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solenoide con espiras comunicadas
por rotación
Jan 17, 2016 14:19
8 yrs ago
Spanish term

Una diferencia de equipo, no de oportunidad

Spanish to English Art/Literary Cinema, Film, TV, Drama
Hi everyone,

The documentary I'm subtitling discusses the basic differences between animal brains and human brains. It stresses that no other animal - even apes - is equipped to be a "sapiens", a truly thinking being. It then goes on to say:

"Esto constituye, de hecho, una diferencia de equipo, no de oportunidad".

The narrator explains that animals are unable to control their emotions or to plan out future actions.

I'm not really sure what the last part of the sentence might mean. Do you think that "equipo" refers to the human brain or am I missing something out? And what about "no de oportunidad"?

Any ideas would be great.

Thanks in advance.

Dez
Proposed translations (English)
4 +4 a difference of equipment, not of opportunity
3 +1 natural superiority of the human brain in terms of design/structure and functions
4 a difference in kind, rather than one of degree

Discussion

ormiston Jan 18, 2016:
a freer translation could be That it ultimately means a question of attributes rather than opportunity.
The definition of attributes is after all 'what one has', how one is 'equipped'
Noemi Quirch-Valle Jan 18, 2016:
The difference, in fact, lies in that humans are naturally equipped, this is not by chance.
We were gifted with a different "hardware, software and wiring" as superior beings as Dariusz had previously said.
Darius Saczuk Jan 17, 2016:
Yes. That's what I called above, "hardware, software and wiring" gifted to us by Mother Nature.
Noni Gilbert Riley Jan 17, 2016:
Equipo in sense of equipment, not team Difference in what resources are available, in the "equipment" at humans' disposal. There is no difference, however, in opportunities presenting themselves to humans and to other animals.
Darius Saczuk Jan 17, 2016:
Doesn't it simply refer to the superiority, in layman's terms, of human brain "hardware, software and wiring"?

Proposed translations

+4
2 hrs
Selected

a difference of equipment, not of opportunity

I think a literal translation works perfectly well. Humans had the same opportunities as the rest of the animal kingdom, but were better equipped.

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Note added at 2 hrs (2016-01-17 16:48:08 GMT)
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...the equipment being their brains.
Peer comment(s):
agree Charles Davis : I think it works, and that we ought to be accurate (I don't say literal) unless there's a good reason not to. This is, after all, what the writer intended to say.
29 mins
Yes, I don't think there's any point in trying to find other ways of saying it.
agree James A. Walsh
51 mins
agree neilmac : I tried with versions of "better equipped" but gave up...
1 hr
agree Muriel Vasconcellos
15 hrs
neutral ormiston : your explanation sounds fine but your (literal) translation sounds odd
23 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Selected automatically based on peer agreement."
+1
33 mins

natural superiority of the human brain in terms of design/structure and functions

That's how I understand it.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2016-01-17 15:58:38 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Humans and animals have access to the same environmental input, but, brain-wise, our ability to "process" it is far more superior.
Peer comment(s):
neutral philgoddard : This is a correct explanation, but it's not a translation.
1 hr
Well, the asker requested an explanation.
agree Noemi Quirch-Valle
21 hrs
Thanks, NQuirch!
Something went wrong...
1 hr

a difference in kind, rather than one of degree

Based on the Asker's explanation, the writer seems to be expressing the thought that there is an *inherent difference in hardware* between human beings and other animals, rather than a difference in *degree of development* (say, due to interaction with the environment).

The distinction between "difference in kind" and "difference in degree" between humans and animals has been discussed by philosophers (including Mortimer Adler in his book, *The Difference of Man and the Difference it Makes*).
Something went wrong...
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