Thread: Echarse encima

I was reading Zorro written by Isabel Allende, and studying the translation. There is one part that confuses me and I wish someone here could help me out.

"Todo idealista se echa encima enemigos...." was translated to:

"Every idealist attracts enemies"

When I look up the phrase echarse encima it reads in RAE: "Ser iniminente o muy próximo" and in my Spanish-English dictionary: "take upon oneself" but none of these definitions would fit the translation of "attract" Someone, out there, please help me.

it means that from the simple fact of being an idealist, you make enemies (along the way). That's the whole idea.

I'm not Spanish but I would say that in this case "echarse encima" means that "every idealist throws himself/herself on his/her enemies"... in simple words to fall upon someone in order to attack him/her. Let's wait for a more accurate answer!

A typo in translating "Zorro" switching "Attacks" by "Attracts"? Mmm... maybe I'm wrong and I hope I am.

"Echarse encima enemigos" would literally mean "throw enemies over oneself" rather than to throw oneself on enemies

Echarse encima enemigos es crearselos, y tenerlos literalmente *encima de tí*, es decir alrededor tuyo. Atraer es correcto, yo creo, preo quizás tiene menos fuerza. Cuando leo esa frase me imagino a alguién casi literalmente cargando enemigos a la espalda, sin quitarselos de encima.

Wow, I didn't expect to get response so quickly! Thank you all: Veronica, Faraó, Popette, mvictoria. I understand now. Popette made a great point that the English translation is not as strong as the Spanish original. In fact it is passive by saying Zorro attracts enemies rather than literally saying "creates/make enemies." Thanks again, and Happy New Year to you.

It just means gets. creates, attracts or ends up with enemies. Do not try to translate literally.