el pujador del camió

21:10 Jul 26, 2007
Catalan to English translations [PRO]
Tech/Engineering - Transport / Transportation / Shipping / trucks
Catalan term or phrase: el pujador del camió
the sentence is: "jo anava al costat del xofer del camió i n'hi havia un altre que anava sobre el pujador, vigilant l'aviació."

The context is during the Spanish Civil War in Catalunya, where Republican trucks were fleeing and getting bombed by the Nationalist planes. This is an extract from the diary of a soldier.
anya doherty
Chile
Local time: 05:19


Summary of answers provided
5 +1on the climbing step
psicutrinius
3 +1running board
Berni Armstrong


  

Answers


5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
on the climbing step


Explanation:
That is the position -he was standing on the cab climbing step (which was quite more apparent in the lorries [or trucks] at the time than it is now).

The only other position is the cab (no planes spotted from here), or at the rear, but in the latter case, no "pujador" to be mentioned -he would already have "pujat"...

psicutrinius
Spain
Local time: 09:19
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Benoit HUPIN (X)
5 mins
  -> Gràcies, Benoit (Benet?)
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15 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
running board


Explanation:
"On the climbing step" would be understood. But I believe there is another more exact term. On an old car it was the running board. I think that might have been used for lorries too. Curiously, while following this hunch I came across a description from WWII of a guy using the term in a situation not too dissimilar to the one your original is describing. Check out the reference below:

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Note added at 15 hrs (2007-07-27 12:26:57 GMT)
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Just foudn this too - similar in feel:

"At the beginning of April 1941 I had a narrow escape. I was told to deliver a large quantity of barbed wire to up near the front line....... I had two vehicles on tow that I did not want to abandon, so I decided to take the coast road back. As I left .... I heard gunfire (luckily out of range) so I stood on the running board making rude signs....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/32/a2057032.shtml
for full story.

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Note added at 15 hrs (2007-07-27 12:30:28 GMT)
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Another mention from yet anotehr WWII source:

"All went well until suddenly from a wadi crawled a German tank. It nosed directly towards the New Zealanders. Instantly Lofty—‘I didn't think about it; it was more like instinct’—stood ***on his truck's running-board ***and thrust a hand high above his head in the universally recognised halt sign—or Heil Hitler salute. The tank stopped and started back down into the wadi again. Some time later drivers resumed breathing."


    Reference: http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/65/a2773965.shtml
Berni Armstrong
Spain
Local time: 09:19
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Sheila Hardie: took the words out of my mouth :-))
18 hrs
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