plano de agua

English translation: body / stretch / expanse of water

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Spanish term or phrase:plano de agua
English translation:body / stretch / expanse of water
Entered by: Charles Davis

18:29 May 30, 2018
Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Fisheries
Spanish term or phrase: plano de agua
No acabo de entender este concepto ni cómo se podría traducir.

¿Alguna sugerencia?

¡Gracias!


"La reestructuración del sector pesquero, el incremento del nivel medio de vida y nuevos hábitos y formas de ocio, hicieron crecer de forma importante el sector de la náutica deportiva. Esta tendencia tiene implicaciones en la conformación paisajística de los puertos, del ***propio plano de agua*** que unifica todo el ámbito, y puede tener aun muchas posibilidades de desarrollo, relacionadas, entre otros aspectos, con la puesta en valor de los recursos paisajísticos. Asimismo, la pesca tradicional puede ser compatible con determinadas actividades de tipo recreativo y turístico, como son las rutas por la costa o las visitas a las actividades pesqueras."
soniagp
Spain
body of water / stretch of water
Explanation:
This seems a strange use of the term, but I think it is probably the meaning here. EauFrance, the French government water information portal, has a glossary of French, Spanish and English water terms in which it includes "plano de agua":

"Plano de agua
Extensión de agua dulce continental superficial, libre estancada, de origen natural o antrópico y de profundidad variable. Puede poseer características de estratificación térmica. El término «plano de agua» abarca cierto número de situaciones comúnmente denominadas lagos, retenciones, estanques, graveras, canteras o pantanos. Las definiciones unidas a estas diversas situaciones son numerosas y, a menudo, hacen referencia al uso."
Traducciones : Plan d'eau [fr], Body of water [en]
http://www.glossaire.eaufrance.fr/es/concept/plano-de-agua

Well, I can't confirm this definition from other sources; they say it comes from the AFB (the French water agency). Clearly it equates "plano de agua" with the French expression "plan d'eau", a synonym of "masse d'eau":

"Un plan d'eau est une masse d'eau, plus ou moins permanente, qui peut être douce, salée ou saumâtre"
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plan_d'eau

And this is what would normally be called a "masa de agua" in Spanish.

A further point is that this definition of "plano de agua" specifies fresh water, whereas we are clearly dealing here with seawater; however, "plan d'eau" can include seawater.

It seems to me that this meaning of "plano de agua" fits the context. Can it be what is meant here? I wonder whether there is interference from Galician. In the following EU document, "body of water" is rendered as "plano de água" in Portuguese:

"This is not only because of the relatively high threshold of proof required by the United Kingdom before accepting that a water body is eutrophic, but also the fact that the United Kingdom makes no reference to the need also to identify those water bodies which are at risk and may in the near future become eutrophic if protective action is not taken."

"O que se deveu, não apenas ao patamar relativamente elevado da prova que é exigida pelo Reino Unido para aceitar que um plano de água é vítima de eutrofização, mas ainda ao facto de o Reino Unido não tomar minimamente em conta a necessidade de identificar igualmente os planos de água que se encontram em risco e se podem tornar eutróficos num futuro próximo caso não sejam tomadas medidas de protecção.

In the Spanish version they use "curso de agua" here, by the way.
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN-PT-ES/TXT/?uri=CEL...

This is a bit thin, I recognise, but I think it must be what they mean in your text. I have found another Spanish text in which "plano de agua" appears to mean a body of water, and it's not about Galicia but Valencia:

"El puerto es seguro gracias al macizo y largo rompeolas que lo protege en caso de fuertes temporales. Al franquear su bocana encontraremos a babor un plano de agua con muelle para barcos pesqueros. "
http://www.masmar.net/esl/Guías/Puertos/Comunidad-Valenciana...

Given that "plano" suggests surface, I am suggesting "stretch of water" as an alternative.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 11 hrs (2018-05-31 05:44:54 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

One further example, with a Galician connection, on proposed work on the coast at El Ferrol:

"Se dragará el plano de agua adyacente a los muelles hasta alcanzar el calado de -1 m, en los primeros 55 m, y de -2 m, en los restantes"
https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2008-214

It must surely mean body or stretch of water here.
Selected response from:

Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 23:57
Grading comment
Thanks a lot to everybody for all your research on this expression. I think that the original text is quite confusing so this is the most accurate choice for me.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +1body of water / stretch of water
Charles Davis
4water surface
Thomas Walker
3waterways planning
Antonio Tomás Lessa do Amaral
3hydrological plane
neilmac


Discussion entries: 4





  

Answers


1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
waterways planning


Explanation:
http://urbact.eu/urban-waterways-strategy-action-plan

Antonio Tomás Lessa do Amaral
Native speaker of: Native in PortuguesePortuguese

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Toni Castano: But Antonio, this has to do with "urban waterways" according to your own reference!
9 mins
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11 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
body of water / stretch of water


Explanation:
This seems a strange use of the term, but I think it is probably the meaning here. EauFrance, the French government water information portal, has a glossary of French, Spanish and English water terms in which it includes "plano de agua":

