English to Spanish Social Sciences Idioms / Maxims / Sayings

I have decided to compile a somewhat thorough English-Spanish glossary, a long-standing goal I have had for many years but never actually done. In approximately 10% of the cases, I am recurring to you, my colleagues on Proz, to ask you to help me get appropriate translations into Spanish of a number of idioms.

I want to assure everyone that ALL TRANSLATIONS WILL BE SHARED on the open forum we have in Proz. The way I guarantee this is by choosing “one answer” to which I incorporate many of the other answers, and then I click to save the question and answer on the open Proz forum.

Selection criteria: 1) extensive usage throughout the Spanish-speaking world. I am counting on your help, and since usually colleagues simply agree without adding where they know the translated term to be used, I am not able to specify this in the answers. This is not a commercial enterprise, but rather an informal exercise for the benefit of all of us. 2) Many times there are really creative idioms that are used which, although not used necessarily throughout the Spanish-speaking world, would be readily understood by all. I am particularly happy to include these in the open forum so that we can all enjoy them in our use, whether literally, or perhaps with an adaptation to the degree that each translator deems appropriate for that particular target population.
Please, when you agree with an answer, mention the countries in which you know such idiom to be used, if not already mentioned by another colleague. Since this project is so time-consuming and endless, and since, like you, I have such a heavy load of translations and interpreting jobs to do and cannot spend umpteen million hours on it, I must count on your help. And although simply listing countries because another translator says so is in no way scientific, at least it is an interesting start.

Finally, I know context is everything. Quite often I will give the meaning(s) in which I am interested, and I will attempt to include a sample. Some sources, such as the Random House Dictionary, already have an example, so there is no need for me to do this, since time is of essence.

Thank you for your help.


definition: return to a past position or situation, often in a way considered to be inevitable.

example:

So, you're saying that being an illegal alien is a bad thing, right?

Wrong. I did not say being an "illegal alien" is or was a bad thing. Maybe you could show me where I did. I was simply applying (and apparently wasting) a bit of irony.

So, you're saying the "real" Americans and legal immigrants are just lazy slobs, right? Of course, you're being misleading about the scorning part. The only thing they show scorn to are the wages. Most Americans aren't into the slave labor thing.

Again, you seem to miss the point - which is that the jobs done by undocumented workers are scorned by Americans. We agree that Americans scorn these jobs because of the wages.

As for the welfare bit, are you suggesting that we replace the unproductive members of our society with citizens of another country? I mean, didn't "liberals" used to be concerned with things like finding jobs for poor Americans? Now, they want to give those jobs to citizens of other countries.

Not surprisingly, you miss the point for a third time. The undocumented workers are anything but unproductive. The don't spend their time looking for the "government" to look after them (which, by the way, is in the finest tradition of American capitalism).

One last point, which you'll doubtless miss, too. I am not a "liberal". I don't know if "liberals" (whomever/whatever they are) are interested in "finding jobs for poor Americans".

If "poor" Americans wanted jobs done by undocumented workers, the undocumented workers would not be needed - and now we've come full circle.

It's good to see, though, that the reason you want to keep these people out is a strictly altruistic concern for the environment.