Pressapochismo

[janibabba]

Hello,

Can someone translate this phrase?

"...rimbalzi in un muro di vaghezza e pressapochismo."

Thank you

[lsp]

Welcome to WR, janibabba. The subject of the verb rimbalzi is missing, can you provide the whole sentence/more context, please? It has to do with bouncing on a wall of vagueness and guessing/estimating/speculating (pressapochismo is a noun made from pressapoco, which more or less means "more or less.")

[_forumuser_]

Ecco la frase completa:

Eppure se cerchi di capire come l'Europa affronta la questione rom e zingari rimbalzi in un muro di vaghezza e pressapochismo. (Repubblica di ieri)

Avrei giurato che rimbalzi fosse un congiuntivo e invece era solo un indicativo presente, seconda persona. Potere del contesto. And yet, if you try to ... Let me also point out that a decent writer would say rimbalzi contro, and probably put a comma after zingari.

[lsp]

Ecco la frase completa:

Eppure se cerchi di capire come l'Europa affronta la questione rom e zingari rimbalzi in un muro di vaghezza e pressapochismo. (Repubblica di ieri)

Avrei giurato che rimbalzi fosse un congiuntivo e invece era solo un indicativo presente, seconda persona. Potere del contesto. And yet, if you try to ... Let me also point out that a decent writer would say rimbalzi contro, and probably put a comma after zingari.

Oh, good. I thought so (but far be it from me to correct Italian written by Italians ). In EN, too, something bounces against, or maybe off a wall... and I also expected the subjunctive (yea!!). Did you have a more concise way to translate pressapochismo?

[_forumuser_]

I'd probably pick one from the following: sloppiness, inattentiveness, forgetfulness, laziness, carelessness. Unless you come up with something better, that is.

[lsp]

I'd probably pick one from the following: sloppiness, inattentiveness, forgetfulness, laziness, carelessness. Unless you come up with something better, that is.

Does it carry such negative intent as those words? I wasn't going past haphazardness (and my original suggestions) before reading your post.

[janibabba]

Ho capito. Mille grazie!

[_forumuser_]

Does it carry such negative intent as those words? I wasn't going past haphazardness (and my original suggestions) before reading your post.

Haphazardness is not bad, and in some contexts it might work better than any of the words I've suggested. Pressappochismo is the art of doing things half-heartedly and without care, or, the "atteggiamento di chi non cura l’esattezza e la precisione in un’attività o nel ragionamento, limitandosi a una certa approssimazione" (De Mauro). De Mauro gives the spelling with one p, I'd go with the two Ps.

[lsp]

Haphazardness is not bad, and in some contexts it might work better than any of the words I've suggested. Pressappochismo is the art of doing things half-heartedly and without care, or, the "atteggiamento di chi non cura l’esattezza e la precisione in un’attività o nel ragionamento, limitandosi a una certa approssimazione" (De Mauro). De Mauro gives the spelling with one p, I'd go with the two Ps.

Great word! Thanks for that definition.