enchufismo

English translation: string-pulling

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Spanish term or phrase:enchufismo
English translation:string-pulling
Entered by: AR Johnson (X)

21:51 May 17, 2005
Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Human Resources / public administration in Morocco
Spanish term or phrase: enchufismo
"A esto, hay que añadir la corrupción y el enchufismo para entrar en la administración pública, donde se produce una desigualdad e injusticia para acceder a un puesto de trabajo sin tener enchufes en la administración."

from a background report about a Moroccan Jobless Association, lefty social justice in nature. "Enchufismo" refers to the phenomena of "having connections", having "an in" to circumvent merit-based competitve job-placement exams for Moroccan public administration posts. But aesthetically, I'm blanking on how to express that concept concisely with the grammar structure of the sentence. ("connectionism" isn't a word, you know?) And "having connections" is already being used for "tener enchufes"..

I fear the spanish version of this document may itself be a translation from Arabic, in which case "enchufismo" comes directly from the Arabic concept of having "waSta", if that helps....

thanks for any thoughts!
AR Johnson (X)
string-pulling
Explanation:
Public Comments by Brad Rourke: 04/22/04
... Heather McKee (a Boeing employee who had gotten her job through string-pulling
by her mother), sent encrypted e-mails on her behalf to company officials ...
www.bradrourke.com/pc/2004_04_22_rourke_archive.html - 27k - Cached - Similar pages

SparkNotes: Regeneration: Plot Overview
... With the string-pulling and guidance of Robert Graves, a fellow poet and friend of
... who offers him a terrific job at a war hospital in London. ...
www.sparknotes.com/lit/regeneration/summary.html - 29k - Cached - Similar pages

European Marches - Social rights in an enlarged Europe
... against unemployment, job insecurity and social exclusions ... bureaucratization
and string-pulling for friends, 80% of citizens living on the misery ...
www.euromarches.org/english/04/0319_5f.htm - 17k - Cached - Similar pages
Selected response from:

Rebecca Hendry
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:59
Grading comment
Thank you very much. String-pulling, nepotism, and cronyism were precisely the three choices I was debating before asking proz. None of them are quite perfect for the document, but it is very good to see that the options I was considering are also those that colleagues would recommend. Thanks again!
2 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +3string-pulling
Rebecca Hendry
5 +1nepotism/cronyism
neilmac


  

Answers


3 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
string-pulling


Explanation:
Public Comments by Brad Rourke: 04/22/04
... Heather McKee (a Boeing employee who had gotten her job through string-pulling
by her mother), sent encrypted e-mails on her behalf to company officials ...
www.bradrourke.com/pc/2004_04_22_rourke_archive.html - 27k - Cached - Similar pages

SparkNotes: Regeneration: Plot Overview
... With the string-pulling and guidance of Robert Graves, a fellow poet and friend of
... who offers him a terrific job at a war hospital in London. ...
www.sparknotes.com/lit/regeneration/summary.html - 29k - Cached - Similar pages

European Marches - Social rights in an enlarged Europe
... against unemployment, job insecurity and social exclusions ... bureaucratization
and string-pulling for friends, 80% of citizens living on the misery ...
www.euromarches.org/english/04/0319_5f.htm - 17k - Cached - Similar pages


Rebecca Hendry
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:59
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 6
Grading comment
Thank you very much. String-pulling, nepotism, and cronyism were precisely the three choices I was debating before asking proz. None of them are quite perfect for the document, but it is very good to see that the options I was considering are also those that colleagues would recommend. Thanks again!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Michael Powers (PhD): Yes, the same translation in the Oxford Dictionary also - Mike :)
8 mins
  -> Thanks Mike :-)

agree  Ana-Maria Hulse: My vote is here because I feel that "string pulling" is as colloquial as "enchufismo" rather than the educated "nepotism" which is too academic.
8 hrs
  -> Thank you very much Ana-Maria. Yes, "string-pulling"is far more commonly said than "nepotism" as far as I'm aware.

agree  Nikki Graham
8 hrs
  -> Thanks Nikki.
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

18 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
nepotism/cronyism


Explanation:
"Enchufismo" is actually a slang word. The correct term is "nepotismo" but few people use it nowadays.
(See also DRAE): nepotismo.(De nepote).1. m. Desmedida preferencia que algunos dan a sus parientes para las concesiones o empleos públicos.

In English it has come to mean not only family members but others. "Cronyism" is another modern usage often heard in UK political journalism, which might be more apt in this context.


This is the classic definition.

neilmac
Spain
Local time: 22:59
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 103

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Margarita Palatnik (X): cronyism
11 hrs
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