¡Ánimo San Beda!

The Spanish cheer  ”Animo San Beda!” is  properly translated into “Courage San Beda!/Have Courage San Beda!”

In written Spanish:

¡Ánimo San Beda!

“Take courage!”, “Lift up your spirit!” , “Cheer up!” and “Keep it up!” are some of the other translations of this Spanish word when used to encourage. Since courage is an underlying Bedan theme, we prefer “Courage!”.  The Red Banner, the Red Lion Rampant, the Native American Indian, the Bedan Hymn and many other Bedan tradition speak of courage.

It is also correct to state that the Bedan Animo refers to the Bedan Spirit or more precisely  the Bedan School Spirit. When we  use it in a declarative manner, it refers to the school spirit. However, when we shout  ¡ánimo!,  there is a slight difference in contextual usage and meaning. We do not cheer “San Beda School Spirit!” but rather “Have Courage San Beda!” or “Courage San Beda!”.  Thus, in the context of Bedan cheering, as confirmed by Spanish-English dictionaries and various references,  ¡ánimo! means have courage. 

The subtle difference is attributed to the context, the accent and the idiomatic usage which is normal in the Spanish language. In written Spanish, this is demonstrated by using the tilde to show the acute Spanish accent as an example.

Shouting “Animo!” was as common as shouting “Vamos!” and “Avance!” in the old times. We were after all a former colony of Spain. The Bedan way is very clear. Come to think of it, we are the only school with an authentic Spanish cheer which goes like this:

El Colegio de San Beda Tiene que ganar! (Spanish Cheer)

El Colegio de San Beda
Tiene que ganar!

Animo, bravo, viva!
San Beda San Beda Arriba
Luchar, zumbar, acudir Hasta morir

Adelante, Victoria
San Beda San Beda San Beda
Adelante, Victoria
San Beda San Beda San Beda

 

It is also useful to look for the definition of the word directly as used by Spanish speakers. Here are links similar to our usage for everyone to digest:

*   We use ¡animo! to give courage. To encourage you to continue doing what you were doing.
http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=2932

*   “Animo muchachas! Courage women!” Silvia tells her new team, slapping them on the shoulders. “We’re going to win!”
http://www.sptimes.com/2002/07/07/Floridian/Away_games.shtml

*   There were people there cheering, saying “ánimo”, which means “courage” and I went downhill seeing some runners around 200 m ahead. Then, I went on to see some ugly industrial buildings at the entrance of Carboneras, a concrete factory and an electric plant.
http://www.runningcommentary.co.uk/forum/archive/index.php?t-253.html

*   ANIMO (“courage” en espagnol) est d’ailleurs un mot peint sur la pierre que l’on rencontre souvent sur le chemin. Impossible de rester mal en point au bord du chemin, quelqu’un s’occupera de toi dans les 5 ou 10 minutes qui viennent.
http://galice.net.free.fr/galice.net/camino_santiago_antoin.htm

*   ¡Animo! Take Courage! A Pilgrim’s Notes on El Camino de Compostela
http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip0512/2005012906.html

*   People said “Ánimo, que ya queda poco”. “Come on, ( Courage ), it is nearly over”. I remember a boy sitting on a wheelchair, who seemed to have a brain paralysis, saying “Ánimo”.
http://www.runningcommentary.co.uk/forum/archive/index.php?t-1006.html

*   “Animo. Take courage. Soon we will be together in heaven.” With that I ask you to give you full attention to the following testimony.
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/2964/homily32Sundayc.html