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Orientación de las tensiones
Es como una maldición para bien

Glossary entry

Spanish term or phrase:

dejar al país maniatado

English translation:

leaving the country hamstrung; leaving the country with its hands tied

Added to glossary by Mónica Algazi
Dec 4, 2013 16:45
10 yrs ago
Spanish term

dejar al país maniatado

Spanish to English Other Journalism Article
Suponen que cerrar las puertas del futuro son medidas que van a caer simpáticas. Pero son medidas restringentes. Recortar el futuro, en principio atrasa y empobrece, * deja al país maniatado * ante las posibles oportunidades del porvenir.

TIA!
Proposed translations (English)
4 +2 leaving the country hamstrung
4 +5 leave the country with its hands tied
4 +1 [See below.]
4 threatening the country’s ability (to capitalize on future opportunities)
3 to leave the country helpless

Discussion

Mónica Algazi (asker) Dec 4, 2013:
De acuerdo Este es un error tan común como molesto, aun entre periodistas profesionales (como parece ser el caso).
Charles Davis Dec 4, 2013:
Often done, but wrong To be fair, this comma is not just random, though it is wrong. Spanish speakers have a tendency to pause after the subject when it's relatively long, and so it seems natural to them to reflect this by putting a comma:

"3.1 Es incorrecto escribir coma entre el sujeto y el verbo de una oración, incluso cuando el sujeto está compuesto de varios elementos separados por comas: Mis padres, mis tíos, mis abuelos, me felicitaron ayer. Cuando el sujeto es largo, suele hacerse oralmente una pausa antes del comienzo del predicado, pero esta pausa no debe marcarse gráficamente mediante coma [...]"
http://lema.rae.es/dpd/?key=coma
neilmac Dec 4, 2013:
Endemic punctuation error That errant comma after "recortar el futuro" drives me up the wall. It seems as if at least 50% of Spanish speakers stick in wherever it shouldn't be. It irritates me even more than the widespread apostrophe misuse in English, especially when perpetrated by people who should know better, like university professors - or in this case, journalists.

Proposed translations

+2
8 mins
Selected

leaving the country hamstrung

It depends on how this sentence is translated, but it seems to me that the gerund form would have more punch.
Examples:news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8314276.stm‎
19/10/2009 - But neither prime minister has been able to maintain a stable coalition, leaving the country hamstrung in the face of one of Europe's deepest ...
https://fr-fr.facebook.com/.../342513285813352‎
In the 1970s, the Khmer Rouge regime wiped out nearly every modern advance in health care, civic life, and literacy, leaving the country hamstrung by this tragic ...
Note from asker:
Thank you, Jenni!
Peer comment(s):
agree Charles Davis : I like "hamstrung".
1 hr
Thanks, Charles. It certainly fits what it's like to observe what's happening from ground zero.
agree neilmac : Perhaps a bit tabloidy, but effective IMO :)
2 hrs
Cheers and thanks, Neil.
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you all!"
2 mins

to leave the country helpless

I would say.
Note from asker:
Thank you, jmeger.
Something went wrong...
+5
2 mins

leave the country with its hands tied

Highland Licensing Board approves variation to HUSH drinks licence
www.highland.gov.uk/yourcouncil/news/.../2013/.../2013-05-1...‎
14 May 2013 - She said: “Unfortunately, the Board found itself with its hands tied. The presumption is in favour of an applicant and in this case there were no ...

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Note added at 5 minutos (2013-12-04 16:50:42 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Ed Miliband Plays Politics with Syria - Clare George-Hilley
parliamentstreet.org › Blog‎
It is a character flaw that has ***left Britain with its hands tied** whilst crying and screaming children, with visible napalm burns from horrific weapons are left to suffer.

NEW JOURNAL COMMENT: A sane and principled decision on our ...
www.camdennewjournal.com/new-journal-comment-sane-and-princ...‎
1 Nov 2012 - **With its hands tied by central government***, Camden Council is able to build a minuscule number of council homes. At least, it has adhered to its ...



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Note added at 37 minutos (2013-12-04 17:23:29 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

"....leaving the country's hands tied and unable to avail of any future opportunities"
Note from asker:
Thank you, Lisa!
Peer comment(s):
agree Carol Gullidge : here, I think the literal translation sounds most natural
20 mins
Thanks, Carol - in this case a literal translation works well and it's a coomon expression :)
agree Audra deFalco (X) : Yes.
26 mins
Thanks!
agree Phoenix III
30 mins
Thanks!
agree neilmac : Slightly more formal than "hamstrung", so best option so far IMHO ;)
2 hrs
Cheers, Neil :)
agree Alejandro Alcaraz Sintes
1 day 1 hr
Something went wrong...
+1
24 mins

[See below.]

Recortar el futuro, en principio atrasa y empobrece, * deja al país maniatado * ante las posibles oportunidades del porvenir.
=
Future [budget] cutbacks can only impoverish a nation and impede its progress, thus rendering it incapable of benefiting from future opportunities.

Or, if the text implies a more general take on "recortar:

Mortgaging the future can only impoverish a nation and impede its progress, thus rendering it incapable of benefiting from future opportunities.


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Note added at 52 mins (2013-12-04 17:37:59 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Or:

...thus rendering it impotent in the face of future opportunities.
Note from asker:
Thank you, Robert!
Peer comment(s):
agree neilmac : Nice solution too...
1 hr
Something went wrong...
4 hrs
Spanish term (edited): dejar al país maniatado (ante las posibles oportunidades del porvenir)

threatening the country’s ability (to capitalize on future opportunities)


This is how I would handle this I think.
Example sentence:

Recortar el futuro, en principio atrasa y empobrece, <u>deja al país maniatado</u> ante las posibles oportunidades del porvenir.

Future cuts essentially delay and impoverish, <u>threatening the country’s ability</u> to capitalize on future opportunities.

Reference:

http://tinyurl.com/nuu82l2

http://tinyurl.com/pceq57r

Note from asker:
Thank you, James!
Something went wrong...
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