The phrase "de pronto" is used very frequently in the Colombian focus group study I'm working on. It seems to be used mainly for emphasis, rather than for the meanings I'm familiar with (suddenly, hurriedly, perhaps). Here is an example:
"De pronto si ocurre algo en Brasil o en Argentina uno pone CNN y ahi de pronto amplian mas, hay siempre informacion."
In instances such as this, would it be appropriate to translate "de pronto" as "immediately" or "right away"? If someone from Colombia can clarify the usage of this phrase in your country, I'd be appreciative!
Yvette Neisser Moreno: 7:08pm Oct 15, 2007: Thank you all for your insights. So if I understand correctly, "de pronto" can be translated in almost innumerable ways depending on the context--it can mean "right away" as Marina says--but in some instances it does not have a specific meaning, but is most likely either "muletilla" or indicating possibility as in "maybe, perhaps, what if," etc., or to give an example (i.e., "For example, if something happens...). Is that right?
For this particular sentence, I'm thinking that Liz's suggestion might be the best translation... Yvette Neisser Moreno: 7:13pm Oct 15, 2007: Another example - I'd like to throw out another quote to see if I'm correct that "de pronto" also is sometimes used for emphasis, as in the following: "Si esta en otro horario de pronto me lo veria completo."
My inclination is to translate this as (something like): "If it were on at a different time, I would definitely watch the whole thing."
Am I on the right track here, my South American friends? Alicia Orfalian: 7:28pm Oct 15, 2007: In your second example the most appropriate expression would be "maybe", in my opinion. MarinaM: 10:03pm Oct 15, 2007: I agree with Alicia as regards the last example
Erklärung: I am from Ecuador and the Ecuadorians also use it a lot. Some times it is only what in Spanish is called as a "muleto" or a way to start or continue an answer, therefore does not even require a translation, but in many cases it means maybe or might be
The translation workplace 
Zustimmung (Netto): +3
