If there is one thing that we, translators, suffer from, as I suppose happens to every expert in a specific area who struggles to let go of their critical eye, it’s the moment that they watch a movie with poor quality subtitles. After a long day of work, we lay on the couch, get ourselves comfortable, grab the remote, press play, and then: the adverb “eventualmente”, used as if it was the translation of eventually.
In Spanish, the adverb “eventualmente” means occasionally, from time to time, or by chance. NONE of the definitions of “eventual” (base adjective) implies finality, but rather unpredictability However, we never stop seeing “eventualmente” everywhere, carrying the meaning of finally or at last.
TikTok video with subtitles.
You might even used it yourself to help your Spanish friend remove toxicity from her life.
How did this come about? The answer lies in a curious phenomenon called false friends and the huge influence of English on Spanish language.
False Friends and Calques
Within the wide field of translation, we may find terms that look alike, because of the spelling or pronunciation, but that havedifferent meanings, which makes them easy to mix up. “Eventualmente“ has become a notorious example of false friend. Since eventually means finally, at last or in the end, many Spanish speakers have adopted this meaning to their “eventualmente” due to English influence.
This phenomenon is known as calquing, where the influence of a foreign language, in this case, English, has altered the original meaning of a word in another language. That’s how the use of “eventualmente“ was adapted, with a final connotation that doesn’t correspond with its initial meaning.
Other examples of incorrect (but extended) calques could be the tendency to translate assume as “asumir” (instead of suponer), or using “atender” with the meaning of asistir (due to the English attend).
Examples of Icorrect Use of the Adverb “Eventualmente” in Spanish
In order to better understand the phenomenon, let’s analyse some examples of incorrect use of the adverb “eventualmente”:
✘ Esperé al dentista una hora. Eventualmente llegó, cuando ya me iba.
✘ ¡Sigue creando así! Eventualmente, llegarás lejos con tu arte.
The Office: Season 5, Episode 9.
The previous examples would be much more precise if written this way:
✔ Esperé al dentista una hora. Finalmente llegó, cuando ya me iba.
✔ ¡Sigue creando así! Algún día, llegarás lejos con tu arte.
Conclusions
The case of “eventualmente“, besides inviting us to reflect on how linguistic borders can be blurred, reminds us the importance of detecting false friends in order to avoid calques that could completely ruin a translation.
Within our audiovisual translation agency, we commit ourselves to breaking the idiomatic borders with professionalism and commitment towards languages. If you’re looking for a trustful ally to translate your audiovisual project, you’re in the right place. At Ponle Subtítulos, we understand the importance of delivering your message in a clear and authentic way, regardless of the language. Whether you need subtitles, translation for dubbing, or any kind of audiovisual translation service, our expert team is ready to help you. We remain at your disposal if you have any request, and you can contact us at your convenience.
