Carol Gullidge Dec 23, 2017:

Indeed, what is the point of a ProZ query if you are not receptive to suggestions from all the people who are genuinely trying to help you, some of whom no doubt have a good deal of experience in this type of work. If you are afraid of annoying your outsourcer with too many queries, then I'd suggest that this particular one, placed as it is in a prominent position in the book, should have priority over most - if not all - of the rest. It could well be (in fact is more than likely) that the literal translation in this case does not convey in the target language the essence of the book, and the end result could appear rather odd and meaningless to say the least. I'm sure that the author would rather be "bothered" by such an essential query than risk ending up with anything in the Foreword that can only be baffling to the target audience

Lisa Mann (asker) Dec 23, 2017:

What is the point of a PROZ query? I was hoping someone would have heard the expression and help me out here so I would not have to add this to my list of queries for my client. In my opinion, it is not helpful at all to suggest that people seeking translation help ask their client for the answer. If that was the first thing we resorted to when stumped, this part of PROZ wouldn't even exist.

Muriel Vasconcellos Dec 17, 2017:

Agree with Carol... ...on all points. If you can't get a clarification from your client, the safest thing would be 'the more you know, the less you have'. I won't post it because Carol has already said it.

Carol Gullidge Dec 17, 2017:

It COULD even be something like "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing", which could relate to people who make sweeping statements (pontificating) on issues that they actually know very little about (and I could name a few politicians!), thinking that they can change the world and solve all its problems on the basis of the little information they do possess.

I'm NOT proposing this as an Answer, but just to show that there are too many possibilities given the little context (our little knowledge...!) we possess here and the importance of getting the author's message absolutely right

Carol Gullidge Dec 17, 2017:

@Lisa In that case, in your place I'd definitely go back to your client for clarification! Given the topics you mention above (Welfare State, capitalism,..., it seems unlikely (but not absolutely impossible!) that "learning" comes into it. Whether - indirectly - "knowledge" fits in would need to be confirmed by the author. I'd ask him/her what is meant by "menos te queda" in this context, and how it relates to the rest of the text. And if, indeed, it is "knowledge", then knowledge of what? After all, it is pretty crucial to get this absolutely spot on. The whole sentence - placed where it is in the book - must be totally relevant to the general message the whole book is trying to convey, which needs to be put in a nutshell. This isn't just some airy-fairy phrase that someone has plucked out of the air and decided to use on the front page just for the sake of it! In this case, I wouldn't risk any guesswork - no matter how inspired it might be!

Lisa Mann (asker) Dec 17, 2017:

I have read the book The book is an exploration of the welfare state in Spain and beyond, the relationship between capitalism and democracy, and how all three (the welfare state, capitalism and democracy) were affected by the 2007/08 economic crisis. He talks a lot about how a lot of people criticise all of these systems, yet nobody offers up any viable replacement. I have an inkling he is referring to that here, but it could be lots of different things...

Carol Gullidge Dec 16, 2017:

no mention of knowledge or learning in the second part of the statement posted. It could be anything, and I agree with Phil that the most logical conclusion (without further context) is that it seems more likely to mean simply "... the less you have".

Again, without further context - and it could well be necessary to read the whole book in order to gain an insight into what this really is about before either translating its title or such things as chapter headings, Forewords, etc. - the possibilities are endless...
I often find it useful to leave such things until the end, by which time, it has invariably become obvious what would be relevant or not.

Muriel Vasconcellos Dec 16, 2017:

Is it the opposite? The expressions I'm familiar with that start with "The more you know" always end up saying something like "the more you realize how little you know." I've never heard of a clever saying that suggests that there's less to learn. There's always more to learn.

More context would help. What's the author's point?