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antiguedad
Disco de equilibrio
Oct 19, 2010 10:25
13 yrs ago
2 viewers *
Spanish term

Poceros de la vida

Spanish to English Other Journalism
Dear colleagues,

I turn to you for help with the following metaphor: "Poceros de la vida".

The utterance is taken from an article by Lucia Mendez from a specific section, el Opinión, of the Spanish newspaper El Mundo. She is talking about the disastrous situation of the Spanish educational system. While I understand what she means by the metaphor she uses, I struggle finding an English equivalent that would capture the meaning with a similar sharpness.

I include the whole paragraph where this expression appears for you to see. Please, see the last sentence. The whole article can be found at http://www.elmundo.es/opinion/columnas/lucia-mendez/2009/09/...

"Las luces de alarma se encendieron hace mucho tiempo, pero nadie les hizo ni puñetero caso. Estábamos muy ocupados en ganar dinero, comprar casas grandes, coches lujosos y ropa de marca. Los políticos apenas le dieron importancia porque el asunto no da votos. Tampoco le prestaron atención los influyentes poderes económicos y mediáticos. Los ricos -que diría el PSOE- tenían dinero para mandar a sus hijos fuera de España. Y los nuevos ricos, especuladores y Poceros de la vida, tampoco repararon en el desastre porque ellos no llegaron a millonarios a través del estudio, sino por hacer otras cosas."

I will eagerly await your suggestions.
Thank you very much for your help!!

With my best wishes,

Myska
Proposed translations (English)
3 self-made-men (and women)
3 +1 shit-diggers
4 life's movers and shakers
3 parvenus/nouveau riches like XXX
3 wealthy upstarts
3 cesspool digger

Discussion

Jackie Bowman Oct 19, 2010:
Consider "chancers". Might work.
myska (asker) Oct 19, 2010:
Yes, I agree that it seems to refer to Paco el Pocero or to those like him (Poceros in plural). I am still thinking about all the suggestions for a possible translation posted here but to substitute the term with another famous name, that would capture the original meaning and that would be well known to the audience, has also crossed my mind. Thank you, Dekken and Neilmac.
On the other hand, if we use a name of a well-known individual similar to Paco el Posero, providing that we would find one with a similar background, we will lose the "obscurity" and indirectness of the original.
The audience is international.
I was also thinking of "self-made tycoons" but then it doesn't carry the original connotation that such people arose from "rags to riches" to borrow Dekken's translation. It's not an easy decision at all. Every translation entails some deep loses in this scenario.
neilmac Oct 19, 2010:
Sí, parece que se refiere a Paco el Pocero, pero han omitido la mayúscula del nomre propio (pa' variar)
Diane Kenyon Oct 19, 2010:
Is it for an international audience, or a particular country? If so, you could pick a famous person who has come from nowhere to become a millionaire who the audience would recognise.

Proposed translations

7 mins
Selected

self-made-men (and women)

just a suggestion, get the ball rolling

or maybe rags-to-riches, but I'm not sure if that is appropriate here.

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Note added at 1 hr (2010-10-19 11:55:15 GMT)
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I've thought of another idea, what about palm-greasers? Maybe this describes el Pocero better.

http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/grease palm
grease somebody's palm also grease the palm of somebody
to give someone money to persuade them to do what you want Some of those candidates spent money greasing the palms of local political bosses.


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Note added at 3 hrs (2010-10-19 13:59:06 GMT)
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Si, efectivamente se refiero a Francisco Hernando el Pocero. Aquí hay una de sus frases que aparece en su página en Wikipedia:

"Es una vergüenza que en este país un empresario haya tenido que invertir en política, como todo el mundo sabe que yo he hecho, para que funcione su empresa", dijo en cierta ocasión al no ser recalificado un terreno que había comprado.[

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Note added at 22 hrs (2010-10-20 08:51:56 GMT)
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Another suggestion that could describe el Pocero and other similar characters: underhand dealer
This list of similies might be of help:
http://wordlist.com/underhand dealing.htm
Note from asker:
Thank you, Dekken. I'm hoping to crack the translation today.
Something went wrong...
3 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you, Dekken. I found it difficult to chose the 'best' answer here. It is a shame that one cannot divide the points between several answerers. You have been all very supportive and helpful. I found your answer very prompt and detailed and it drew my attention to the negative associations that the term conjures. Something that I wasn't aware of at all. I don't necessarily agree with the terms 'palm-greasers' or 'underhan dealers' as being appropriate for the particular context but this is, to some extent, a matter of personal preference. I particularly liked "rags to riches" and "self-made men" although it loses the hint of dishonesty that Poceros convey. I don't think that there is an easy solution to the problem in this case. Thank you very much for your help! "
+1
11 mins

shit-diggers

Maybe a bit strong for a newspaper article, but is this the meaning? i.e. they've done the dirty jobs.

