Apr 29, 2013 09:13
11 yrs ago
16 viewers *
Spanish term

bien

Spanish to English Law/Patents Law (general) Academic abstract
Hi everyone, I'm translating an academic article entitled "CAMBIOS Y PERMANENCIAS DEL CRIMEN EN URUGUAY (1878 – 1907)"

The term 'bien jurídico' is used at the beginning of the article several times, which I've translated as 'legal right'.

Examples:

Esta clase de acción trae aparejada la lesión o puesta en peligro de un **bien jurídico** (la vida, la integridad física, la propiedad o el orden público) que es necesario defender.

El Código uruguayo, siguiendo el modelo del “Codice Zanardelli” de Italia, luego de separar las faltas de los delitos, los agrupó en once títulos de acuerdo a los bienes jurídicos protegidos y que sirvieron como criterio de clasificación. **El bien jurídico** entonces pasa a ser la clave que hacía posible descubrir la naturaleza del tipo o sea la adecuación de la acción a lo descrito en el Código.

However, later when just 'bien' is used, I'd like to know whether it's still appropriate to translate this as 'right', or it's referring to a 'good' or 'asset', particularly when property is mentioned.

Examples:

Estos pequeños ilícitos parecieron vincularse básicamente a dos factores: la oportunidad, producto de la facilidad para la **apropiación del bien** y el “estado de necesidad” del autor. Este último elemento no escapó tampoco a la mirada periodística que ante estas situaciones humanizó al delincuente, llamando la atención del lector sobre este aspecto. Es el caso, por solo citar un ejemplo, de una madre que robó “cinco flores que se encontraban depositadas en los panteones” en el cementerio público de Mercedes:

Pero esa “delincuencia de miserables”, de **bienes de reducido valor**, habitualmente tuvo no sólo como protagonistas sino como víctimas a personas provenientes de los sectores populares.

Thanks for your help!
Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

Non-PRO (1): Rosa Paredes

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Discussion

Lindsay Spratt (asker) Apr 29, 2013:
Thanks Toni. It's just sometimes it says 'bien' and it seems to be short for 'bien juridico' and then in these cases, it seemed too tangible to be 'right' or 'interest'. Thanks for your help and to everyone else in this discussion.
Toni Castano Apr 29, 2013:
@Lindsay Not by chance we usually say that context is of paramount importance. Thank you for posting more and clarifying. In view of your new explanation it is, say, quite obvious to me that "good" refers to any kind of material good that can be stolen. In my opinion, the translations "interest/s" and/or "legal right/s" are not applicable here.
I think you should use "goods" in all three instances, since the reference is quite obviously to "tangible things", even though in the second instance there is also a reference to the human body (delitos contra la persona). On the contrary, whenever the reference is to the abstract/immaterial/intangible "bien jurìdico", which is a legal (i.e. an abstract) concept that refers to the "interest protected by law" (whether material or immaterial: a poncho, your mental sanity, your privacy, your car, your honour), you should say "legal interest". Examples: the "legal interest" protected by the law on libel/defamation is honour; the "legal interest" infringed/violated by a thief/a robber is property; the legal interest protected by the law that prohibits murder is life, and so on...
Lindsay Spratt (asker) Apr 29, 2013:
Toni Examples of cases where I wasn't sure if it was a legal right/interest being referred to by 'bien' or more of a 'good/asset' are these:

Pero esa “delincuencia de miserables”, de **bienes de reducido valor**, habitualmente tuvo no sólo como protagonistas sino como víctimas a personas provenientes de los sectores populares.

Suárez, aunque se concentró en la variedad de los ilícitos contra la propiedad, evidenció que el problema de la entidad del bien afectado lo trascendió, comprometiendo también a los delitos contra la persona.

Por ejemplo, al presentar estos delitos bajo el rótulo de “raterías” o incluso como “robito”, en clara alusión al valor del bien. Así aparecen mercancías (un par de zapatillas , una cuchilla , piezas de tela , un poncho ) o pequeñas cantidades de dinero que dan cuenta de la magnitud de lo robado.
Toni Castano Apr 29, 2013:
I agree The rendering will depend on the query term that is applicable in the specific case. But what is the specific case here? Lindsay, could you clarify on this?
Indeed, I just pointed out that "bien jurìdico" should always be translated as "legal interest", as it is commonly translated as such. This was just to help the asker, which at the beginning of her query (2nd line) said she had translated it as "legal right". Of course, in all instances in which "bien" is alone, i.e. without "jurìdico", it may well mean either a tangible or an intangible asset/good, according to circumstances.
Toni Castano Apr 29, 2013:
"Bien" or "bien jurídico" The context says it all, and in this specific case (the paragraph beginning with "estos pequeños ilícitos...") I am prone to believe that "bien material = good/property" is meant there, not the "bien jurídico". As for "bienes de reducido valor", it is pretty clear to me: "bien material: good" is the meaning.

Proposed translations

+4
9 mins
Selected

interest

"bien jurídico" is a "legal interest", i.e. an interest which is protected by law. "interest" is a term encompassing both material and immaterial assets/goods (life, honour, health, property, etc.)

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Note added at 2 hrs (2013-04-29 11:21:19 GMT)
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You may find different meanings of the expression "legal interest", in law. It means not only the "interest rate determined by law", but also "advantage, profit, right or share": http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/legal-interest....

Indeed, in this case "legal interest" is exactly equivalent to "bien jurídico" in the sense of "interest protected by law", as exemplified in umpteen use made by the EU institutions, for instance. See this document: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/Notice.do?mode=dbl&lng1=en,es&lang=...

in which you will find eloquent examples such as: "(48) Furthermore, in its more recent case-law, the ECtHR takes into account whether the imposition of penalties for the offence is intended to protect LEGAL INTERESTS which normally fall within the sphere of protection of criminal law." whose Spanish equivalent is: "(48) Además, el TEDH tuvo en cuenta en su jurisprudencia más reciente el hecho de si la sanción de la infracción tiene por objeto la protección de BIENES JURIDICOS cuya protección se garantiza normalmente mediante normas de Derecho penal.


And again, in the same document: "56. The LEGAL INTEREST protected in the case at issue, the financial interests of the European Union, may be protected both by criminal law and by administrative law, so that this element of the second Engel criterion does not assist further in characterising the penalty." whose Spanish equivalent is: "56. El BIEN JURIDICO protegido en el caso de autos, los intereses financieros de la Unión, puede protegerse tanto por el Derecho penal como por el Derecho administrativo. Por lo tanto, este elemento del segundo criterio Engel no ayuda en la caracterización de la sanción.

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Note added at 2 hrs (2013-04-29 11:31:03 GMT)
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If you look through the search engines of the EU institutions http://eur-lex.europa.eu/RECH_mot.do you will find that "bien jurìdico" is invariably translated as "legal interest".
Note from asker:
Thanks for your input! The wiktionary definition for 'legal interest' is different though: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/legal_interest
Peer comment(s):

agree Billh : yes this is correct I think. The Wiki entry relates to banking, not the case here.
2 hrs
thank you
agree Richard Hill
3 hrs
thank you
agree James A. Walsh
3 hrs
thank you
agree Zilin Cui
2 days 10 hrs
thank you
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks!"
+1
1 hr

legal rights / goods

I agree with you, Lindsay. It appears to be talking about legal rights in the first examples (classification of crimes according to which right has been violated), but then goods (items which have been stolen) in the later examples. Rights wouldn't work in the second case.

Since it is being used in different contexts in your first and second groups of examples, I don't think you need to worry about choosing one term and sticking with it throughout.
Peer comment(s):

agree teresa quimper
5 hrs
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