English translation: no se ponen en duda / are not questioned
Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.
You will also have access to many other tools and opportunities designed for those who have language-related jobs (or are passionate about them). Participation is free and the site has a strict confidentiality policy.
Spanish to English translations [PRO] Social Sciences - Social Science, Sociology, Ethics, etc. / Communication - hegemonic discourse
Spanish term or phrase:Ayuda con frase
"Cualquier discurso comunicativo (conversación interpersonal, libro de texto, conferencia académica, correo electrónico, carta postal, chat informático, debate televisivo, etc.) se construye mediante la circulación de expresiones; la fiabilidad, pertinencia y objetividad de dichas expresiones se ponen en duda, pues, de lo contrario, sería imposible que los interlocutores puedan meta-comunicarse, es decir, alcancen acuerdos sobre la comunicación, más allá de lo que se expresa. "
This sentence is causing me grief. It is one of the introductory paragraphs in an academic abstract on mass communications media/social communications media.
Maybe I've got completely the wrong end of the stick, but, de entrada, I feel very strongly that "se ponen en duda" should be in negative in order for this sentence to make sense. How can there be meta-communication without some common ground?
Any thoughts?
TIA - I'll post in Esp-Esp now, and will read both with interest.
Though it does not show anywhere in my note above, I agree with María that my opinion should be even humbler, because I am no sociologist, but an engineer (though on the other hand we have a penchant for calling a spade a spade...)
Noni, in my humble opinion, both as a sociologist and a translator, Psicutrinius and Marco are right, and you too, and there's a "no" missing there. But, I suggest you ask client.
De entrada, I agree. Either there is a "no" before "se ponen en duda" or this is sheer nonsense. If I do NOT trust reliability, etc (at least "prima facie"), there is NO communication...
Automatic update in 00:
Answers
23 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +5
se ponen en duda - are discussed (or, more strongly, "scrutinized", put under the microscope, etc.)
Explanation: assuming that the original does not have a mistake, then perhaps it means that there is room for discussion about the reliability of these expressions etc., and this allows meta-communication to take place
Deborah Lockett Local time: 06:28 Works in field Native speaker of: English PRO pts in category: 163
The translation workplace 
peer agreement (net): +5
