[Vocabulary] Doubt about the use of the word "hype"

[chicodesouza]

I am a Brazilian working on a translation from Portuguese to English of a book for children.

I wold like to know if in the sentence "There was a lot of hype..." , does the word "hype”, as slang, still mean “rumor, hearsay, gossip? Is there a better word?.

Regards

 

[Tarheel]

It's the very nature of hype that when there is some there is a great deal of it. We hype something when we promote it. Example: "Ron has been hyping his book, going on all the talk shows he can get on."

You need to give me a complete sentence I can look at before I can comment on the usage of a word.

 

[Tarheel]

P.S. You have a question, not a doubt.

 

[chicodesouza]

Hi Tarhell! Thank you for your answer and for correcting me about “question X doubt”.

I'm not really the translator; in fact I'm leading the team which is producing the book. My English is a little poor!

The story takes place in a chicken coop, and there is a genetic issue involved. Follow the complete sentence:

(...)
There was a lot of hype... Six chicks were born but one was quite different from the others: all black. Dr. Rooster found it strange. He looked and looked and then thought, "no one in my family is that color." But he decided to shake that idea off of his mind, after all he already loved his chicks very much.
(...)

 

[Tarheel]

First, chickens aren't born. They are hatched. As for hype, you can use it there if you if you want, but it makes no sense.

 

[Tarheel]

Re: Strange chick

Try:

Six chicks hatched, but one was quite different from the others. It was all black. Dr. Rooster looked at the chick and then pecked it to death.


​

Okay, maybe not.
;-)


Try:

Six chicks hatched, but one was quite different from the others. It was all black. Dr. Rooster found that peculiar. (You can also use strange.) He looked and looked at the strange chick and thought, No one in my family is that color. But he shook that idea off. After all, he already loved all his chicks very much.

​

 

[Tdol]

Re: Strange chick

This is definitely not hype for me- if there were doubt about the paternity, gossip and rumour would be natural. Hype is about getting publicity and promotion for something to make it more successful.

 

[Raymott]

Re: Strange chick

It might be worthwhile telling us the Portuguese word you're translating. Some of us here understand a little of some other languages. But 'hype' sounds wrong no matter what the original word is.

 

[chicodesouza]

Re: Strange chick

Hi, Tarheel / Tdol / Raymott. Thanks again, but now we have two issues and I need the opinion of a US native who masters the language. I’d appreciate your help.

1) You’ve made it clear that “hype” isn’t the word for that context. What about the use of “gossip, chitchat or mockery”? “There was a lot of gossip/chitchat/mockery/rumor going around”. Which word is best? (Raymott the word is "Fofoca" - "Havia muita fofoca")

2) In Portuguese, you can say ‘chickens are born’ or ‘chickens are hatched’. Either is ok.
But since it’s a book for children, and because the animal characters (like those in fables) are like humans, I’d ask you: it's really wrong to use "born" even in this case? Does “born” sound weird for English-speaking people?

Thanks a lot for your help.

 

[Matthew Wai]

Re: Strange chick

"Havia muita fofoca"

https://translate.google.com/#pt/en/Havia muita fofoca
It says 'There was much gossip'.

Not a teacher.

 

[SoothingDave]

Does “born” sound weird for English-speaking people?

Yes.

"Hype" is all about publicity and trying to get people excited about some future event. There is a lot of hype generated when a new Star Wars movie comes out.

The week preceding the Super Bowl is sometimes called "hype week."

 

[Tarheel]

Re: Strange chick

Both "gossip" and "rumor" work there (assuming chickens can gossip). Perhaps:

There was a rumor going around that one of the chicks was fathered by a different rooster.
​

Okay, that's just weird. (But it does seem to be what you're going for.)

 

[Tdol]

Re: Strange chick

the word is "Fofoca" - "Havia muita fofoca"

When I lived in Portugal many years ago, I heard the word used to mean gossip.

 

[Tarheel]

Re: Strange chick

When I lived in Portugal many years ago, I heard the word used to mean gossip.

Where have you not been?
;-)

 

[Tdol]

Re: Strange chick

Most places.;-)

 

[Roman55]

Re: Strange chick

I am not a teacher.

I think it's more 'malicious gossip'.