Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Spanish term or phrase:
mi tierra
English translation:
my own home country
Added to glossary by
Beatriz Ramírez de Haro
May 30, 2021 23:30
2 yrs ago
71 viewers *
Spanish term
Spain
Golf, Literature and Religion Specialist
Native in: Spanish 
Works in: English to Spanish, French to Spanish, Spanish
mi tierra
Spanish to English
Art/Literary
Tourism & Travel
Context:
"Y una vez que has viajado por todo el planeta, te conviertes sin saberlo en el mejor embajador de ***tu tierra***."
I'm struggling to find the English equivalent of "mi tierra" as we normally use it to refer to our native region or area in a fond, unpretentious and unofficial way.
Both "country" and "homeland" seem too large, and "native area/region" lacks the colloquial touch.
Thank you for your ideas.
"Y una vez que has viajado por todo el planeta, te conviertes sin saberlo en el mejor embajador de ***tu tierra***."
I'm struggling to find the English equivalent of "mi tierra" as we normally use it to refer to our native region or area in a fond, unpretentious and unofficial way.
Both "country" and "homeland" seem too large, and "native area/region" lacks the colloquial touch.
Thank you for your ideas.
Proposed translations
(English)
Change log
Jun 1, 2021 13:20: Beatriz Ramírez de Haro Created KOG entry
Proposed translations
+3
8 hrs
Adoración Bodoque Martínez
Ireland
Ireland
Native in Spanish
Specializes in field
Ireland
B.A. Eng. & Ling., DipTrans IoLET, MCIL
Native in: Spanish (Variant: Standard-Spain)
Works in: English to Spanish, Spanish to English
Related KudoZ points
:
24
Selected
your home country / your own home country
"...the best ambassador for your home country / your own home country"
https://www.participatelearning.com/blog/21-ways-to-make-the...
"Be a cultural ambassador for your home country. You may be the first person your school community has met from your home country!"
https://thearrivalstore.com/need-to-know-teaching-english-in...
"You are an ambassador for your own home country but, while teaching English, should also consider yourself somewhat of a cultural ambassador for the wider world."
https://www.participatelearning.com/blog/21-ways-to-make-the...
"Be a cultural ambassador for your home country. You may be the first person your school community has met from your home country!"
https://thearrivalstore.com/need-to-know-teaching-english-in...
"You are an ambassador for your own home country but, while teaching English, should also consider yourself somewhat of a cultural ambassador for the wider world."
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
James A. Walsh
4 hrs
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Thank you, James.
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| agree |
patinba
: "your own home country"
4 hrs
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Thank you, patinba.
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| agree |
Félix Lembo Stache
6 hrs
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Muchas gracias, Félix.
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "This fits my text nicely. Mil gracias, Adoración"
+2
46 mins
Félix Lembo Stache
Uruguay
Uruguay
Native in Spanish
Works in field
Uruguay
16 years' experience in subtitling
Native in: Spanish (Variants: Latin American, Uruguayan, Argentine)
Works in: English to Spanish, Spanish to English, Spanish, and 1 more.
my neck of the woods
Otra sugerencia... quizá sea demasiado coloquial, pero personalmente me encanta :)
Note from asker:
| Hola Félix: me gusta mucho tu propuesta y creo que iría muy bien en un contexto más coloquial que el mío. Saludos cordiales. |
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Katarina Peters
: it's what I had in mind - missed by a few minutes
9 mins
|
| neutral |
Barbara Cochran, MFA
: "Neck of the woods" is never used in the sense of fondness for where one lives, as far as I know. It refers more to what one does, or what transpires in the location where one lives.
33 mins
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I think you're right there. I didn't take context into account as much as I should have... I'm not a native English speaker, but being "ambassador for my neck of the woods" certainly doesn't sound good.
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| agree |
philgoddard
: It sounds fine. Nothing to do with "what one does, or what transpires" - it just means the area where you live.
1 hr
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| neutral |
Orkoyen (X)
: I have often heard “neck of the words” used in a humorous, “Ain’t I such a redneck?” way. Other less tongue in cheek expressions are “my plot of land” and “my stretch of land”
10 hrs
|
+2
12 mins
Barbara Cochran, MFA
United States
United States
Native in English
Works in field
United States
Laudable Lady Linguist
Native in: English 
Works in: Spanish to English, French to English, English to Spanish, and 3 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
4
my little corner of the world
Ignore the references to meth here, but this is an explanation otherwise of what I entered as the translation: https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/our-little-corner-of...
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Note added at 13 mins (2021-05-30 23:44:42 GMT)
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It is most certainly a colloquial expression of the meaning.
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Note added at 19 mins (2021-05-30 23:50:03 GMT)
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As opposed the entire planet, mentioned at the beginning.
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Note added at 1 hr (2021-05-31 00:48:43 GMT)
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I think "my little" is more indicative of fondness for a place, rather than "neck of the woods".
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Note added at 1 hr (2021-05-31 01:04:58 GMT)
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"little", diminutive term to express fondness
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Note added at 13 mins (2021-05-30 23:44:42 GMT)
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It is most certainly a colloquial expression of the meaning.
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Note added at 19 mins (2021-05-30 23:50:03 GMT)
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As opposed the entire planet, mentioned at the beginning.
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Note added at 1 hr (2021-05-31 00:48:43 GMT)
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I think "my little" is more indicative of fondness for a place, rather than "neck of the woods".
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Note added at 1 hr (2021-05-31 01:04:58 GMT)
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"little", diminutive term to express fondness
Note from asker:
| Hi Barbara, thank you for yet another creative option. I will keep it for future use on more literary contexts. |
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Shilpa Baliga
6 hrs
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Thanks, Shilpa!
