I’m trying to translate a text I’ve written where we explain forge and foundry but not in the literal blacksmithing sense. What is the appropriate word in Spanish?

  • 3
    I think that you have to add more context. Those words are related specifically and literally to blacksmithing in English and so are their equivalents in Spanish, forja and fundición. The verb forjar can be used in the same "metaphorical" way than forge as create (something) strong. – RubioRic Aug 22 '19 at 11:29
  • 1
    Just to add to @RubioRic comment the Wikipedia disambiguation page has links to three separate entries for foundry: metal foundry, type foundry, semiconductor fabrication factory. So clarifying which one you want would be beneficial. – mdewey Aug 22 '19 at 12:42

Forge would be translated Forja

Foundry would be translated Fundición

In the first you heat something to make it malleable to be able to shape it, and in the second you completely melt the material to then put it into a mold and give it shape.



a furnace or a shop with its furnace where metal is heated and wrought

a blacksmith's workshop; a smithy.

Since this seems to be both the workshop and the "oven" used for the smith's trade, I would translate as Fragua

  1. f. Fogón en que se caldean los metales para forjarlos, avivando el fuego mediante una corriente horizontal de aire producida por un fuelle o por otro aparato análogo.

  2. f. Taller donde está instalada la fragua.

See from the second definition that a fragua is the place (workshop) where the foundry is installed. My guess is that in this question's context1 that workshop would be the foundry. Now, it would not be a "foundry" in the literal sense, since you are not melting metal into a liquid, pouring it into a mold etc.

You could use in this context herrería for this "foundry" (which by description seems to be more like a smithy).

  1. f. Taller en que se funde o forja y se labra el hierro en grueso.

  2. f. Taller de herrero.

  3. f. Tienda de herrero.

So, for the context give in the question I would translate

  • forge as fragua (fragua as a furnance)
  • foundry as herrería (to distinguish from the fragua/taller)

1 A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings.But I understand from the question that you want to change the "scope" of this place from "factory" to something more like "a few blacksmiths", meaning a smithy.

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