I just bought a smoothie and the barista wrote the Spanish phrase "Éxitos" on my cup. My Spanish-speaking colleagues tell me this is wishing me success.
I'm trying to think of an analogous English phrase but I can't think of anything closer than "Good luck," which is a much more general meaning. Any ideas?
First, we should discard the easy translation of "success" because "success" is convenient but it is not a good interpretation in this context.
Second, if we look in a Spanish dictionary, we find some interesting things.
éxito.
(Del lat. exĭtus, salida).
m. Resultado feliz de un negocio, actuación, etc.
m. Buena aceptación que tiene alguien o algo.
m. p. us. Fin o terminación de un negocio o asunto.
The etymology of the word is from Latin exĭtus "an exit". The third definition is merely the ending of a negotiation, transaction, or issue: there is no positive or negative connotation. The first two definitions, however, have specific, and positive, connotations. Feliz is happy, and buena is good. Therefore, when trying to find an analogous phrase in English, focus on endings or results (definition 1. "Resultado") that are happy or good. "Success" is only one incarnation of a happy or good result, so it is much too narrow as a starting point for your search.
Third, éxitos is the plural form. That might not matter, but it might help you find an analogous phrase.
Because of the above, I am not a fan of "excelsior" because it speaks to a process, not a result. I do not think "good luck" is similar to éxitos because there does not seem to be an connotation of luck (suerte) in éxito.
"Have a good day" was one suggestion. In a comment, however, you wrote that the cup "also has 'Felíz día' [written on it] and a drawn picture of a kitty cat." Felíz día literally means "Happy day", of course. So, "have a good day" would be a redundant interpretation of éxitos.
"Happy trails!" is an old expression, but I do not think it a good fit because it refers to a process, rather than a result--but it is plural, which is an advantage.
I think one of the problems is that the Spanish word implies "have" éxitos, at least when translated into English. Therefore, most English phrases will lack the concision and poetry of a single word: éxitos.
Google translate suggests some interesting words:
I cannot think of a good analogous English word or phrase, and I think you should invent something. Some ideas:
My personal favorite right now is rooted in United States history, "win glorious triumphs," and all three words are potential interpretations of éxitos.
Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those timid spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.
--Theodore Roosevelt (emphasis added)
Excelsior, from the latin, at dictionary.com:
ever upward: motto of New York State.
The word you're looking for is exactly what we would say to a friend who is about to enter a competition or who is just beginning his professional life. I can't come up with anything better than a prim "good luck" or "best of luck". Although "success" sounds natural in Spanish, "I wish you success", "hope you'll succeed", "I'm rooting for you", or "you will win" don't seem to be better messages than a simple "good luck".
My first thought is the same as that of Centaurus: "good luck" or "best of luck." But we typically use those in reference to a specific endeavor, known by both speaker and listener.
Non-specifically, you might try:
Fare thee well! (a bit antiquated, I know)
All the best! (a bit too epistolary, perhaps)
Or, if we want something short and easy to write on a cup, although it doesn't really translate to "have success," is the increasingly popular and flexible:
Cheers!
Alternatively, and requiring a bit more ink:
May the Force be with you!
I wish you the very best of luck in all your future endeavors. May success always find you.