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EBA Evidence Based Acquisition (Bases de datos)
la Cristina herbívora de Arsenal
Jun 28, 2017 16:58
6 yrs ago
2 viewers *
Spanish term

pollo electoral

Spanish to English Other Government / Politics Elections in Argentina
Estoy traduciendo un artículo de Página 12 (https://www.pagina12.com.ar/46429-las-elecciones-en-cinco-cl... acerca de la opinión de varios consultores sobre las próximas elecciones en Argentina.

Pero hay una frase que no me cuadra y no logro entender a qué se refiere. Es la que está entre asteriscos más abajo.

===========================================
Roberto Bacman: Randazzo hizo cálculos sobre la base de que CFK no se iba a presentar. Massa cortó la relación con Cristina hace mucho más tiempo que él. En cambio Randazzo en 2015, hace solo dos años, quería ser el *****pollo electoral***** de Cristina y ni siquiera aceptó ir en otra lista contra Scioli.
===========================================
¿Se refiere a que Randazzo es mucho más joven en edad? Ni idea. :(

¡Gracias!
Proposed translations (English)
2 +3 Cristina's protegé / Cristina's man / Cristina's guy / Cristina's boy
4 candidate
4 horse in the upcoming race

Discussion

Robert Forstag Jul 12, 2017:
@MTTO I am glad to have been of help! :)
María Teresa Taylor Oliver (asker) Jul 12, 2017:
Thank you so much! Especially Virginia and Marcelo for the links, but also everyone for their contributions to the discussion. Argentine Spanish is really something else! :) /// I wanted to add that in the end, I used the neutral option "electoral partner" in my document.
12316323 (X) Jun 28, 2017:
@Marcelo - followed her around like a puppy
Virginia Koolhaas Jun 28, 2017:
Def. "Pollo" Del diccionario de lunfardo argentino.
http://geocities.ws/lunfa2000/aal3.htm
pollo. m. lunf. Persona o animal en quien alguien tiene confianza de que tenga éxito en su actividad, y lo ayuda y protege. (“¡Ese es mi pollo!”).
Marcelo González Jun 28, 2017:
@Kathryn - yes, thought of that one too :-) ...as it conjures up an appropriate allusion as well. @Virginia - your dictionary entry is very useful indeed; its meaning as 'candidate' fits the bill, albeit in a purely denotative manner in the target text, similar to translating it as 'Cristina's pick' (with 'pick' meaning 'favorite' as well) without any of the related stylistic effect produced by the idiomatic use of 'pollo'.
Virginia Koolhaas Jun 28, 2017:
@Marcelo "Pollo" is a colloquial term we use in Argentina/Uruguay to refer to our favourite/candidate in a race, contest, etc. I included the entry from the "Diccionario del español del Uruguay" in my suggestion.
12316323 (X) Jun 28, 2017:
Marcelo, I thought of the guy wanted to be taken under Cristina's wing, but wasn't sure if it worked well enough.
Marcelo González Jun 28, 2017:
reference to a farm animal in an idiom A stylistic effect that should not be conveyed in the translation? In discussing Michael Parenti's (2007) metaphor- and sarcasm-laden, 'It could not get any better than that for those feeding at the trough,' which I rendered as 'una situación óptima para los comensales en el banquete' I explain that, although the source-text allusion to farm animals "oblivious to questions of supply and provenance" would appear to have been lost (con la imagen de cerdos quizás, comiendo juntitos), "its functionally-equivalent reference to the privileged dining side-by-side, equally unconcerned with such questions, is clearly retained” ('Metaphor and Agency' 51-52).

<B>Metaphor and Agency in the English-Spanish Translation of Texts in the Social Sciences (2015)</B>
https://figshare.com/articles/Metaphor_and_agency_in_the_Eng...
Robert Forstag Jun 28, 2017:
A vote for "protegé." Spelling the word with an accent only on the final letter (as I did in my response) would more faithfully reflect how the word is actually pronounced in all varieties of English than either of the officially sanctioned alternatives.

To any lexicographers following this discussion: Please take note.
12316323 (X) Jun 28, 2017:
We can cope just fine, AllegroTrans (not a point of merit either way), but it's actually protégé with two accent marks. What's more important than being "faithful" to another language (French) is what's standard; Muriel is right that the accents are increasingly omitted. However, a quick search for protege in the New York Times shows many examples just this month, all with both accents. (I see both with and without in the Washington Post.) I guess I might lean towards including them :)
Helena Chavarria Jun 28, 2017:
I don't know if it has anything to do with this:

http://totvacomcalp.blogspot.com.es/2013/01/el-pollo-elector...

