condición de alteridad de lo femenino

English translation: condition of alterity of the feminine

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

Spanish term or phrase:	condición de alteridad de lo femenino
English translation:	condition of alterity of the feminine
Entered by:	JaneTranslates

06:12 Sep 6, 2008

Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Social Sciences - History / sociology, early 20th century Puerto Rico

Spanish term or phrase: condición de alteridad de lo femenino

"Mientras que les resulta impensable que una mujer mate por voluntad y a conciencia, les parece perfectamente comprensible que lo haga por locura e inconciencia. Así, el texto funde discursivamente las categorías de madre, loca, inconsciente y mujer sin mayores problemas, y pone de relieve la condición de alteridad de lo femenino en la sociedad de la época."

DRAE:
alteridad: f. Condición de ser otro.

The larger context is arguing that a woman who was convicted of killing her own child, in Puerto Rico in 1904, was not executed because the social climate at the time was such that people couldn't handle the execution of a woman, indeed couldn't conceive of a female being a criminal.

So what is this saying? What is being highlighted? Is it that the concept of femininity is undergoing changes, or is it the "otherness" of the feminine, or what?

JaneTranslates KudoZ activity Questions: 152 (none open) (4 closed without grading) Answers: 505 Puerto Rico
Local time: 05:03

the alterity of the nature of the feminine

Explanation:
If this is a piece of socio-historical scholarship, alterity is is the correct translation of alteridad. It means otherness, but it has a specific philosophical meaning that is lost in simply translating it as otherness. The idea is that the otherness--or absolute difference of the nature of the feminine from the masculine--is part of what defines masculinity. The writer is no doubt bulding on the philosphical work of thinkers like Emmanuel Levinas, Enrique Dussel, and Jacques Derrida, which has given rise to a whole genre of scholar that builds on this notion (most of it "post-modern". I am absolutely confident about this because I teach university graduate seminars that use readings in Spanish and French, as well as English by these scholars on precisely these themes. The sentence below I'm including as an example comes from Dussel's "The Invention of the Americas: Eclipse of the Other and the Myth of Modernity" (1995). This theme of alterity has also become very pronounced in feminist scholarship in recent years. The two web references illustrate how widespread this concept has become in scholarly discourse in philosophical and feminist work.

Selected response from:

Germaine A Hoston
Local time: 02:03

Grading comment

Thank you, Germaine, for your very helpful explanation! I've copied it for future reference.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

5 +2

the alterity of the nature of the feminine

Germaine A Hoston

4 +1

condition of alterity of the feminine

DonM

4 +1

the otherness of the femenine condition

Mónica Sauza

the alterity of feminine condition

Beatriz Ramírez de Haro

brings out the complete distinction accorded to the fair sex

Bubo Coroman (X)

the unknown side of femininity

jack_speak

Answers

48 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

the alterity of the nature of the feminine

Dussel writes that through colonization, "Europe defined itself as discoverer,
conquistador, and colonizer of an alterity likewise constitutive of modernity."

Reference: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Levinas+Alterity
Reference: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Feminism+Alterity

Germaine A Hoston
Local time: 02:03
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4

Grading comment

Thank you, Germaine, for your very helpful explanation! I've copied it for future reference.

2 hrs confidence:

the alterity of feminine condition

Explanation:
:)

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2008-09-06 08:49:55 GMT)
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Or "the otherness of women's situation"

It refers to the double standards for judging men and women wich illustrates "the otherness of women's situation" in a given society

Beatriz Ramírez de Haro
Spain
Local time: 11:03
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

Spanish
PRO pts in category: 24

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thank you, BeaRH.

4 hrs confidence:

brings out the complete distinction accorded to the fair sex

Explanation:
or:

reveals that members of the fair sex were regarded as something entirely apart [from men]

by putting "fair sex" you accentuate the "differentness" of the female members of society, as they were seen in that age. The term "fair sex" is probably used rather less now than then, due to changing views of female persons.

At that time women didn't have the right to vote -- that is perhaps the biggest "distinction" they were accorded, or the biggest sign that they were regarded as "different" to men.

Bubo Coroman (X)
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 82

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thanks for your explanation, Deborah. Given the nature of my text, I need to go with "alterity," but you contributed to my understanding, as always.

6 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

condition of alterity of the feminine

Explanation:
As Germaine A Hoston's explanation was spot-on, I'm reluctant to propose a different answer. However, although "the alterity of the nature of the feminine" gets the idea across perfectly well, why the unnecessary tweaking of the original? I'm also familiar with reading this kind of philosophical/sociological text, and "condition of alterity of the feminine" will be perfectly understandable for the target readers and is the type of language common in such texts. So: why not be as faithful to the original as possible?

DonM
Ireland
Local time: 10:03
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 4

Notes to answerer

Asker: How I wish I could split the points! Germaine's explanation was exactly what I needed, but I agree with your suggestion to retain the original wording. Thank you very much.

6 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

the otherness of the femenine condition

Explanation:
Babylon
alteridad (f)
n. otherness

Wikipedia
Alteridad
Alteridad (del latín alter: el "otro" de entre dos términos, considerado desde la posición del "uno", es decir, del yo) es el principio filosófico de "alternar" o cambiar la propia perspectiva por la del "otro", considerando y teniendo en cuenta el punto de vista, la concepción del mundo, los intereses, la ideología del otro; y no dando por supuesto que la "de uno" es la única posible.

Mónica Sauza
Local time: 03:03
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Spanish

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thanks, Monica! I was certainly leaning toward "otherness," but I'm now convinced that, in this academic text, I need to stick to "alterity."

8 hrs confidence:

the unknown side of femininity

Explanation:
That's my assumption - it brings to light the misconceptions regarding limitations on who a woman might actually be capable of being.

jack_speak
Local time: 05:03
Native speaker of:

English

Notes to answerer

Asker: In this case, she might actually be capable of being--a criminal! Thanks, Jack.

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