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Note added at 12 mins (2010-10-19 10:37:16 GMT)
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so it would be 'life's shit-diggers'
Peer comment(s):
agree neilmac : I assume you'll get censored for this, since I had a post removed for calling myself a "bloody good translator". I suspect it may be too informal for the asker's purpose ;)
2 hrs
Something went wrong...
3 hrs

parvenus/nouveau riches like XXX

I agree with neilmac and dekken that it refers to a specific perdon in this case El Pocero.
Tip: Search for English results only. You can specify your search language in Preferences
Search Results
Francisco Hernando - Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre - [ Translate this page ]
Francisco Hernando Contreras (Madrid, 1945), conocido como Paco el Pocero, es un empresario español, poseedor, a fecha del año 2009, de una de las mayores ...
Infancia - Comienzo de su carrera ... - Seseña
es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Hernando - Cached - Similar
►
Especial El Pocero - elEconomista.es - [ Translate this page ]
El Pocero, Seseña, ONDE 2000, Francisco Hernando, Grupo Francisco Hernando, Paco el Pocero, Residencial Francisco Hernando, Toledo.
www.eleconomista.es/especiales/elpocero/ - Cached - Similar
'El Pocero' se estrella en Seseña tras ganar sólo 18.000 euros en ... - [ Translate this page ]
El sueldo de un mileurista: 18.000 euros. Eso es lo que ganó en 2006 la empresa del constructor Francisco Hernando, más conocido como El ...
www.eleconomista.es/.../-El-Pocero-se-estrella-en-Sesena-tr... - Cached - Similar
Videos for el pocero


RADIOCABLE.COM - EL POCERO ATACA A UN PERIODISTA
29 sec - 15 May 2007
Uploaded by fberlin
youtube.com


El Pocero intenta agredir a dos cámaras (15/05 ...
30 sec - 17 May 2007
Uploaded by clubmegafreak
youtube.com
Images for el pocero - Report images

- EL MUNDO | Suplemento nuevaeconomia 329 - PACO 'EL POCERO': DE ... - [ Translate this page ]
18 Jun 2006 ... Paco El Pocero, como se le conoce en el sector inmobiliario, construye allí, ante la estupefacción de los miles de conductores que circulan ...
www.elmundo.es/suplementos/.../1150581601.html - Cached - Similar
'El Pocero' presumió de haber regalado un Porsche de 80.000 euros ... - [ Translate this page ]
21 May 2010 ... El constructor Francisco Hernando, El Pocero, presumió en privado en reiteradas ocasiones de haber regalado en 2005 un Porsche Cayenne a Ana ...
www.elconfidencial.com/.../bono-pocero-hipica-porsche-80000... - Cached
El Pocero vende su superyate · ELPAÍS.com - [ Translate this page ]
21 May 2010 ... El constructor Francisco Hernando, Paco el Pocero, no navegará este verano por aguas de Mallorca a bordo del Clarena II, un superyate de 72 ...
www.elpais.com/articulo/gente/tv/Pocero/vende/.../Tes - Cached
El Pocero despierta de su sueño - Levante-EMV - [ Translate this page ]
12 Sep 2010 ... 'En perspectiva'. Dos palabras que parecen definir la deriva que están tomando los negocios del ladrillo en el exterior emprendidos por ...
www.levante-emv.com/economia/.../pocero.../738243.html - Cached
'El Pocero' pierde su enésima oportunidad de encontrar una ... - [ Translate this page ]
16 Mar 2010 ... Los bancos, que se han quedado con el 40% de las viviendas construidas, intentaron convertir la urbanización en un gran centro de ...
noticias.lainformacion.com/.../el-pocero-pierde-su-enesima-oportunidad-de-encontrar-una-solucion-a-sesena_wn34CR3bcPYTCgVn6... - Cached
gigapan: Residencial Francisco Hernando (El Pocero), Seseña ...
12 Mar 2010 ... Residencial Francisco Hernando (El Pocero), Seseña |(Adriano Morán) LAINFORMACION.COM. By: (Lainformacion.com) on March 12, 2010. Tags: None ...
gigapan.org/gigapans/44723/ - Cached
Note from asker:
Thank you bcsantos. Lot of useful information and articles. I have looked at some and it helped enormously. Still thinking about the "best" translation.
Something went wrong...
4 hrs

wealthy upstarts

A possibility
Note from asker:
Thank you, Christine. This is a very good suggestion. I am still reconsidering the various possibilities.
Peer comment(s):
neutral neilmac : Personally I find the term"upstart" rather snobby and prefer "nouveau riche". Just my personal impression though...
8 days
Yes. You're right. It is snobbish. I'm not sure if the original is or not. Saludos
Something went wrong...
4 hrs

cesspool digger

Hope this is of help :)

10 Mar 2010 ... The House Ethics Committee is a corruption-enabling cesspool. ... be people that would spend their entire adult lives in the government … ...
michellemalkin.com/..

Deep Tried Frees - The Diggers
Jul 22, 2010 ... Every aspect of our lives is tainted by excessive profit-making, ..... of
hippies groping their way through the cesspool of capitalism, ...
http://www.diggers.org/kaliflower/dtf.htm - 41k -
Note from asker:
Thank you, Eileen.
Something went wrong...
3 hrs

life's movers and shakers

A less pejorative version.
More negatively, also possibly "life's Del Boys" (UK) or maybe "life's grifters" (US).
Sin decirlo expresamente, el matiz es que consiguen cosas de forma poco honrado...

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Note added at 3 hrs (2010-10-19 13:47:27 GMT)
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Posiblemente se refiere a Francisco Hernando Contreras (Madrid, 1945), conocido como Paco el Pocero, un empresario español, poseedor, a fecha del año 2009, de una de las mayores fortunas de España. En tal caso, "Pocero" debe llevar mayúscula...

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Note added at 9 days (2010-10-28 11:01:29 GMT)
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Older UK readers might reccognise "Rachman". Peter Rachman was a London landlord in the Notting Hill area in the 1950s and 1960s. He became so notorious for his exploitation of tenants that the word "Rachmanism" entered the OED as a synonym for any greedy, unscrupulous landlord.
Note from asker:
Thank you, Neilmac. It does look like that the author is referring to Paco el Pocero. I have to admit that I didn't know anything about this man until now so I've read several articles about his life. It is a tricky translation and I will need to carefully consider the losses each possible rendering brings.
Something went wrong...
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