{"id":8132,"date":"2025-11-10T02:04:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T02:04:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/binarywords.com\/?p=8132"},"modified":"2025-11-10T02:04:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T02:04:11","slug":"expresiones-intraducibles-do-your-best","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/binarywords.com\/en\/2025\/11\/10\/expresiones-intraducibles-do-your-best\/","title":{"rendered":"Untranslatable expressions: do your best"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today I\u00b4d like to talk about an English expression that\u00b4s not exactly untranslatable<\/a>, but in my opinion, it loses strength when translated into Spanish, becoming less impactful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do your best. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three syllables. Direct and elegant. Empowering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hazlo lo mejor que puedas.<\/strong><\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Literally, do it as well as you can.) Eight syllables. The same idea, but expressed a little more clumsily, in a more roundabout way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u00b4m sure you\u00b4ll agree with me; it sounds much better in English... <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Part of a mural seen at Dublin airport several years ago.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In any case, you get the idea, right? For any situation in life, the best thing we can do is do our best<\/strong>, and nobody can ask anything more from us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This may seem very simple, and in a certain way, it is, but at the same time, it\u00b4s quite complicated. Because there\u00b4s no objective measurement, only we can know for sure whether we\u00b4re doing our best or not. And sometimes, doubts creep up: are we setting the standard too high, and beating ourselves up for not accomplishing everything we should be able to? Or maybe we\u00b4re setting it too low, and getting stagnant in a life that\u00b4s too complacent or resigned? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is all going through my head right now because this week has been a bit challenging, as I had already foreseen, and I\u00b4ve found it hard (even harder than usual) to strike a balance between catching up at work and at home and resting to regain a good rythm, trying to also carve out a little time to have fun and enjoy. What should I give priority to? Sometimes this is not an easy decision; it requires paying attention to what\u00b4s happening outside as well as inside of us, so we can know what our needs are, and what the world needs from us, at any given moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u00b4s a lot more to say on this topic; in fact, \"always do your best\" is one of the Four Agreements<\/em> from a book with the same name written by Don Miguel Ruiz, I\u00b4ll explain this in more detail in a future article. For the moment, here are a couple of selected quotes that I hope will add a little perspective to this whole topic:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.<\/em><\/p>Maya Angelou<\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On the days you have only 40%, and you give 40%. You gave 100%<\/p>Jim Kwik<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What do you think? What does doing your best mean to you? In what specific ways are you doing, or not doing, your best?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hoy os traigo una expresi\u00f3n en ingl\u00e9s que no es que sea exactamente intraducible, pero que al traducirla al espa\u00f1ol me parece como que pierde un poco de fuerza, y resulta menos impactante: Do your best. Tres s\u00edlabas. Elegante y directa. Empoderadora. Hazlo lo mejor que puedas. Ocho s\u00edlabas. La misma idea, pero dicha un … Continue reading Untranslatable expressions: do your best<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":3116429,"featured_media":8131,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"BinaryWords - Expresiones intraducibles: do your best \/ Untranslatable expressions: do your best","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"\u00bfCu\u00e1nto tienes para dar hoy? \/ What\u00b4s your percentage today?","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4990,5145],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspiracion-inspiration","category-intraducibles","fallback-thumbnail"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/binarywords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/IMG_20210903_180018-e1762729621670.jpg?fit=1520%2C1027&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3DPtR-27a","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":700,"url":"https:\/\/binarywords.com\/en\/2022\/02\/20\/frases-intraducibles-o-casi\/","url_meta":{"origin":8132,"position":0},"title":"Untranslatable sentences (or nearly)","author":"binarybea","date":"20\/02\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Seguramente os habr\u00e9is dado cuenta de que este blog es biling\u00fce: se publica en espa\u00f1ol (o castellano), y tambi\u00e9n en ingl\u00e9s. Tengo la suerte de hablar los dos idiomas, y adem\u00e1s soy traductora aficionada, as\u00ed que con este blog disfruto por partida doble: primero escribiendo el post de la semana,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Intraducibles"","block_context":{"text":"Intraducibles","link":"https:\/\/binarywords.com\/en\/category\/intraducibles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Wooden scrabble-like letters in a pile","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/binarywords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/pexels-photo-278887.jpeg?fit=1200%2C857&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/binarywords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/pexels-photo-278887.jpeg?fit=1200%2C857&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/binarywords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/pexels-photo-278887.jpeg?fit=1200%2C857&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/binarywords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/pexels-photo-278887.jpeg?fit=1200%2C857&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/binarywords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/pexels-photo-278887.jpeg?fit=1200%2C857&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8723,"url":"https:\/\/binarywords.com\/en\/2026\/02\/23\/expresiones-intraducibles-to-carve-out-time\/","url_meta":{"origin":8132,"position":1},"title":"Untranslatable expressions: to carve out time","author":"binarybea","date":"23\/02\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Hoy a\u00f1adimos otra expresi\u00f3n a nuestra lista particular de intraducibles. Esta vez, el original est\u00e1 en ingl\u00e9s: to carve out time, y aunque tenemos una expresi\u00f3n de significado equivalente en espa\u00f1ol, sacar tiempo, me parece que la versi\u00f3n en ingl\u00e9s es mucho m\u00e1s gr\u00e1fica, y por eso resulta una met\u00e1fora\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Inspiraci\u00f3n"","block_context":{"text":"Inspiraci\u00f3n","link":"https:\/\/binarywords.com\/en\/category\/inspiracion-inspiration\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/binarywords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_20251214_125321.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/binarywords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_20251214_125321.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/binarywords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_20251214_125321.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/binarywords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_20251214_125321.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/binarywords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/IMG_20251214_125321.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1943,"url":"https:\/\/binarywords.com\/en\/2023\/01\/23\/frases-intraducibles-getting-out-of-your-own-way\/","url_meta":{"origin":8132,"position":2},"title":"Untranslatable sentences: getting out of your own way","author":"binarybea","date":"23\/01\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Hoy toca hablar de otra de esas expresiones que me encantan en ingl\u00e9s y que creo que pierden la gracia al traducirlas al espa\u00f1ol. Se trata de \"getting out of your own way\", que b\u00e1sicamente quiere decir dejar de estorbarte a ti mismo, en el sentido de dejar de ser\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Coaching"","block_context":{"text":"Coaching","link":"https:\/\/binarywords.com\/en\/category\/coaching\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/binarywords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/pexels-photo-531290.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/binarywords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/pexels-photo-531290.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/binarywords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/pexels-photo-531290.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/binarywords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/pexels-photo-531290.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/binarywords.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/pexels-photo-531290.jpeg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":831,"url":"https:\/\/binarywords.com\/en\/2022\/04\/10\/frases-intraducibles-spread-too-thin\/","url_meta":{"origin":8132,"position":3},"title":"Untranslatable sentences: spread too thin","author":"binarybea","date":"10\/04\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Estas dos \u00faltimas semanas para m\u00ed han sido un poco de locura: se me han juntado bastantes tareas y reuniones en el trabajo, unas planificadas y otras no, y la verdad es que he estado bastante liada. 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