I am a Greek translator/subtitler, and I am currently subtitling a documentary about a young crew training for the Transpac race. When their instructor jumps overboard to help them prepare for this emergency, we hear one of the crew shouting:
Bearing off big time out of the sack!
I understand the first part of this phrase, "bearing off". But I can't find what "out of the sack" means here. Is it a sailing-related idiom, or just a general idiom?
i would take that line as getting ready to make a big course change, and pay attention ( pay attention as in stop dosing or sleeping and wake up ). out of the sack is said to those who feel asleep
to go truely slang on it, man overboard, wake the F ^%$ up and hang on.
Yes, it had occurred to me that it might be something like "wake up", because I know the idiom "hit the sack", but, then, I have met so many idioms in this documentary, that I wasn't sure anymore
Bearing off big time out of the sack!
I understand the first part of this phrase, "bearing off". But I can't find what "out of the sack" means here. Is it a sailing-related idiom, or just a general idiom?
Actually, I believe the correct term is "bearing away" not "bearing off".
As for the phrase - no I can't recall it ever being used in my sailing experience.
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Actually, I believe the correct term is "bearing away" not "bearing off".
Yes, when researching this term I found out too that the correct was "bear away", but in the documentary it is heard more than once as "bearing off". These are young sailors.
Bear away is correct. The only situation I can think of in which "bearing off" is used is "I am taking a bearing off my handheld compass to that landmark".
If it helps, English can be confusing for English speakers.
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I saw that movie too (assuming you're talking about Morning Light) and it is full of both sailing vernacular and regional dialect (the skipper is an Aussie or Kiwi, I think), as well as hip slang spoken by the youngsters. So I don't envy your task.
I have done enough translating to know that context is key and sometimes there is no directly analogous expression. The audience will understand well enough by what they see visually.
Good luck!
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Last edited by JohnRPollard; 02-25-2009 at 10:48 AM.
The term "To Bear Off" means to move away from. Especially if it boat killing shoals and whatnot.
"To Claw Off" Is similar to "To bear Off" But is more frantic and more pucker power as you are trying to sail up wind away from those shoals.
Now "Veer" is to pay out the sheets... What is opposite?
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