"Plano de agua
Extensión de agua dulce continental superficial, libre estancada, de origen natural o antrópico y de profundidad variable. Puede poseer características de estratificación térmica. El término «plano de agua» abarca cierto número de situaciones comúnmente denominadas lagos, retenciones, estanques, graveras, canteras o pantanos. Las definiciones unidas a estas diversas situaciones son numerosas y, a menudo, hacen referencia al uso."
Traducciones : Plan d'eau [fr], Body of water [en]
http://www.glossaire.eaufrance.fr/es/concept/plano-de-agua

Well, I can't confirm this definition from other sources; they say it comes from the AFB (the French water agency). Clearly it equates "plano de agua" with the French expression "plan d'eau", a synonym of "masse d'eau":

"Un plan d'eau est une masse d'eau, plus ou moins permanente, qui peut être douce, salée ou saumâtre"
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plan_d'eau

And this is what would normally be called a "masa de agua" in Spanish.

A further point is that this definition of "plano de agua" specifies fresh water, whereas we are clearly dealing here with seawater; however, "plan d'eau" can include seawater.

It seems to me that this meaning of "plano de agua" fits the context. Can it be what is meant here? I wonder whether there is interference from Galician. In the following EU document, "body of water" is rendered as "plano de água" in Portuguese:

"This is not only because of the relatively high threshold of proof required by the United Kingdom before accepting that a water body is eutrophic, but also the fact that the United Kingdom makes no reference to the need also to identify those water bodies which are at risk and may in the near future become eutrophic if protective action is not taken."

"O que se deveu, não apenas ao patamar relativamente elevado da prova que é exigida pelo Reino Unido para aceitar que um plano de água é vítima de eutrofização, mas ainda ao facto de o Reino Unido não tomar minimamente em conta a necessidade de identificar igualmente os planos de água que se encontram em risco e se podem tornar eutróficos num futuro próximo caso não sejam tomadas medidas de protecção.

In the Spanish version they use "curso de agua" here, by the way.
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN-PT-ES/TXT/?uri=CEL...

This is a bit thin, I recognise, but I think it must be what they mean in your text. I have found another Spanish text in which "plano de agua" appears to mean a body of water, and it's not about Galicia but Valencia:

"El puerto es seguro gracias al macizo y largo rompeolas que lo protege en caso de fuertes temporales. Al franquear su bocana encontraremos a babor un plano de agua con muelle para barcos pesqueros. "
http://www.masmar.net/esl/Guías/Puertos/Comunidad-Valenciana...

Given that "plano" suggests surface, I am suggesting "stretch of water" as an alternative.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 11 hrs (2018-05-31 05:44:54 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

One further example, with a Galician connection, on proposed work on the coast at El Ferrol:

"Se dragará el plano de agua adyacente a los muelles hasta alcanzar el calado de -1 m, en los primeros 55 m, y de -2 m, en los restantes"
https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2008-214

It must surely mean body or stretch of water here.

Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 23:57
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 39
Grading comment
Thanks a lot to everybody for all your research on this expression. I think that the original text is quite confusing so this is the most accurate choice for me.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Toni Castano: I think, without being fully sure, that these two suggestions go in the right direction. See discussion area.
5 hrs
  -> Thanks, Toni! I'm not fully sure either :-)
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12 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
hydrological plane


Explanation:
See Toni's discussion comments for possible explanation.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 12 hrs (2018-05-31 07:13:57 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I'm not sure if this highly technical term is synonymous with "waterline", but "por allí van los tiros"... hence my medium confidence level.

Example sentence(s):
  • Roads, trains, buildings, and homes cross the hydrological plane.
  • ...a technical and hydrological plane: the Kanda, owing to flood prevention works, flows here...

    https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-94-011-2773-8_15
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 23:57
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 27
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23 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
water surface


Explanation:
This has been bouncing around inside my head since I first read the question. This answer finally came clear to me today. "Water surface" is a technical term in hydrology & hydraulics. In simple terms, it refers to the planar surface at the interface between the water & the atmosphere; absent other forces acting on the body of water, it is a true horizontal plane: i.e., every point on the water surface is at the same elevation. In moving water, the water surface is still there, but is not quite horizontal (in slow-moving streams) or may be neither planar nor anywhere near horizontal (in very steep, mountainous streams).
The "water surface" is also what we see when we look at a body of water, the visual aspect, en el sentido paisajistico, & it is what is typically shown on a map to represent the body of water.
See, for example here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface_Water_Ocean_Topography
with several instances of "ocean surface" & "water surface elevation".
And thanks to Neil - your answer helped me get there: "hydrological plane" is logical & clear in meaning, but it's just not the term that came to be commonly used.

Thomas Walker
United States
Local time: 15:57
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Charles Davis: Hi Tom. I agree that "plano de agua" sometimes seems to mean water surface, but sometimes it doesn't, and I can't see how it could make sense here.
2 hrs
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