English translation of "tiene mucha labia" - "he has the gift of the gab"

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95 months ago

Carlos Pablo MIGUES-LABANCA, BSc. asked this question:

Language pair:	Spanish > English
Subject:	Arts / Entertainment
Level of diffculty:	Difficult / demanding
Word or term in question:	tiene mucha labia
Context:	Hello, there. I'm translating a literary short story. When talking about a character, it reads: " Él tiene mucha labia". This is colloquial, idiomatic River-Plate Spanish. The meaning is as follows: he is utterly capable of talking much and convincing people; he's not shy at all; he talks with anyone and about (almost) anything and ends up persuading all. I happen to be looking for an informal, descriptive phrase in English. "He's got the gift of the gab" does in fact convey the meaning. However, it sounds way too formal -to me- ("Tiene el don de la palabra"). The expression "Tiene mucha labia" is very local and totally informal. Thank you very much in advance. I really appreciate your help. Kindest regards.

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Complete list of answers and comments

95 months ago

wrote:

He is an extrovert person

95 months ago

JesusV wrote:

He's quite the slick talker

My comment:

Tiene much labia denotes a kind of skill in talking. So if you are a really good speaker or a convincing person, Tienes mucha labia.

My references:

Common use. (Mother Tounge)

95 months ago

Clara Fernández wrote:

I would go with your own suggestion "He's got the gift of the gab"

95 months ago

Oscar A. Rivera wrote:

He or she is a smooth talker

My comment:

This is one the first options that sprang to my mind. It would depend on the context as I do not know if the character dupes or deceives people to get his or her way because s/he is good with words. I am just putting in my two cents in here. Good luck!

From thesaurus.com, I came across "silver tongue"
silver-tongued (Macmillan Dictionary)
good at talking to people in a way that will impress or persuade them.

My references:

Definition of smooth talker (Merriam Webster)
informal: someone who says flattering things that may be intended to deceive people

smooth-talking (Macmillan Dictionary)
good at persuading people. This word shows that you do not trust people like this.

95 months ago

Margarita Viada wrote:

He is very eloquent

My comment:

No es solo una expresión local, es muy común en castellano.

95 months ago

Margarita Viada wrote:

he talks with a very glib tongue

My comment:

He speaks with a great deal of glibness.

My references:

Collins Robert Unabridged Spanish/English Dictionary

95 months ago

Margarita Viada wrote:

he has the gift of the gab

My comment:

Before I read that you had already considered that option, it was the translation that came to mind. I am from Ireland, where that expression originated, and it's not at all formal. In Ireland it's very informal and colloquial, in fact, so it may be what you're looking for. I hope this helps.

The asker rated this answer best