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Wed 25 Mar, 2009 07:35 pm
OK, so, kind of last minute, and I'm waiting to hear back from my veterinarian friend in California who could help me with this, but it just occurred to me that I've got a problem that A2K might be able to help with.
We're adopting a dog out to a Mexican family, none of whom (I'm told) understand much English, and I want to give them the paragraph below in Spanish. With the help of dictionaries and Babelfish I can get something together, but it's going to be awkward and might cause confusion. So, here's what I want to get across.
"Jake has had diarrhea while he has been at the shelter. We have tested his feces for parasites multiple times, and have not found any. We also have treated for parasites, because sometimes our tests can fail to detect parasites that are there. Jake's diarrhea has improved a lot, but he still sometimes strains at the end of his bowel movements. This is a sign of colitis, or inflammation of the large bowel, and sometimes can occur just because of stress.
"We have been feeding Jake an easily digestible diet while he has been here. We are sending a bag of this food -- Science Diet I/D -- home with him. He should gradually be transitioned from this food to a normal, high quality dog food. The new food should be introduced slowly, by adding a slightly larger amount of the new food to the I/D with each meal. By the end of 10 days or so, Jake should be switched to his new food.
"We also are sending home packets of a probiotic to be put in Jake's food for his first few days at home. This will help to normalize the bacteria in Jake's digestive tract as he adjusts to his new home."
Something along those lines. Any of you Spanish-speaking bilingualists feel like helping out? You can have writing credit and a share of any profits...
@patiodog,
Quote:Jake ha tenido diarrea mientras él estaba con nosotros. Hemos probado sus excrementos en busca de parásitos múltiples veces, y no han encontrado ninguna. También han dado Jake tratamiento para los parásitos, porque a veces nuestras pruebas no pueden detectar los parásitos que están ahí. El diarrea de Jake ha mejorado mucho, pero aún tiene dificultades a veces al final de su defecación. Este es un signo de la "colitis", o inflamación del intestino grueso y, a veces, puede ocurrir sólo por el estrés.
Dimos al Jake una dieta de fácil digestión, mientras que él ha estado aquí. Estamos enviando una bolsa de este alimento - Science Diet I / D - con él. Su alimentación debe ser cambiado gradualmente de este a una alimentación para perros normal y de alta calidad. El nuevo alimento debe introducirse lentamente, agregando un poco más de alimento nuevo a la I/D cada día. Al final de más o menos 10 días, Jake debe ser cambiado a su nueva comida.
También estamos enviando los paquetes a casa de un probiótico a ser introducidos en los alimentos de Jake en su primeros días en casa. Esto ayudará a normalizar las bacterias en el tracto digestivo de Jake mientras él se adapta a su nuevo hogar.
Note: I left "colitis" as is, and I changed "meal" to "day" as I found it clearer in the translation that way, let me know if that matters.
@Robert Gentel,
Most excellent, RG. I can read it just well enough to know it reads a hell of a lot better than what I was getting together on my own (and Javier hasn't answered my email yet).
Y Jake dice, muchas gracias.
Thanks, for real.
Oh --- is "colitis" a word that's likely to be understood? It'd be pretty hit-or-miss with our English-speaking clients really understanding that.
@patiodog,
patiodog wrote:Oh --- is "colitis" a word that's likely to be understood?
It's the same word, same spelling in Spanish. I actually think more people would understand it in Spanish than in English, but I'm not sure. I just asked someone here if she understood what it was, and she said she had heard of it, and that it was "a problem with the stomach".
@Robert Gentel,
I knew it translated directly, was wondering more about cultural context -- everybody talks about diseases and maladies a little differently, depending on what's prevalent.
Thanks again -- we don't have anybody that speaks Spanish, it being Wisconsin and all, and pretty much all Spanish speakers here seem to speak English, too. Except this family, apparently. (I'm guessing that the little kids speak English, but that no one on the staff bothered to talk to them -- though they could be new arrivals.)
@patiodog,
patiodog wrote:I knew it translated directly, was wondering more about cultural context -- everybody talks about diseases and maladies a little differently, depending on what's prevalent.
I do know the word is used, and I have heard it more often in Spanish than English. But I have some personal confusion about whether some cases would be called an "ulcer" but am running into my lack of knowledge on the subject there.
@Robert Gentel,
Maybe add or substitute with 'inflammation of the colon? (if that is what colitis is), or inflammation of the digestive tract?
@ossobuco,
It's in there -- "inflamación del intestino grueso" -- I was more curious than anything.
One of these years I'll find the time and motivation to get my spanish up to speed...
@patiodog,
'k, sorry, I didn't recheck.
Robert's translation was perfect, except it is "la diarrea" and "su alimentación debe ser cambiada"
@fbaezer,
Ah, you romantics and you articles and genders.
Us Teutonic types don't worry much about these things.
Thanks, fb
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