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Glossary entry

Spanish term or phrase:

fuimos víctimas de la escenificación prefabricada de un fracaso anunciado

English translation:

we were (the) victims of a deliberately staged orchestrated failure

Added to glossary by Noni Gilbert Riley
Jun 7, 2009 18:35
15 yrs ago
4 viewers *
Spanish term

fuimos víctimas de la escenificación prefabricada de un fracaso anunciado

Spanish to English Other General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters Equipment rejection
The claimant is describing the manner in which they were treated when the equipment they were delivering was put through its tests prior to acceptance (in this case rejection on the grounds of unsuitability for purpose). The claimant reckons the client never had any intention of taking delivery of the equipment in the first place.

Spanish from Spain to British English.

TIA
Proposed translations (English)
4 we were (the) victims of a deliberately staged public failure
3 +3 we were victims of a preplanned / prefabricated staging of a failure/disaster made public
4 we were framed by a (false) staging of a pubizised event
4 we were victims of a prefabricated, announced failure scenario
4 we were victims of a sham covering up a pre-planned failure
3 +1 we were the victims of the planned staging of a fool's errand
4 the client had set up a drama where the equipment was doomed to fail
3 we were the victims of a (carefully-planned) sting intended to humiliate us in public

Discussion

Noni Gilbert Riley (asker) Jun 8, 2009:
Splendid options And many thanks to you all for your contributions. Agree with patinba about the interpretation of "anunciado".
franglish Jun 8, 2009:
@Deborah orchestrated failure fits the ticket perfectly
Bubo Coroman (X) Jun 7, 2009:
spot on Pat ...it was an "orchestrated failure"
mediamatrix (X) Jun 7, 2009:
Or ... ... as I mentioned in my answer, 'premeditated', since 'foretold' and 'inevitable' don't quite fit the context here.
patinba Jun 7, 2009:
Anunciado Plenty of options, but note that anunciado does not mean public or publicised but rather inevitable, or foretold (Gabriel G-Marquez's novel Cronica de una muerte anunciada translates as Chronicle of a Death Foretold, for example)

Proposed translations

37 mins
Selected

we were (the) victims of a deliberately staged public failure

Trying to get to a more natural-sounding British English, moving parts of speech around etc. I think deliberately catches the sense of prefabricada in this context - it's planned, prepared, intentional.

Is the word "charade" any use to you here - to stage a charade, maybe? Can't quite see how to work it in, but think it could be made to carry a lot of relevant meaning.

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Note added at 54 mins (2009-06-07 19:29:56 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Nearly 10,000 Google hits for "deliberately staged" - it's quite a strong collocation in the context of shams, scams and show-trials.
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Wish I could divide the points up! I've used your deliberately staged and Deborah's orchestrated failure as I see, so we owe Deborah one - sure it will all come out in the end!"
+3
5 mins

we were victims of a preplanned / prefabricated staging of a failure/disaster made public

I believe this would work.

Mike :)
Peer comment(s):
agree Patricia Novelo
5 mins
Thank you, Patricia - Mike :)
agree Nivia Martínez : Creo que esta es la mejor traducción.
24 mins
Gracias, Nivia - Mike :)
agree Luiz Vasconcelos : I would only use "fabricated" instead of "prefabricated".
5 hrs
Gracias, Luiz - I see your point in "fabricated" since it means "invented" - Mike :)
Something went wrong...
9 mins

we were framed by a (false) staging of a pubizised event

:)

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 10 mins (2009-06-07 18:46:46 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

publizised ;)
Peer comment(s):
neutral Jennifer Levey : publicized or publicised
10 mins
sure, mediamatrix thx :)
Something went wrong...
15 mins

we were victims of a prefabricated, announced failure scenario

sugg
Something went wrong...
18 mins

we were victims of a sham covering up a pre-planned failure

'aunciado' does not necessarily imply 'publicized' or 'made public' in this context - it's merely that the staging of the events that led up to the rejection of the goods (which might be called a 'sham' in UK English) was premeditated.
Something went wrong...
+1
25 mins

we were the victims of the planned staging of a fool's errand

oh dear!
Peer comment(s):
agree Bubo Coroman (X) : love the fool's errand bit!
2 mins
Thank you, Deborah! Have a pleasant evening.
neutral David Ronder : It does sound like they were sent on a fool's errand, but I'm not sure that's what was being staged
15 mins
Thanks for your comment, David.
Something went wrong...
24 mins

the client had set up a drama where the equipment was doomed to fail

"drama" as in "no-drama Obama" (he won't allow anyone to be histrionic around him)

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Note added at 27 mins (2009-06-07 19:03:20 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

sorry, should be "doomed to failure", I think
Something went wrong...
3 hrs

we were the victims of a (carefully-planned) sting intended to humiliate us in public


I feel that "carefully-planned" is superfluous, as stings are always very carefully planned in advance!

... scam/set-up designed/intended to show us up in public

... ...................................................to show us in a poor light

OR, more simply,


WE WERE SET UP IN A (SUCCESSFUL) BID TO HUMILIATE US IN PUBLIC

Something went wrong...
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