Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Spanish term or phrase:
Nacionalidad Norteamericana
English translation:
United States nationality
Added to glossary by
Robert Rutledge
Mar 11, 2021 17:16
3 yrs ago
80 viewers *
Spanish term
Nacionalidad Norteamericana
Spanish to English
Law/Patents
Law (general)
Divorce
I am translating a Divorce Decree from Mexico and have been confronted with this term. The man whom it is describing is clearly from the USA, however, a literal translation of "North American Nationality" seems problematic, for North America is not a nation but a continent. On the other hand, if I say "United States Nationality" that wouldn't solve the problem either, seeing as "United States" could be interpreted as referring to the "United States of Mexico." Surely it wouldn't be just "American Nationality"?
And yes, "Nationality" has been capitalized in the source.
And yes, "Nationality" has been capitalized in the source.
Proposed translations
(English)
Proposed translations
+8
6 mins
Selected
United States nationality
That's just how Spanish says "American".
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Note added at 7 mins (2021-03-11 17:23:19 GMT)
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And "United States" means "United States of America"- no one would mistake it for Mexico.
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Note added at 7 mins (2021-03-11 17:23:19 GMT)
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And "United States" means "United States of America"- no one would mistake it for Mexico.
Peer comment(s):
agree |
Michele Fauble
1 min
|
agree |
Robert Carter
6 mins
|
agree |
A. & S. Witte
32 mins
|
agree |
Manuel Aburto
2 hrs
|
agree |
AllegroTrans
: This is one of the rare occasions when I would add a translator's note given that the source term is so obviously wrong/misleading
4 hrs
|
agree |
Toni Castano
: I don´t think "United States nationality" can be confused with "United States of Mexico". Your suggestion is, I believe, unmistakable.
4 hrs
|
agree |
Caroline Varella Gonsioroski
23 hrs
|
neutral |
Giovanni Rengifo
: I'm still wondering why you didn't write "American" instead. Wouldn't it be simpler?
23 hrs
|
agree |
Benjamin Wilkes
3 days 17 hrs
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Hey, thanks for your help here! I decided to go with US nationality!"
+2
10 mins
American
American: refers to someone from the United States of America.
North American: refers to a person from North America. There are 23 countries that are part of North America.
In some parts of Latin America they called Americans "Norteamericano/na", but the correct word for Americans in Spanish is estadounidense.
North American: refers to a person from North America. There are 23 countries that are part of North America.
In some parts of Latin America they called Americans "Norteamericano/na", but the correct word for Americans in Spanish is estadounidense.
Reference:
https://dle.rae.es/norteamericano
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/es-LA/dictionary/english/american
Peer comment(s):
neutral |
Juan Jacob
: Well, only 3 countries in North America. And we don't all agree that American means somebody from the USA.
43 mins
|
agree |
Giovanni Rengifo
: That's a very thorough explanation Nelly. Note: "....they call" instead of "they called".
1 hr
|
agree |
Adrian MM.
: American doesn't rule out a dual US / Canadian national - not entirely unequivocal from the question.
5 hrs
|
neutral |
Caroline Varella Gonsioroski
: There is an ethical issue here. Calling a USA citizen 'American' may not be the most correct option, since their country does not englobe the whole continent. Although it might be okay to say it, I would not put 'American' in a legal document.
23 hrs
|
agree |
AllegroTrans
: It's OK but it's basically sloppy (but then so is the source term) and as Caroline says, it shouldn't be used in a legal document esp. if for use overseas
2 days 7 hrs
|
neutral |
Thomas Haller
: Cambridge also says: of or relating to North or South America
2 days 19 hrs
|
disagree |
Joel Schaefer
: I know any number of Argentines who would point out that American/americano means "of the Americas" and in any remotely Spanish-language context, I would agree with them. So I would specify United States here.
10 days
|
+3
12 mins
American Nationality or US citizen
I'm basing myself on the second definition of American on the Oxford dictionary. This term is controversial and it seems there isn't a non-controversial word. In American passports they place United States of America in nationality, whilst in other passports you can find Canadian or Portuguese underneath instead of the country's name. Hope I could help!
