Feb 18, 2013 12:24
11 yrs ago
16 viewers *
Spanish term

relativizar

Spanish to English Art/Literary Government / Politics Academic article
Hi all, I am translating an academic article entitled: "La Ética y la Práctica Política: Repensando los Usos del Concepto de Hegemonía y Evento en las Elecciones Brasileñas de 2002" and am not sure how best to translate 'relativizar'. I've seen it translated as 'relativise' and 'downplay' but 'downplay' doesn't seem to work with 'expandir' and I'm not sure if 'relativise' sounds right in English. To UK English. Thanks for your help!

Efectivamente, Laclau pretende actualizar algunos conceptos clave del Marxismo, poniéndolos en diálogo con la práctica política contemporánea. Su propósito original es responder a la necesidad de construir una política de izquierda que pase por la afirmación de identidades nacionales y populares, superando el planteamiento estrictamente clasista que marcó el discurso del campo marxista más ortodoxo a partir de los años 60. Partiendo de algunos principios del discurso tradicional marxista, su objetivo es expandir y **relativizar** la noción de totalidad histórica y de determinismo económico cómo referencias datadas - teniendo en cuenta los límites de la categoría de clase en los análisis de las relaciones de poder. Para Laclau, la idea de que el conjunto de los hechos sociales tiene una estructura unificada, orgánica e inteligible, es un principio que debe ser puesto en duda y la idea de una ‘determinación en última instancia’ de lo económico no tiene sentido en la sociedad contemporánea, marcada por la multiplicidad y fragmentación de identidades, intereses y conflictos. De manera pragmática, lo que debe ser teorizado y desarrollado son conceptos y principios capaces no solamente de explicar lo real sin reducirlo o generalizarlo. Estos principios y categorías básicas, sin embargo, no dejan de cumplir con la ideología marxista, en la justa medida en que deben componer una agenda política orientada a cambios socioeconómicos que tengan a la vista las necesidades de los grupos históricamente desfavorecidos.
Change log

Feb 18, 2013 12:26: Lindsay Spratt changed "Language pair" from "Portuguese to English" to "Spanish to English"

Proposed translations

+4
5 mins
Selected

relativise

Or "relativize":
1.Make or treat as relative to or dependent on something else.
2.Make into a relative clause.

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Note added at 7 mins (2013-02-18 12:31:41 GMT)
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Small wonder that you're not sure if 'relativise' sounds right in English... I agree it sounds /reads awful. If time permits, I'd look for another way to express it. Unfortunately, this kind of text is often riddled with similar ungainly "language".
Peer comment(s):

agree Simon Bruni : Yes, but accurate rubbish at least!
1 min
Cheers SB. It still sounds rubbish though...
agree Jenni Lukac (X) : I agree with you both.
5 mins
agree Marlene Curtis
8 mins
agree James A. Walsh
9 mins
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "I think 'relativise' works best with the language used in the text, as you point out. Thanks!"
6 mins

quantify / consider

I tend to use quantify, but depending on the context, consider is another possibility
Something went wrong...
6 mins

relativise / relativize

For accuracy's sake, and since its a specialised text, I think you have to go with 'relativise' even if it does sound jarring. The idea is sense 1 on the Oxford English:

relativize
or relativise

■ verb
chiefly Linguistics & Philosophy make or treat as relative.
Something went wrong...
+4
8 mins

(develop) and put in perspective

the old totalitarian concept
Peer comment(s):

agree Charles Davis : I think "put in(to) perspective" is spot on: excellent.
48 mins
agree liz askew : dictionary.reverso.net/french.../relativiser%20les%20cho... - United States relativiser. vt to put into perspective relativiser les choses to put things into perspective. Translation French - English Collins Dictionary. Collaborative Dictionary .
1 hr
agree Andy Watkinson : Agree with Charles that "put into perspective" an excellent choice.
5 hrs
agree Beatriz Lessa
15 hrs
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56 mins
Spanish term (edited): es expandir y relativizar la noción de

is to at once expand and dilute

"Water down" could be used instead of dilute.

This wording would avoid the admissible but unwieldy "relativise."

Suerte.
Something went wrong...
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