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English translation: our hands are tied

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Portuguese term or phrase:engessados
English translation:our hands are tied
Entered by: R. Alex Jenkins

18:53 Dec 23, 2009
Portuguese to English translations [PRO]
Bus/Financial - Human Resources
Portuguese term or phrase: engessados
I've got a few ideas, but I'd appreciate your collective suggestions.

Many Cheers :)

É muito importante pois é o que faz atingirmos mais rapidamente níveis de excelência operacional. - - Hoje estamos muito "engessados" principalmente no que se refere a contratação de pessoas para equipes operacionais.
R. Alex Jenkins
Brazil
Local time: 05:04
our hands are tied
Explanation:
At the moment our hands are tied, particularly when it comes to ...

I think this is a good equivalent expression.
HTH
Selected response from:

Paula Vaz-Carreiro
Grading comment
This is perfect. The original text was exactly as I wrote it above, with "engessados" in quotes. In the end I simply used "tied". Cheers - and a Happy New year!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +5our hands are tied
Paula Vaz-Carreiro
5 +2(too) constrained
coolbrowne
5bound by red tape
Fiona Stephenson
5Very Restricted
el_guariqueno
5 -1(more) experienced.
Beta Cummins
4limited
T o b i a s
4 -1immobilized
Marlene Curtis


  

Answers


5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +5
our hands are tied


Explanation:
At the moment our hands are tied, particularly when it comes to ...

I think this is a good equivalent expression.
HTH

Paula Vaz-Carreiro
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in PortuguesePortuguese, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8
Grading comment
This is perfect. The original text was exactly as I wrote it above, with "engessados" in quotes. In the end I simply used "tied". Cheers - and a Happy New year!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  David Drysdale (X): Perfect! Our hands are tied in terms of . . .
4 hrs
  -> Thanks a lot David :-) Boas Festas
agree  Amy Duncan (X)
4 hrs
  -> Thanks and Boas Festas
agree  Antonio Tomás Lessa do Amaral
12 hrs
  -> Thanks and Boas Festas
agree  T o b i a s
16 hrs
  -> Thanks and Boas Festas :-)
agree  Ana Resende
4 days
  -> Thanks!
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5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): -1
(more) experienced.


Explanation:
Richard,
The text was, obviously, poorly written. Some try to "embelish" what just needs to be plain and simple.

Beta Cummins
United States
Local time: 04:04
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in PortuguesePortuguese
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  coolbrowne: Sorry. It is't experienced, but constrained.
1 hr
  -> On a second look, yes, you are correct. Does not detract to the fact that it was poorly written. Thank you for your input, nonetheless!
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10 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): -1
immobilized


Explanation:
26 Things You Can Do RIGHT NOW To Manage Your Anxiety
Others become immobilized, unable to make the simplest decisions, lest they turn out to be the wrong ones. ... We're likely to live longer through a life-threatening disease if we do. .... Then I can hire some worms to build soil, then I can grow food. ... Excellent LIFE GUIDE for anyone in any time or any economy! ...
www.peakoilblues.com/blog/?p=181

Marlene Curtis
United States
Local time: 04:04
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in PortuguesePortuguese
PRO pts in category: 298

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  David Drysdale (X): Maybe too ambiguous!
4 hrs
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +2
(too) constrained


Explanation:
In this case, "engessado" refers to orthopedic casts, which contrain movement

coolbrowne
United States
Local time: 04:04
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in PortuguesePortuguese
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Beta Cummins: Adding to it the slang form in which their constraint was expressed.
11 mins
  -> Thanks. It's not really slang but figurative language (the image of a cast for whatever constraints they are subject to).
agree  Bentevi: I think "rather" would work better than "too" in this context.
41 mins
  -> Thank you. Yes, "rather" or "quite" are other possibilities
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16 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
limited


Explanation:
'highly limited,' 'rather limited,' 'somewhat limited,' etc.

Example sentence(s):
  • But agriculture, as I’ve just said, has changed so dramatically that today we are very limited in terms of what we can do for some of our core customers — the small, young, beginning farmers, and the part-time farmers who have significant off-farm inc

    Reference: http://www.farmcreditmaine.com/Notebook/L3/QandA.htm
T o b i a s
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
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2 days 16 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
bound by red tape


Explanation:
This might be an alternative if, for example, personnel cannot be hired due to the bureaucracy involved.

Fiona Stephenson
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:04
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
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3 days 20 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
Very Restricted


Explanation:
It refers to the limitations imposed on the hiring process making it stiffer, difficult or sometimes impossible

Example sentence(s):
  • Additional Information on the Restricted Hiring Procedure
  • Agencies may continue to request “restricted” hiring freeze waivers for critical job vacancies

    Reference: http://college.lattc.edu/payroll/files/2009/05/restricted-hi...
    Reference: http://www.budget.state.ny.us/guide/bprm/bulletins/b-1165.ht...
el_guariqueno
Local time: 03:04
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish
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