Reference:
https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/6342?redirectedFrom=American&
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demonyms_for_the_United_States
Peer comment(s):
agree |
Orkoyen (X)
: ...if you leave it at "US citizen" and drop the rest. It think that would cover the tri-country sensitivities.
37 mins
|
its always a tricky term ahah thank you :)
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agree |
Giovanni Rengifo
: I think you're absolutely right. I still wonder what the source says exactly, though. Both of your options are commonly used anyway.
1 hr
|
thank you! I've tried basing my answer on credible sources
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|
agree |
Ruth Rubina
: Yes.
7 hrs
|
thank you Ruth!
|
+3
1 hr
US citizenship
I'd wiete it this way, definetly. Its a clear reference to the same term.
Example sentence:
The author has US citizenship which allows him to vote in the US
Peer comment(s):
agree |
Emiliano Pantoja
41 mins
|
agree |
Edier Quintana
6 hrs
|
agree |
Marcelo González
1 day 6 hrs
|
+1
2 days 7 hrs
North American nationality
Of course I am not suggesting that we would write this first hand in English.
But there is an important issue here - this is in a legal document and a decision has to be made whether to repeat the mistake
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Note added at 2 days 7 hrs (2021-03-14 00:45:16 GMT)
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Should you point out mistakes in the source text to the client ...
martineyeo.wordpress.com › 2013/10/08 › should-you-...
8 Oct 2013 — There's one question that translators often ask themselves: what do ... Most of the time, they are obvious mistakes such as incorrect spelling, ...
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Note added at 2 days 7 hrs (2021-03-14 00:47:41 GMT)
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wiki.proz.com › wiki › index.php › Handling_factual_...
21 Feb 2018 — At the other end of the spectrum, when translating publicity material any factual errors will reflect badly on the company that is publishing the material, so the translator has a duty of care to correct any gross, obvious errors. In such cases the corrections should be highlighted and reported to the client.
Missing: repeat | Must include: repeat
Should you point out mistakes in the source text to the client ...
martineyeo.wordpress.com › 2013/10/08 › should-you-...
8 Oct 2013 — Some translators may fear the client's reaction and they may even worry ... Most of the time, they are obvious mistakes such as incorrect spelling, ... If I have any doubt about the use of a specific term in the source text, I ask my ...
Missing: repeat | Must include: repeat
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Note added at 2 days 21 hrs (2021-03-14 15:11:56 GMT)
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https://www.proz.com/forum/prozcom_translator_coop/4615-shou...
But there is an important issue here - this is in a legal document and a decision has to be made whether to repeat the mistake
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 days 7 hrs (2021-03-14 00:45:16 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Should you point out mistakes in the source text to the client ...
martineyeo.wordpress.com › 2013/10/08 › should-you-...
8 Oct 2013 — There's one question that translators often ask themselves: what do ... Most of the time, they are obvious mistakes such as incorrect spelling, ...
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 days 7 hrs (2021-03-14 00:47:41 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
wiki.proz.com › wiki › index.php › Handling_factual_...
21 Feb 2018 — At the other end of the spectrum, when translating publicity material any factual errors will reflect badly on the company that is publishing the material, so the translator has a duty of care to correct any gross, obvious errors. In such cases the corrections should be highlighted and reported to the client.
Missing: repeat | Must include: repeat
Should you point out mistakes in the source text to the client ...
martineyeo.wordpress.com › 2013/10/08 › should-you-...
8 Oct 2013 — Some translators may fear the client's reaction and they may even worry ... Most of the time, they are obvious mistakes such as incorrect spelling, ... If I have any doubt about the use of a specific term in the source text, I ask my ...
Missing: repeat | Must include: repeat
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 days 21 hrs (2021-03-14 15:11:56 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
https://www.proz.com/forum/prozcom_translator_coop/4615-shou...
Peer comment(s):
agree |
Thomas Haller
: Repetir la barbaridad del texto de origen, todo lo demás son adivinanzas.
12 hrs
|
thanks
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Discussion