Nalini Satyawadi Dec 17, 2023:

Italian damsel/beauty/dame (to convey age)

Sandra Petch (asker) Sep 8, 2023:

Thanks Mihaela!

Mihaela Ostojic Sep 7, 2023:

I agree with Thomas and Steve. I think you could use "vintage" and "beauty" since they are adjectives and terms which are generally associated with cars in English language unlike "the beautiful Italian" or "the Italian grandmother" which would sound strange!
You could also say something like "this beautiful Italian machine" to avoid the repetition of the "car".
Here are some synonyms for car you could use https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/car

Sandra Petch (asker) Sep 6, 2023:

Thanks Steve, I do like "fine old lady".
Have used "vintage beauties" previously.
Certainly no need to ram home the "Italianess" of this!

Sandra Petch (asker) Sep 6, 2023:

@Steve "you might want to stop saying "Italian" all the time if he keeps banging on about it"
- every other word!

Steve Robbie Sep 6, 2023:

That's a good point (about repetition). For example, you might want to stop saying "Italian" all the time if he keeps banging on about it.

Thomas Miles Sep 6, 2023:

'beauty', 'vintage'? I support Steve's suggestion to use 'beauty' (which allows a potential personification that we can detect in the original text).

From this starting point, could we use 'vintage' to convey the added characteristic of age? But you might want to check the exact definition of 'vintage' in this context.

philgoddard Sep 6, 2023:

You say 'frequently refers to', which I assume means they keep repeating the same two phrases. You can't do this in your translation, so you'll have to find a different way of saying it each time.

This makes it difficult for us to provide suggestions, especially since you've included two phrases in one question, which is against the rules.

We also need the context.

And finally, since this is a Fiat, 'Italian' seems a statement of the obvious.

Steve Robbie Sep 6, 2023:

this Italian beauty / fine old (Italian) lady?

Potential minefield, obviously, as it depends a little on his age and how you want to characterise him.