Glossary entry

Spanish term or phrase:

atraco petrolero de Wall Street y las grandes petroleras

English translation:

the great robbery/grand theft perpetrated by Wall Street and the major oil companies;

Added to glossary by Mónica Algazi
Dec 1, 2013 13:07
10 yrs ago
1 viewer *
Spanish term

atraco petrolero de Wall Street y las grandes petroleras

Spanish to English Other Journalism Informe de prensa
[Name of newspaper] publica además una nota de análisis sobre el “atraco petrolero de Wall Street y las grandes petroleras”, que han generado en México una “vorágine de perforación vertical/horizontal que acarrea gran devastación sobre la salud de la población, de la biota, las cuencas hídricas, el territorio y la atmósfera”. Agrega que en Estados Unidos existen 400 entidades que promueven o han formalizado la suspensión, moratoria y/o prohibición del fracking.

No entiendo. TIA!

Proposed translations

+1
26 mins
Selected

the great oil robbery perpetrated by Wall Street and the major oil companies

I presume "atraco" is a way of saying that it is illegitimate and predatory, morally if not legally a robbery. I would be inclined to call it the "great oil robbery", because the expression "great X robbery" is a set phrase (derived from the Great Train Robbery in Britain in 1963); by putting it this way, it will be clear that the term is being used metaphorically. I think it really needs a verb in English, so I suggest "perpetrated".

For "las grandes petroleras", it is tempting to put "Big Oil", but this technically means the five supermajors, and we can't be sure that there aren't other oil companies involved (in fact I think there are, such as Anadarko). So I'd just say "major oil companies".

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Note added at 28 mins (2013-12-01 13:35:35 GMT)
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Here's an example of the expression "great oil robbery", used to refer to predatory and extortionate practices by the oil companies:

http://peakoil.com/alternative-energy/the-great-oil-robbery

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Note added at 5 hrs (2013-12-01 19:02:36 GMT)
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I've just read Pablo's answer, with great interest, and this has led me to do some more research. The idea that "atraco de Wall Street" refers to a metaphorical raid or armed robbery OF Wall Street by big oil is inherently strange, and I am quite sure this is not the meaning.

How Big Oil could or would carry out a robbery of Wall Street is difficult to imagine anyway, unless it is by manipulating share prices or something like that. In any case, if it meant that it would normally be "atraco a Wall Street", not "atraco de Wall Street". And this reading is also difficult to reconcile with the Spanish original, because it leaves "y las grandes petroleras" hanging, without a syntactic function (it surely doesn't mean a robbery of Wall Street and of big oil, since big oil is presumably perpetrating the robbery).

I think the source text makes sense. The function of Wall Street here is as an accomplice, not a target, of the oil companies. They want unregulated, unrestricted exploitation of reserves by fracking, for which Peña Nieto is proposing to offer an opportunity in Mexico, and Wall Street (the banks and hedge funds) provides the necessary finance (a vast amount of investment is needed). So as I said, it's a "robbery" perpetrated (on Mexico, in this case) by Wall Street and the oil companies in partnership. All this made possible by Peña Nieto's proposed privatisation program, which is what "el atraco petrolero de Wall Street y las grandes petroleras articulado por EPN" (see first source below) refers to. In other words, what Peña Nieto is proposing provides the opportunity for the major oil companies, financed by Wall Street, to "steal" Mexican resources (from a Mexican perspective): in that sense, "está articulando un atraco".

I've been reading these sources:
http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2013/11/28/opinion/030a1eco
http://www.noticiaspia.org/explotacion-de-fosiles-no-convenc...
Note from asker:
Thank you, Charles!
Peer comment(s):

agree Pablo Julián Davis : De acuerdo, y bueno tu 'desempaque' del texto. En realidad, sólo ofrezco un fraseo alternativo (y una manera de evitar repetir 'petrolero').
6 hrs
¡Mil gracias!
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Muchas gracias a todos."
19 mins

"The fracking frenzy that has gripped Wall Street and major petroleum companies

One idea - put fracking upfront as a literal translation of the original doesn't make much sense in English.
priceofoil.org/.../north-america-is-the-new-middle-e...‎
24/10/2012 - Since then the fracking frenzy that has gripped America has really gathered pace. So much so that the US could soon replace Saudi Arabia as ...oil.carboncapturereport.org/cgi.../profiler?...9...‎

02/05/2009 - ... water You don't have to be an enviro-nut to realize that the fracking frenzy that has erupted in this country endangers the most basic of

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Note added at 19 mins (2013-12-01 13:26:57 GMT)
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Sorry for that orphan quotation mark at the beginning!
Note from asker:
Great. Thank you, Jenni!
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18 mins

Ver explicación

Basada en las graves consecuencias de la fracturación por presión líquida, es fácil deducir que lo que el título pretende es establecer la relación entre la demanda de Wall Street por el oro negro y la responsabilidad o falta de ella, por parte de las grandes petroleras que extrael el petróleo del subsuelo, a costa de la salud de los habitantes, de la extinción de la biodiversidad, de la calidad de aire, y de la estabilidad geográfica misma. En vista de que las petroleras en EEUU les está siendo vetada esta forma de explotación, han optado por mirar hacia otros mercados más flexibles o menos escrupulosos.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_fracturing
http://rt.com/usa/fracking-texas-activists-concerned-510/
http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/water/fracking/
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-big-fracking-b...


