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English to Spanish translations [PRO]
Social Sciences - Idioms / Maxims / Sayings / United States | | English term or phrase: blue-eyed boy | I have decided to compile a somewhat thorough English-Spanish glossary, a long-standing goal I have had for many years but never actually done. In approximately 10% of the cases, I am recurring to you, my colleagues on Proz, to ask you to help me get appropriate translations into Spanish of a number of idioms.
I want to assure everyone that ALL TRANSLATIONS WILL BE SHARED on the open forum we have in Proz. The way I guarantee this is by choosing “one answer” to which I incorporate many of the other answers, and then I click to save the question and answer on the open Proz forum.
Selection criteria: 1) extensive usage throughout the Spanish-speaking world. I am counting on your help, and since usually colleagues simply agree without adding where they know the translated term to be used, I am not able to specify this in the answers. This is not a commercial enterprise, but rather an informal exercise for the benefit of all of us. 2) Many times there are really creative idioms that are used which, although not used necessarily through the Spanish-speaking world, would be readily understood by all. I am particularly happy to include these in the open forum so that we can all enjoy them in our use, whether literally, or perhaps with an adaptation to the degree that each translator deems appropriate for that particular target population.
Please, when you agree with an answer, mention the countries in which you know such idiom to be used, if not already mentioned by another colleague. Since this project is so time-consuming and endless, and since, like you, I have such a heavy load of translations and interpreting jobs to do and cannot spend umpteen million hours on it, I must count on your help. And although simply listing countries because another translator say so is in no way scientific, at least it is an interesting start.
Finally, I know context is everything. Quite often I will give the meaning(s) in which I am interested, and I will attempt to include a sample. Some sources, such as the Random House Dictionary, already have an example, so there is no need for me to do this, since time is of essence.
Thank you for your help.
example of "blue-eyed boy" in its figurative sense of the favorite of someone of authority.
Talabani, an astute politician, had no trouble picking up the administration’s subtext: Washington’s cards were now stacked against him, a far cry from his standing in 2003 as the Bush administration’s blue-eyed boy, pillar of US influence and prop of its intelligence efforts in Iraq before and after the invasion. He translated the US turnabout as a move under European influence to undermine his program for merging the two Kurdish entities ruled by himself and Barzani into a strong and united Kurdistan. Washington was now intent on mending its breach with Arab governments, especially those with Kurdish minorities. The way the provisional government was put together was another step in the same direction and its logical corollary was the exclusion of any guarantee of Kurdish autonomy from the UN resolution. |
| | | Selected response from:
 Graciela Guzman
Argentina
Local time: 12:36
| Grading comment Muchas gracias otra vez.
Mike :)
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer |
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| Discussion entries: 0 |
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Automatic update in 00:
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10 mins confidence:   peer agreement (net): +2 | |
The translation workplace 