Proposed translations

+3
17 mins
Spanish term (edited): el pollo electoral de Cristina
Selected

Cristina's protegé / Cristina's man / Cristina's guy / Cristina's boy

Based on context. See also: https://mx.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=201002212050...

The specific expression "pollo electoral" does not seem to be at all common.

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Note added at 20 mins (2017-06-28 17:19:02 GMT)
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Or even, possibly: "Cristina's surrogate"

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Note added at 1 hr (2017-06-28 18:09:51 GMT)
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Spelling correction:

As Kathryn notes: "protege" or "protégé."

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Note added at 6 hrs (2017-06-28 23:57:10 GMT)
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FWIW, none of the additional information regarding the meaning of "pollo" has led me to change or remove my suggestion. No one says "I have a horse in this race" in reference to a political contest. One could say, "I have/don't have a dog in this fight," but I don't see where that fits here.
Note from asker:
Thank you so much, Robert! (and everyone else who contributed to the discussion!) I apologize for taking so long to close the question, but now I see the system chose for me (and very wisely, too! :)
Peer comment(s):
agree 12316323 (X) : Yes to protege (or protégé, less common). I might turn "electoral" into "political" here.
44 mins
"Political protegé" would work. This phrase also doesn't have the disparaging connotations of the other options that I suggested. Thank you, Kathryn.
agree Muriel Vasconcellos : Cristina's protege, Cristina's boy ("protege" doesn't have any accent in US English, per Merriam-Webster Intl.
1 hr
I'm getting a much-needed education on the spelling of "protege" today. Thank you, Muriel. 😊
agree AllegroTrans : protegé; surely Americans can cope with a French accent mark? We British have "café" and it doesn't seem to bother us....
1 hr
Both "résumé" and "resumé" (in addition to "resume") are considered correct in US English. So go figure. Thank you, AT.
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
1 hr

candidate

"pollo" is Arg/Urug slang (or rather, colloquial language) to refer to one's protégé, man/boy (like Robert suggest), favourite, candiate, etc. In this case, I think "candidate" suits better.
I would translate it as CFK or Kirchner's candidate (rather than Cristina's)

http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/189449/scioli-cfk-h...


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Note added at 1 hr (2017-06-28 18:44:53 GMT)
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Definition of "pollo" taken from "Diccionario del español del Uruguay" (Academia Nacional de Letras). Pollo/a: En una competencia de cualquier naturaleza: persona favorita de alguien.

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Note added at 6 hrs (2017-06-28 23:42:02 GMT)
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Del Diccionario de Argentina:
pollo. m. lunf. Persona o animal en quien alguien tiene confianza de que tenga éxito en su actividad, y lo ayuda y protege. (“¡Ese es mi pollo!”).
http://geocities.ws/lunfa2000/aal3.htm
Something went wrong...
4 hrs

horse in the upcoming race

to maintain the (favorable) allusion to a farm animal

...just two years ago wanted to be Cristina's horse in the upcoming [electoral] race, and even declined to run...

This suggestion would include an extended metaphor (horse, race, run) commonly found in political discousre, at least in the US.

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Note added at 5 hrs (2017-06-28 22:07:17 GMT)
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And the horse race metaphor is used in the UK as well, as the article below suggests:

"In this General Election horse race, the favourite is skittish and the lame old nag is coming up fast"
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3716679/in-this-general-electi...

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Note added at 7 hrs (2017-06-29 00:12:20 GMT)
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To the extent that a strictly denotative approach might be deemed appropriate, I'd say Virginia's 'candidate' would appear to be a good option.

That said, some translators may feel it's their option, if not their duty, to seek to convey not only the meaning but also any stylistic effects including, in this case, those produced by the idiomatic use of 'pollo.'

I hope this helps! ¡Cuánto tiempo, María Teresa! Saludos :-)

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Note added at 7 hrs (2017-06-29 00:52:30 GMT)
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Following Virginia's latest post in Discussion, del 'Diccionario de lunfardo argentino' ('Persona o animal en quien alguien tiene confianza de que tenga éxito en su actividad, y lo ayuda y protege), I wonder if 'political lapdog' would be consistent with the author's intent and the tone of the article:

...wanted to be Cristina's **political lapdog**...
Something went wrong...
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