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J Lewis Posted 20 years ago
Vocabulary
Can you find an English equivalent?
The Italians have an expression, fino a prova contraria, which means "until [there is] proof to the contrary". In particular this can be used in a rather ironic sense, so an authoritarian father might say to his children, "Fino a prova contraria, I make the decisions in this house", or we could have "Fino a prova contraria I'm the boss of this company".
A student asked me for an English translation. Any suggestions for the above situations? I thought of "to the best of my knowledge", but I don't like it very much.
A student asked me for an English translation. Any suggestions for the above situations? I thought of "to the best of my knowledge", but I don't like it very much.
Top answer
How about "Until I'm told otherwise"? It's almost a literal translation, isn't? "
- How about "Until I'm told otherwise"?
- It's almost a literal translation, isn't?
- "
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7 Answers
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How about "Until I'm told otherwise"? It's almost a literal translation, isn't? But I've heard it said in situations like a business meeting, similar to your father example, "Until I'm told otherwise, I'm the one in charge of this project, so ..."
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I am thinking about the legal term:
innocent until proven guilty
Thus, one may think perhaps of:
until proven otherwise (similar to GG's)
http://query.nytimes.com/search/query?query=%22until+proven+otherwise%22+&
innocent until proven guilty
Thus, one may think perhaps of:
until proven otherwise (similar to GG's)
http://query.nytimes.com/search/query?query=%22until+proven+otherwise%22+&
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Yes, OK, thanks Marius. I'm still not sure if it's quite the type of phrase that a father would use with his children...
BTW I've just googled the Italian phrase and have found that it's also the Italian title of the Clint Eastwood film True Crime.
Other situations where this expression might be used in Italy:
Fino a prova contraria she's my girlfriend, not yours.
BTW I've just googled the Italian phrase and have found that it's also the Italian title of the Clint Eastwood film True Crime.
Other situations where this expression might be used in Italy:
Fino a prova contraria she's my girlfriend, not yours.
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We do have a phrase used to mean the same thing but it is not the same phrase - if that makes sense? It's a sort of slightly sarcastic put-down...
We say 'Last time I looked...'
Last time I looked, the capital of Italy was Rome, not Washington.
Last time I looked, I was in charge of this family. Last time I looked, I paid the bills here.
We say 'Last time I looked...'
Last time I looked, the capital of Italy was Rome, not Washington.
Last time I looked, I was in charge of this family. Last time I looked, I paid the bills here.
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Oh yes! That has the sarcastic sense that I think fits much better. Good one Nona!
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