This site uses cookies. Some of these cookies are essential to the operation of the site, while others help to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used. For more information, please see the ProZ.com privacy policy.
Cookie settings
Estancia
me tiraste la cuatrifecta

Glossary entry

Spanish term or phrase:

Lo pequeño es numeroso

English translation:

Infinitesimal but infinite / Minute but massive

Added to glossary by Carol Gullidge
Jan 11, 2021 12:41
3 yrs ago
38 viewers *
Spanish term

Lo pequeño es numeroso

FVA Spanish to English Science Science (general)
Hi,

This is a heading for a chapter that appears in a book about marine biology. 'Pequeño' refers to bacteria. 'Numeroso' refers to their large abundance in the ocean.

The author uses the chapter to calculate the biomass of bacteria and whales. He then compares the two and concludes that bacteria is in extreme abundance compared to whales, meaning if you put every whale and every bacteria on scales, the bacteria would be x amount greater.

I was thinking something literal like 'Little things abound', but I'm sure there's a more creative translation for it
Proposed translations (English)
4 +4 Infinitesimal but infinite / Minute but massive
3 +2 Tiny but mighty/Small but mighty
3 +1 the small are many
4 Tiny but abundant OR Tiny but in abundance
3 A profusion of tininess
2 +1 Small is plentiful
3 The bigger the lesser
2 the unseen majority
Change log

Jan 13, 2021 09:58: Carol Gullidge Created KOG entry

Discussion

Carol Gullidge Jan 13, 2021:
Neil and Steven Ha ha indeed!
I should hope not! But at least if anything sinister were to happen to the site, everybody would know where to start looking for any suspect with all the requisite skills and qualifications :O)) :O))
Neil Ashby Jan 13, 2021:
Steven Ha ha, I don't think anyone would go to those sorts of means just for a few Kudoz points... sounds a bit paranoid or OTT, like something Trump would push. ;@)
Steven Huddleston Jan 12, 2021:
Not here. That discussion requires knowledge of software design and data harvesting in complex, even mathematically chaotic systems, not to mention psychology and even a smattering of basic physics. I was a software engineer that integrated these disciplines for almost 20 years. It's quite fascinating albeit a complex and demanding subject. But not linguistically relevant and therefore, beyond the scope of this forum.
Carol Gullidge Jan 12, 2021:
@Steven Unfortunately, there are also plenty of examples of "subpar translations" "contaminating" the glossaries resulting from normal Pro questions, and, sadly, it seems there is not much we can do about that. However, recent examples of obvious misuse by an Asker who was not familiar with either the ST or TT have in fact been removed from the site - partially at least, if not completely.

***However, I'd be very interested to hear what you mean by "vulnerable to manipulation and abuse" in this particular case. Please elucidate!***
Carol Gullidge Jan 12, 2021:
Neil I totally agree with you, and personally would only use "first-validated mode" if I needed to translate a short foreign quote in a language with which I'm not familiar appearing within a larger text in one of my language pairs (translating into my own native language, of course!). Otherwise, I too don't see the point of it...
Steven Huddleston Jan 12, 2021:
Not just unfair... It also contributes to contaminate the glossaries with inadequate answers and subpar translations. Not to mention that it is vulnerable to manipulation and abuse. Automation will never replace the subtle discernment of human judgment.
Neil Ashby Jan 11, 2021:
Is it just me or does "first-validated mode" always seem a bit unfair, doesn't give everyone time to assess or submit an option.
philgoddard Jan 11, 2021:
Don't forget that the singular is bacterium and the plural is bacteria.
Max Zalewski Jan 11, 2021:
The tiny in abundance / The abundance of the tiny Just my suggestion. Lots of good choices!
Adam, MA Trans (asker) Jan 11, 2021:
Wow, now I'm spoilt for choice. What great answers, thank you!

Proposed translations

+4
48 mins
Selected

Infinitesimal but infinite / Minute but massive

infinitesimal in size (minute) but massive in number
Peer comment(s):
disagree Steven Huddleston : Massive is about size, not numbers, unless you use something like "population" as a subject. Infinite can never be taken as a synonym of numerous or abundant, which are clearly finite concepts.
26 mins
Sorry, but a number CAN be massive, gigantic, huge, vast, etc., etc.! And don't forget that, as a heading, this needs to be pithy above all!
agree Althea Draper : 'Minute but massive' ties in with both the size of the individual bacteria and the huge number of the bacteria and their combined weight (massive - very large in size, amount, or number), with the additional advantage of it being an alliteration
2 hrs
Many thanks Althea! Neat analysis, perfectly summing up my intentions :)
agree philgoddard : I like the concision and alliteration of "minute but massive".
3 hrs
Many thanks Phil :)
agree Neil Ashby : I like "minute but infinite", I don't think alliteration is necessary ;@)
4 hrs
Many thanks Neil! I like your version as well!
agree Cláudia Pinheiro Pereira
7 hrs
Thanks Cláudia!
agree Muriel Vasconcellos : Minute but massive
7 hrs
Thanks Muriel!
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "First validated answer (validated by peer agreement)"
+1
13 mins

the small are many

My attempt.
Peer comment(s):
agree Toni Castano : Simple, effective and to the point.
1 hr
¡Gracias Toni!
neutral Carol Gullidge : Not pithy enough for a heading. But I wouldn’t stoop to posting a Disagree on a colleague’s Answer unless it were blatantly misleading - definitely non-U (I.e., not the done thing on this website!)
1 hr
Something went wrong...
43 mins

A profusion of tininess

I have to say I like really like your version. Little things abound is precise and to the point.
Anyway, here's my option.
Something went wrong...
+2
48 mins

Tiny but mighty/Small but mighty


(PDF) Small but Mighty: Cell Size and Bacteria - ResearchGatewww.researchgate.net › publication › 278047724_Small_...
10 Oct 2020 — Small but Mighty: Cell Size and Bacteria · Abstract · Citations (39) · References (51) · Recommendations.

Tiny But Mighty - Schmidt Ocean Instituteschmidtocean.org › cruise-log-post › tiny-but-mighty
18 Aug 2019 — Marine microbes (bacteria, archaea, and viruses) are tiny. They are less than one-hundredth the width of a human hair—too small to see with ...
Peer comment(s):
agree Carol Gullidge : this works perfectly!
0 min
neutral Toni Castano : Mighty, why mighty? Does the source say that bacteria are mighty?
46 mins
agree Cláudia Pinheiro Pereira
7 hrs
Something went wrong...
+1
53 mins

Small is plentiful

Reference:

http://www.researchgate.net/publication/291391977_Small_is_Plentiful

Peer comment(s):
agree Toni Castano : Another good option.
45 mins
Thanks, Toni!
Something went wrong...
1 hr

the unseen majority

Just a suggestion. There are quite a few mentions in scholarly articles on the web.
Reference:

https://www.pnas.org/content/95/12/6578

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18047587/

Something went wrong...
3 hrs

Tiny but abundant OR Tiny but in abundance

that is actiully what the source says (and close to your own idea of "Little things abound")

Some of these suggestions are over-translations, extrapolating too much from the source text. Yes, these bacteria can be "mighty" (and it probably says as much elsewhere in your text)
but "numeroso" = numerous = a large number and its synonymns

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200529150640.h...
Something went wrong...
25 mins

The bigger the lesser

My stab at it, with echoes of the bigger the better...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 jour 8 heures (2021-01-12 21:02:52 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------

On reflection, and more straightforward, what about:
'small in size, large in number' ?
Something went wrong...
Close search
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search