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Glossary entry

Spanish term or phrase:

la sociedad civil

English translation:

(in this case) authorities and main business organisations

Added to glossary by Comunican
Jun 16, 2008 16:45
15 yrs ago
12 viewers *
Spanish term

la sociedad civil

Spanish to English Bus/Financial Business/Commerce (general) General
I realise that this has been answered before, and I know that it can mean either "partnership" (as in type of business constitution) or "civil society", but neither seem right to me here.

I am thinking I probably need clarification from the client.
The context is the launch promotion programme for a new airline.

"Planificación y desarrollo de encuentros con la sociedad civil en forma de almuerzos y cenas corporativos, para dar a conocer el proyecto".

Thanks for anyone who can confirm or refute...!
Proposed translations (English)
5 +3 civil society
4 +9 private sector
4 civil society as opposed

Discussion

E. David Curiel (X) Jun 17, 2008:
Thanks, Comunican! It's a toughie, since most of us don't use "civil society" in everyday parlance. I think the solution you ultimately came to is a good one. Cheers! -dc
Ronnie McKee Jun 16, 2008:
Is it that far fetched that a new airline would want to present itself to Civil Society organizations given that they travel an awful lot?
Ronnie McKee Jun 16, 2008:
This one has confused me forever, and I am often extremely tempted to use private enterprise. But I always fall back on the fact that they are used so frequently in the same sentence referring to different entities.

Proposed translations

+3
6 mins
Selected

civil society

I've asked this one myself!

Take a look:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_society

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Note added at 8 mins (2008-06-16 16:54:09 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Civil society stands as a third "sector," not private, not public. Here's a link to my original question, and the manifold answers that convinced me of that...
http://www.proz.com/kudoz/spanish_to_english/government_poli...
Peer comment(s):
agree Roberto Rey : 100% YUP, that's how it's used in an international context
16 mins
Thanks, Satto!
agree Rod Brookes : Civil society is a very specific concept, although I agree with the comments under the 'private sector' answer above that it does sound incongruous in a business document.
1 hr
Thanks, Roderick! Yes, it does sound awkward, at first, but if you dig into the wiki article, you'll see that the term also refers to professional and business associations, the likely context in this case.
agree Ronnie McKee : Civil society organizations (CSOs) and private sector representatives met with UNCTAD's member States on Monday, 28 January.....There are a lot of articles where CSO and private enterprise appear as two different types of entities. Confusing to mix them.
3 hrs
Thanks, Ronnie! Agreed.
neutral neilmac : Public (administraciones ) and Private Sector (ent. orgs.) would be a better option IMO.
1 day 23 hrs
I respect your opinion, neilmac. In this case, however, I've seen enough mention of civil society to be convinced that we're talking about neither one of those, but truly a third specifically defined sector. Thanks for your feedback!
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks everyone for their input - in the end, I asked the airline and they told me said that I should swap "la sociedad civil" with a literal translation of "administraciones y principales organizaciones empresariales". Having looked at the Wikipedia definition, I think the closest answer provided was "civil society". Many thanks to all."
+9
2 mins

private sector

... as opposed to the public (Govt., Regions, Councils etc).
Used because it is "funcionario-speak" and sounds less "pelotazo" than "sector privado" ...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 mins (2008-06-16 16:48:56 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

IMO.
Peer comment(s):
agree Joss Heywood
1 min
Cheers Joss :-)
agree franglish
20 mins
agree JPMedicalTrans
24 mins
agree Nelida Kreer : Absolutely.
27 mins
agree Sarah FRUTOS BAMBERRY : This seems right in this context and a more common expression than Civil Society
31 mins
I totally agree, buit the asker and client decided not. More fool they, say I.
agree Miriam Cutler (X) : Yes. Also, I have never seen the words "civil society" in a marketing plan.
57 mins
My suggestion simply reads better.
neutral Rod Brookes : I would be careful because in this context it may well be a PR initiative to win the support of specifically 'civil society' organisations: ie civil associations, environmental groups, etc, that aren't part of the private sector.
1 hr
I take your point but it reads much better than "civil society" :) Check out all the agrees!
agree Egmont
1 hr
agree Veronique Bodoutchian
2 hrs
agree Taña Dalglish : Yep! I would say private sector especially regarding the provision of meals within the airline industry. I haven´t to be honest heard of civil society providing meals in the industry. Just my 2 pence! Un abrazo.
2 hrs
Yah, but you can't win 'em all !
Something went wrong...
6 mins

civil society as opposed

to the military
Something went wrong...
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