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| agree |
Orkoyen (X)
: I’ve slowly come around to this. Like “my humble realm”, hobbit style.
15 hrs
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Thank you, Orkoyen. That's an interesting turn of phrase that you have used. Yes, I think the idea conveyed by the source text is definitely meant to be peculiar to the speaker in question..
|
1 hr
Félix Lembo Stache
Uruguay
Uruguay
Native in Spanish
Works in field
Uruguay
16 years' experience in subtitling
Native in: Spanish (Variants: Latin American, Uruguayan, Argentine)
Works in: English to Spanish, Spanish to English, Spanish, and 1 more.
my country
What about just going with "country"...?
Not just in the sense of a nation state or a territory defined by political boundaries, but in the broader sense... I think it could be used to refer to just about any kind of territory, big or small. Wouldn't it work?
Not just in the sense of a nation state or a territory defined by political boundaries, but in the broader sense... I think it could be used to refer to just about any kind of territory, big or small. Wouldn't it work?
Note from asker:
| Gracias de nuevo. |
-1
3 hrs
my (family, community,) values (outlook on the world)
"Y una vez que has viajado por todo el planeta, te conviertes sin saberlo en el mejor embajador de ***tu tierra*
And after having seen the whole world, you have become actually without realizing it, the best representative of your community and (cultural) family values (and way of looking at the world).
The meaning of many things, in my view should not adhere too close to the literal, my belief that all words are only approximations....never to be literal...
And after having seen the whole world, you have become actually without realizing it, the best representative of your community and (cultural) family values (and way of looking at the world).
The meaning of many things, in my view should not adhere too close to the literal, my belief that all words are only approximations....never to be literal...
Example sentence:
After traveling the globe, one unknowingly became the best example of your family and community values
Note from asker:
| Thank you. |
Peer comment(s):
| disagree |
AllegroTrans
: No. it's simply where you live, the context is tourism, no need to go poetic
18 hrs
|
4 hrs
YESHWANT UMRALKAR
India
India
Native in English
India
Translation is a work of art
Native in: English
Works in: Russian to English, Spanish to English, French to English, and 2 more.
your paradise
.
Note from asker:
| Thank you. |
6 hrs
…you unknowingly become the best ambassador of ***where you’re from***.
Really about "tu tierra".
Another alternative. Simple but effective?
Another alternative. Simple but effective?
Note from asker:
| Yes, good option, thank you Rick. |
9 hrs
Michelle Handley
Spain
Spain
Native in English
Specializes in field
Spain
English translator 15 years' experience
Native in: English
Works in: Spanish to English, French to English, Catalan to English, and 1 more.
my part of the world
I think that homeland or country is too wide but I also think that neck of the woods is too informal. I think "my/your part of the world" is a neutral but nice way to say "mi/tu tierra"
Note from asker:
| I like it, nice and neutral, but I have too many "worlds" in my text. Thank you Michelle, this will surely help other colleagues. |
11 hrs
my land
Like I have a stake in every inch of it.
Note from asker:
| Hi Shane, many thanks for your help and glad to meet you! |
13 hrs
AllegroTrans
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in English
Specializes in field
United Kingdom
Sensible solutions
Native in: English (Variant: Wessexois)
Works in: French to English, English, English to French
Related KudoZ points
:
48
my home patch
Another option
Note from asker:
| A nice one, thank you very much! |
1 day 4 hrs
David Hollywood
Native in English
worked for int. orgs (IMF, OAS, IDB)
Native in: English
Works in: Spanish to English, German to English
Related KudoZ points
:
87
my wee country
in light of the new context provided
Note from asker:
| Hi, David, this is possibly the most accurate, but it wouldn't work in my context. I will keep it in store for future use. Great help, thank you! |
1 day 10 hrs
Alexandra Stirling
Spain
Spain
Native in English
Specializes in field
Spain
BA, DipTransIoLET, bicultural translator
Native in: English (Variants: British, UK)
Works in: Spanish to English, English to Spanish
my motherland
motherland - the country in which you were born, or the country with which you feel most connected
Note from asker:
| Thank you, Alexandra. |
-2
22 mins
Ninoslav Matijevic
Serbia
Serbia
Serbia
Native in: Serbian
Works in: English to Serbian, Serbian to English, Croatian to English, and 1 more.
Solid part of the planet that is not covered by the sea
My option (try):
"Solid part of the planet that is not covered by the sea". Regards.
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Note added at 1 day 17 hrs (2021-06-01 17:30:24 GMT) Post-grading
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Thanks and you.
"Solid part of the planet that is not covered by the sea". Regards.
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Note added at 1 day 17 hrs (2021-06-01 17:30:24 GMT) Post-grading
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Thanks and you.
Note from asker:
| Thank you. |
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Juan Jacob
: Curiosa propuesta. "Tierra" incluye el agua.
9 mins
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| disagree |
patinba
: Your dictionary definition ignores the context.
12 hrs
|
| disagree |
AllegroTrans
: Nonsense, as you have ignored the context
12 hrs
|
Discussion
No sé si te ayudará en tu búsqueda pero cuando estoy en el extranjero, al decir mi tierra pienso en una zona difusa y amplia, que incluye Madrid, ciudad o lugar donde nací y crecí, pero cuando lo digo en Madrid, me refiero a eso que se suele llamar también terruño, donde encuentra uno sus orígenes más peculiares.
Quiero decir con esto que a "tierra" con posesivo le pasa también lo que a "homeland": puede ser el país de origen o una amplia región y también un lugar más ceñido, vinculado a señas entrañables de particular calado y reF/Verencia.