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Note added at 2 hrs (2013-12-01 15:21:23 GMT)
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Espero que te sirva de ayuda!
Note from asker:
Gracias por las referencias y buen domingo, Phoenix III.
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2 hrs

oil industry's armed robbery of Wall Street, and the big oil companies generally **ver explicación**

La frase "atraco petrolero de Wall Street y las grandes petroleras" no tiene tanto sentido en sí, sino como parte de una frase más larga, no demasiado bien escrita (para mis ojos). Es sobre el Congresista McCaul de Texas, que, según entiendo, apoya 3 cosas; agrego numeritos entre corchetes dentro del texto fuente: "vino a apoyar, junto al [1] diseño geopolítico de Washington para América del Norte, [2] el atraco petrolero de Wall Street y [3] las grandes petroleras articulado por EPN." No tiene demasiado sentido, como creo que verán, pero lo que se puede desprender es que McCaul es partidario de un 'tríptico' articulado por Peña Nieto: 1)plan geopolítico de EEUU, 2)robo a mano armada cometido por las petroleras al mundo financiero y 3)las grandes petroleras en general.

For 'atraco', I think the best equivalent is 'hold-up' or 'stick-up' but I don't know that these terms 'hold up' equally well throughout the English-speaking world, so 'armed robbery' would be a more neutral, reliably understandable translation.

Also, there is nothing about fracking in the phrase provided by Mónica, though there is a subsequent sentence she provides for context about the "vorágine"- so I don't think fracking should find its way into the translation of the particular phrase provided.

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Note added at 3 hrs (2013-12-01 16:08:37 GMT)
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I see Jenni's logic behind introducing fracking into the translation, while I don't think I would do the same, I appreciate her sharing her reasoning. ¡Saludos!
Note from asker:
Sin duda, por aquí viene la cosa. Muchas gracias por la referencia y la explicación, Pablo Julián.
Peer comment(s):

neutral Charles Davis : I don't believe "atraco de Wall Street" refers to a robbery perpetrated by the oil companies ON the financial world; it must, and I'm sure it does, refer to a robbery perpetrated by Wall Street and Big Oil together on Mexico.
3 hrs
Creo que la pegaste, hermano. Ofrezco otra posible solución de traducción, pero sobre la base de tu (aguda) lectura del texto.
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+1
6 hrs

grand theft of energy/hydrocarbons perpetrated by Wall Street and the big oil companies

I don't think I've ever submitted a second answer to a question before; I'm moved to do so by Charles's brilliant unpacking of the confusing source text, which is suddenly less confusing. I know we would all welcoming his submitting his own answer. What I offer here is just my solution to applying the new understanding of the text made possible by Charles's insight. Using 'energy' because the rest of the context makes clear that it's not oil (petroleum) per se, or strictly, that's being talked about but natural gas and other things... 'hydrocarbons' might be a broad way, alternatively, to talk about it.

Another alternative: possibly "grand theft energy" by analogy to "grand theft auto".

"Financiers failing own version of Hippocratic Oath. ... Mar 8, 2013 - Instead, we the people are being ignored and these people, institutions, are allowed to continue the Grand Theft of resources..." blogs.reuters.com/.../financiers-failing-own-version-of-hippocratic-oath/‎

"African Invasion Coming. We as Christians should at least not support this evil warmongering and grand theft of resources. Discernment has not been our strong suit..." ccgathering.com/index.php?topic=3835.0;wap2‎



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Note added at 10 hrs (2013-12-02 00:01:12 GMT)
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Realmente, un deleite arremangarse y darle a estos rompecabezas, no sólo fascinantes y útiles (es un poco una especie de calistenia para los traductores, ¿no?), sino que se disfruta más por la competencia estimulante y leal de colegas con tanto fondo. Y así también aprendemos. ¡Gracias a todos! ... En cuanto a la 'tormenta de ideas', ojalá le haya sido útil a Mónica. Siempre y cuando la tormenta, no devenga tormento...!
Note from asker:
Muchas gracias, Pablo Julián. Esta tormenta de ideas de talentos echa luz sobre un texto asaz oscuro.
Peer comment(s):

agree Charles Davis : I like "grand theft"
12 mins
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