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De conformidad con los artículos 333 RH y 80 RRH
Oct 22, 2017 15:45
6 yrs ago
Spanish term

hacer un burako

Spanish to English Other Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
This is from a script by an Argentine filmmaker. The characters are discussing a potential illegal business dealing:

El Rioja, el turquito que acaba de armar un locutorio en CALAMA. Parece que los canadienses están haciendo un burako gigante en chuquicamata y viene gente a patadas, se avivó rápido el muchacho. El Turco me pasaba los datos de los camiones. Hasta que a mi me guardaron, me extraditaron a Brasil, y toda esa historia que ya les conté. Como les decía, estábamos hablando de donde meter la guita...y ahí salió su nombre...

Casino?

Thanks
Proposed translations (English)
4 +5 make a massive pit
3 make/making a killing

Discussion

Alex Ossa Oct 23, 2017:
@Marcelo Of course it's not specified what the datos were, but it's a tip-off so clearly the illegal deed is regarding the lorries. Probably when and where they would be passing empty and alone enough to hi-jack... but that's mere speculation, of course. What's clear is the narrator was being tipped off by the Turk to enable him to pull off whatever he was arrested for.
Marcelo González Oct 23, 2017:
@Alex - I don't know how... ...different those 'story lines' (you mention) might be. I wonder what the 'datos' regarding the trucks could be as well.
Alex Ossa Oct 22, 2017:
@Marcelo They're two different story lines. One is where the Canadians are making the burako, which attracted lots of people to the Turk's locutorio and made him (legitimate) money; the other is where the narrator is talking about putting his and at least one more person's money either away safe or in an 'investment' opportunity (ambiguous without further context).
Marcelo González Oct 22, 2017:
In the context of a lucrative ...enterprise, where to put (all) the 'guita' (money) would fit as well.
Marie Wilson Oct 22, 2017:
@Alex A snippet of isolated text can be misleading. With Wendy mentioning casinos, I imagined this was about some Canadians who were running a very lucrative illegal business and making a killing of it.
Alex Ossa Oct 22, 2017:
@Wendy Just out of interest, how have you translated 'guita'?
Alex Ossa Oct 22, 2017:
Oh, and the illegal dealings.... it's something regarding the mining lorries. He doesn't say what - there are some instances of high-level operations stealing mining lorries and exporting them illegally, I imagine it would be that -, but obviously he was caught and extradited for it.
Alex Ossa Oct 22, 2017:
Haha no, it doesn't look illegal - the subject is a clever Turk who saw an opportunity in Calama to open a phone booth shop because the Canadians started a mine. His shop was quickly filled with all the mining workers wanting to call home or use the internet.
<p>
My local knowledge is greater than you suspect - I used to work for Codelco, and have travelled to Calama/Chuquicamata many times :)
Marie Wilson Oct 22, 2017:
@Alex You have the advantage of "local" knowledge, as you live nearer than I do. I thought it could be any illegal activity so presumed it meant they were making a huge hole in the market. However, you are probably right and it means an actual gaping big hole.
Alex Ossa Oct 22, 2017:
Calama is a city in the north of Chile, mostly sustained by mining. Chuquicamata is a 'nearby' area (in desert terms) where there are several mines, one of the most important of which is Codelco's, aptly named 'Chuquicamata'. By Canadians in Chuquicamata, I'd guess they're talking about Barrick Gold (there are other options, of course, but this is really one of the most important Canadian mining companies in Chile).
Marie Wilson Oct 22, 2017:
I had no idea this could be about mining. If it is, I get your point, Alex, that the hole could be a physical hole in the ground.

Proposed translations

+5
1 hr
Spanish term (edited): hacer un burako gigante
Selected

make a massive pit

Like Marie says, burako/buraco is the same thing and can either be literal (making a hole) or idiomatic.

The idiomatic sense is negative, as in to cause trouble, to make a scandal, etc.

As this does not seem to be the case here, and it makes sense that they are making a huge hole in Chuquicamata, it is more likely the literal sense they are referring to. It's quite familiar vocabulary, which fits in with the tone of the text. As it's a mining context, hole doesn't sound quite right, so a pit (most technically correct) or maybe a crater (less technically correct but would fit in with the slangy, informal tone of the text).


Some examples of the idiomatic use of buraco/burako:

https://www.taringa.net/posts/offtopic/20008442/El-perro-del...
http://www.postubo.com/foro/t/laboral-legal/orientacion-lega...
http://www.empresores.com/foros/13572-algun-riesgo-que-mi-em...
http://forocelta.activosforos.com/t2635-me-chocaron-de-atras...
Peer comment(s):
agree Charles Davis : I actually think "hole" would be OK here, but "pit" is fine.
3 hrs
Hm, maybe... I would be more inclined to use hole if it were an underground mine, but as it's (still) open pit....
agree Leda Roche
6 hrs
Thanks!
agree Muriel Vasconcellos : With the influence of Portuguese from Brazil. "Buraco" is 'pit' in Portuguese and fits perfectly here.
10 hrs
Ooh, interesting, thanks for that titbit!
agree Marcelo González : With your additional comments in Discussion, this makes sense.
13 hrs
Thanks!
agree Marie Wilson : I'll take your word for it!
20 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
53 mins

make/making a killing

"Hacer un burako/buraco" I think it's the same thing:

f13. ǁ ~ un agujero. loc. verb. Cu, Ar, Ur. Causar un perjuicio o daño a Alguien, especialmente de tipo económico. pop + cult → espon. ◆ hacer un buraco
http://lema.rae.es/damer/srv/search?id=1be7b2K1Lx0AvDi7jPp

12 Idioms perforate hacer un buraco (bolivia/argentina/uruguay) [v]
http://termbank.com/en/spanish-english/perforate

I think an equivalent could be to make a hole in the market, or in this case make a killing.

make a killing
Fig. to have a great success, especially in making money. John has got a job selling insurance. He's not exactly making a killing. Bill made a killing at the racetrack yesterday.
https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/make a killing

In this case:
It seems like the Canadians are making a killing in Chuquicamata ...


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2017-10-22 16:55:38 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Or the Canadians are making a huge hole in the market. I think it means something along these lines anyway, and you need something slangy to match the ST.
Example sentence:

Those Game of Thrones cast members sure know how to moonlight, and they are making a killing in horror movies between breaks

Seriously, they are making a killing in the 8-16 year old hockey market.

Something went wrong...
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