I have an issue with translating ¡Marchando! as "Coming up!" To me, this English phrase would not be spoken by wait staff to get the kitchen staff or bartender to start working on an order. "Coming up!" is something that a preparer would say to the wait staff, or to a guest, to let them know that they are starting to fulfill a request.
Maybe a better translation would be "Get a move on!"
Hi Scott O.
That’s a very fair observation, and you’re absolutely right to question the English gloss rather than the Spanish meaning itself.
In Spanish, ¡Marchando! is a very common expression used by waitstaff or bartenders to acknowledge an order and signal that it’s being acted on. In that sense, it’s closer to “On it!”, “Coming right up!”, or “Right away!” than to a literal idea of physical movement.
You’re also correct that “Coming up!” in English is more naturally said by the kitchen or bar staff, not by the person taking the order. The translation was meant to convey the function of the expression (acknowledging and passing on the order), but I agree that it’s not a perfect pragmatic match in English.
“Get a move on!” would work in other contexts, but it carries a different tone (more like urging someone to hurry), which isn’t what ¡Marchando! usually means in a service setting.
So thank you for pointing this out—it’s a great example of how translations can be accurate in meaning but still imperfect in terms of real-life usage. We’ll keep this nuance in mind when reviewing explanations and translations.
Best,
Silvia
Don't have an account yet? Join today
And get your personalised Study Plan to improve it
Find your Spanish level