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  3. Law (general)

le montan un expediente simulando un hecho punible

English translation: they fabricate a case (against you)

19:24 Nov 10, 2018
Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Law/Patents - Law (general)
Spanish term or phrase: le montan un expediente simulando un hecho punible
Sigo con la traducción de la una entrevista a un prisionero político venezolano liberado recientemente. En el texto, describe los centros y métodos de tortura y situaciones que vivió o vio mientras estuvo:

"Después de dos años y medio en La Tumba, fue trasladado al Helicoide.

R.- El cambio fue difícil. Yo estaba acostumbrado al silencio y a la soledad. El Helicoide era ruido, mugre, hacinamiento, depravación. Presos políticos y opositores se mezclaban con presuntos corruptos y 200 presos comunes. Me enfermé.

P.- ¿Cómo es El Helicoide?

R.- El Helicoide es la pura expresión del Estado mafioso. Ahí reina la extorsión, sobre todo económica. A niveles que nadie es capaz de imaginar. Hay presos que han llegado a pagar 200.000 dólares a cambio de una celda un poco mejor. Sus familias se han endeudado, y sus hijos y sus nietos. Y luego están los corruptos, reales y presuntos. El SEBIN sabe que Fulano tiene dinero. **Le montan un expediente simulando un hecho punible**, igual que a los presos políticos. Lo secuestran. Lo encierran. Lo torturan. La familia de Fulano no tiene adónde denunciar, claro, porque es la propia policía la que lo tiene secuestrado. Y entonces le dicen: "Venga, Fulano, paga tanto". Y Fulano paga."

La expresión quiere decir que acusan a una persona falsamente de un delito (con el fin de tener una excusa para sacarle dinero). Había pensado en usar algo como "sham case", pero no parece usarse. "Put together a false case"?

Muchas gracias por adelantado
Yvonne Becker
Local time: 23:48
English translation:they fabricate a case (against you)
Explanation:
More of this terrible treatment.

"Put together" doesn't indicate clearly enough that it's a *false* case.

Another way to say it is "trump up"



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Note added at 12 mins (2018-11-10 19:36:20 GMT)
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I suggested "against you" because here the "you" means "you" in general, anybody / someone.

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Note added at 14 mins (2018-11-10 19:38:58 GMT)
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"trump up" is stronger than fabricate, I think.

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Note added at 1 hr (2018-11-10 21:04:25 GMT)
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I just noticed the definition I posted. Good example of the meaning of Trump.
Selected response from:

Joseph Tein
United States
Local time: 20:48
Grading comment
Muchas gracias a los dos
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +7they fabricate a case (against you)
Joseph Tein
4 +3They trumped up a charge (against him) simulating an illegal act
neilmac


  

Answers


7 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
They trumped up a charge (against him) simulating an illegal act


Explanation:
Or words to that effect ("hecho punible" se puede traducir de varias maneras).

In UK English "fit s/o up" is also used.

"They fitted him up with false charges simulating a crime…"

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/trumped-up

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Note added at 8 mins (2018-11-10 19:33:11 GMT)
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fit up - English-Spanish Dictionary - WordReference.com
www.wordreference.com/es/translation.asp?tranword=fit up
He was not guilty, the police fitted him up. No era culpable, lo habían involucrado. (coloquial), hacerle una cama a ...: Expresiones idiomáticas, ...

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Note added at 1 hr (2018-11-10 20:25:07 GMT)
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You could also use "raised false charges against him"

South Sudan: Wau Court Drops Case Against MP - allAfrica.com
https://allafrica.com/stories/201112231147.html
Dec 23, 2011 - ... that can easily be manipulated on political grounds that is why they raised false charges against me in the court and in the media,"


    https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trump%20up
    https://www.linguee.com/english-spanish/translation/trumped+up+charges.html
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 05:48
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 662

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Joseph Tein: Yeah ... "trump up" is good.//The appropriateness of "fit up" depends on who will be reading this; we don't use this in the U.S.// I wasn't happy with "simulating" but "alleging" would work very well.
2 mins
  -> Fit up/stitch up are very colloquial. Fabricate is nice… ;)
agree  Sandro Tomasi
5 hrs
agree  Richard Vranch: I like this as you express both ideas implicit in the ST phrase: fabrication and an alleged punishable act.
20 hrs
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9 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +7
they fabricate a case (against you)


Explanation:
More of this terrible treatment.

"Put together" doesn't indicate clearly enough that it's a *false* case.

Another way to say it is "trump up"



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 12 mins (2018-11-10 19:36:20 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I suggested "against you" because here the "you" means "you" in general, anybody / someone.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 14 mins (2018-11-10 19:38:58 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

"trump up" is stronger than fabricate, I think.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2018-11-10 21:04:25 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I just noticed the definition I posted. Good example of the meaning of Trump.

Example sentence(s):
  • Definition of trump up. transitive verb. 1 : to concoct especially with intent to deceive : fabricate, invent.
Joseph Tein
United States
Local time: 20:48
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 67
Grading comment
Muchas gracias a los dos

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Robert Carter: I think you have the right tense and pronoun here; "you" would be my choice too.
23 mins
  -> Hi Robert, thanks.
agree  neilmac: "Fabricate" is a neat way of avoiding the T word... :)
45 mins
  -> Yes ... thanks for reminding me about the T
agree  AllegroTrans
1 hr
  -> Thank you.
agree  Sandro Tomasi: If you leave out hecho punible in the TL, consider using "criminal," as in "they fabricate a criminal case."
5 hrs
  -> Hi Sandro, thanks. Nice suggestion.
agree  Natalia Pedrosa
11 hrs
  -> Thank you.
agree  franglish: Fabricate is what occured to me, though trump up takes on flesh further north...
13 hrs
  -> Vielen Dank.
agree  Judith Armele: I guess the pronoun will depende on how she chooses to translate the previous sentence, specially "fulano". If she uses "some guy", I would use "him".
20 hrs
  -> Gracias Judith.//Yes. She could use "somebody" for the first Fulano, then use "him" or "his" (family) or "he" in the following sentences, depending on the context.
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