso: modestia, bajo perfil... Nos falta assured, como bien dice Lance. Creo que estamos todos de acuerdo y cada vez me convence más...

Thank you all for your help!


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## Like an Angel

Sigue sin gustarme, pero ya te digo, es solo mi opinión. ¿Qué te parece?:

_La propuesta se describe mejor, quizás, como de evidente/cierto perfil bajo/modestia/sencillez_.


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## tatius

Eres como un granito de arena en el zapato, Like an Angel (sin ninguna pizca de acritud... o como El Bosco, que -me dijeron- seguía retocando sus cuadros una vez vendidos y ya colgados en la casa del nuevo dueño). 

No te voy a decir lo que voy a poner, para que no sufras.


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## Sabelotodo

tatius said:
			
		

> Sabelotodo, could you, please, try to explain what do you understand?
> "Una subestimación segura" doesn't make sense...
> 
> Thank you very much to you all!


 
I'll try, but I'll have to do it in English--my Spanish is not sufficient.

An understatement is a statement that is true, but it doesn't go far enough.  Here some example:  "Drinking poision might be harmful"  While it is a true statement, it doesn't tell the whole truth.  "Drinking poison can kill you" is not an understatement--it tells the whole truth.

"Assured" means secure, certain, safe.

If someone said an "assured understatement" that means no one would argue that it is not an understatement.

"Discreción garantizada" in relation to prostitues would be "discretion guaranteed" in English.  That means she won't tell anyone you visited her.  It has nothing to do with understatement.


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## Like an Angel

Jajajaja, OK tatius, ¡¡éxitos con la traducción entonces!!, soy super inconformista y trato siempre de hacer lo mejor posible, incluso cuando creo que algo ya está terminado lo releo y le vuelvo a encontrar errores (no hablo solo de traducciones). Dejo librado a tu _riesgo_ la traducción entonces .

Igual la de evidente sencillez, modestia cierta o evidente/cierto bajo perfil son las que más me gustan.

¡Saludos!


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## adonis

tatius said:
			
		

> Ah pues mira, sí...
> 
> Luxury must pervade every aspect of the customer's interaction with the brand but it should be understated and unremarkable. The approach is perhaps best described as assured understatement. We must never lose sight of the fact that the customer is special... bla bla bla


 
Esta es mi traduccion, pero no se ustedes chicos.
El lujo debe de cautivar cada aspecto de la interaccion del cliente con la marca pero deberia de ser sin nada especial y subestimable. El aborde (del cliente) es talvez mejor descrito como una seguro descripcion insuficiente *(esto me imagino debe de ser para que el cliente se acerque a ver el producto).* Nunca debemos de perder la realidad del asunto en cual el cliente es siempre especial. bla, bla, bla, 
En algo te debe de ayudar seguro.


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## araceli

elegante sobriedad


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## Like an Angel

araceli said:
			
		

> elegante sobriedad


 
 ¿y por qué te da esa idea Ara?


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## Dr. Quizá

tatius said:
			
		

> ¿de dónde has sacado "elegante", Dr. Quizá?



Pues de aquí:




			
				tatius said:
			
		

> El contexto: un nuevo enfoque en el servicio al cliente de una marca que pretende ser lujosa sin ostentación...



Además, Araceli me reafirma al copiarme con toda la cara 

La imagen que me sugiere la combinación de elegancia y sobriedad conlleva también fiabilidad.


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## lanceb

Sabelotodo said:
			
		

> I'll try, but I'll have to do it in English--my Spanish is not sufficient.
> 
> An understatement is a statement that is true, but it doesn't go far enough. Here some example: "Drinking poision might be harmful" While it is a true statement, it doesn't tell the whole truth. "Drinking poison can kill you" is not an understatement--it tells the whole truth.
> 
> "Assured" means secure, certain, safe.
> 
> If someone said an "assured understatement" that means no one would argue that it is not an understatement.
> 
> "Discreción garantizada" in relation to prostitues would be "discretion guaranteed" in English. That means she won't tell anyone you visited her. It has nothing to do with understatement.


"Assured" and "understatement" have multiple meanings. According to the description of the policy given in the first sentence,





> Luxury must pervade every aspect of the customer's interaction with the brand but it should be understated and unremarkable...


although Sabelotodo has given real definitions of these words, I believe that he has chosen the incorrect definition in both cases:
The policy given above is to _assure_[=inspire confidance in] the client with the brand's _understatement_[=simplicity,modesty,lack of emphasis].
It is not the policy for the brand to exhibit _assured_[=guaranteed] _understatement_[=less than completeness].

The following definitions might be helpful:





> *assured*... *2.* Exhibiting confidence or authority: _paints with an assured hand._
> *understatement*...* 2.* Restraint or lack of emphasis in expression, as for rhetorical effect.
> 
> The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.


 
In any case, tatius, if you have the authority to rename the policy _in English_ you should; what a terrible, confusing name!

Lance


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## Like an Angel

Lance, as you can see these words are driving me crazy, not that is a hard job though  

What do you think about _certera modestia/sencillez_?


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## araceli

Disculpa, Dr. Quizá, te copié sin querer... jejejeje
Ya me tenía mareada este tema.


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## lanceb

Like an Angel said:
			
		

> Lance, as you can see these words are driving me crazy, not that is a hard job though
> 
> What do you think about _certera modestia/sencillez_?


I really don't know because the interpretation in English is so subtle. To me _modestia/sencillez_ seem right, and _certera_ will be right as long with this choice, the _modestia/secillez_ will inspire a feeling of confidance in the client.


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## Like an Angel

lanceb said:
			
		

> I really don't know because the interpretation in English is so subtle. To me _modestia/sencillez_ seem right, and _certera_ will be right as long with this choice, the _modestia/secillez_ will inspire a feeling of confidance in the client.


 
No, if that's the interpretation, then tatius is right, means "una modestia que despierta confianza". Thank you for your response


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## DaleC

Unless I overlooked something, Lance is the only person to have completely understood the English sentence (i.e., Lance understands it the same as I do  ). 



			
				lanceb said:
			
		

> "Assured" and "understatement" have multiple meanings. According to the description of the policy given in the first sentence,although Sabelotodo has given real definitions of these words, I believe that he has chosen the incorrect definition in both cases


I affirm the example, "paints with an assured hand". 

So, those who have proposed "modestia que despierta confianza" have gotten it backwards: it's "modestia inspirada por la confianza". Now, we just need to figure out the correct words. Bear in mind that in this context, "understatement" is actually derived from "understated". "Understated" is an independent adjective: it does not have, in natural usage, a corresponding verb "understate" *in this sense*. To make a verb, a phrase would be required such as "act with understatement", "be understated", "design/express in an understated way, with understatement", etc. 

Oxford Spanish Dictionary: 

understated. <decor/style> sobrio, sencillo; <dress=atuendo> discreto, sencillo; "her performance is restrained and understated" su actuacion es moderada y comedida. 

assured. (confident) seguro (de sí mismo); "her assured manner", su aplomo. 

Entonces, "understated" ~ sugerente de forma elegante.


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