This site uses cookies. Some of these cookies are essential to the operation of the site, while others help to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used. For more information, please see the ProZ.com privacy policy.
Cookie settings
Virus Hepatitis C C1 Ausente
BR 11,5 hs

Glossary entry

Spanish term or phrase:

disciplinamiento electoral

English translation:

attempts to sway voters

Added to glossary by Wendy Gosselin
Nov 12, 2019 12:57
4 yrs ago
4 viewers *
Spanish term

disciplinamiento electoral

Spanish to English Social Sciences Government / Politics Argentina
Here are a few examples of how this term is used:

"Reclamamos que el consejo del salario contemple la situación de los trabajadores y trabajadoras de la economía popular y nos convoque. Luego de echarle la culpa a los que no lo votaron de la subida del dólar, estos anuncios implican un claro intento de disciplinamiento electoral", indicaron.

n la coyuntura actual, con o sin el disciplinamiento electoral, las cosas van a seguir cambiando, se va a seguir recortando el gasto público, aumentará la precariedad laboral y los trabajos miseria, se deteriorarán más aún si cabe todos los servicios públicos, aumentará la represión de la protesta, su criminalización y su silenciamiento mediático.

La dirigencia tradicional asumía que aquéllos adeptos al laborismo sin experiencia, en las pugnas partidarias y sin tradición en el campo político, tendrían pocas
posibilidades de alzarse con un triunfo, por lo complicado del entramado del régimen político. Esa creencia era reveladora de la confianza que tenían en los métodos de disciplinamiento electoral y en lo aceitado de los mecanismos de persuasión típicos de la época.
Proposed translations (English)
3 +1 attempts to sway voters
3 +3 voter indoctrination
3 +2 vote whipping
4 +1 electoral subjugation
5 Voter Persuasion Strategies
4 electoral discipline
2 +1 electoral restraint
1 voting/electoral instruction

Discussion

Robert Carter Nov 16, 2019:
@Lester Chema has once again expressed a set of viewpoints that I would echo almost word for word, so I'll just add that I don't post answers here unless I think they're useful or applicable as translations, and I certainly wouldn't post anything I wouldn't use myself in a translation. And though you didn't name me personally, in your comment you at least alluded to my answer (and Chema's), as well as to the people who agreed with our answers, and by extension you seemed to be suggesting we were all, what, pulling the asker's leg? I'm still not sure. In any case, that struck me as more an accusation of bad faith than any criticism of our approaches to translation.
Have a good weekend everyone!
Chema Nieto Castañón Nov 15, 2019:
Hi Lester,
Nothing personal here. Both Robert and myself are asking you to focus on the meaning of the original expression as we both believe you might be misreading it.

The basic idea of my reasoning is that literal translations are not better (nor safer) than others just because they are literal; a good translation should convey the same idea rather than the "same" wording. And even more, the same words in a given language might mean very different things depending on context.

And so, please, feel free to discuss about meaning and renderings; I honestly do not take it personal when anyone corrects me or discusses my points. And it is evident that neither does Robert!

So far you have only shared the argument of "co-existance" of two similar-sounding expressions in English and Spanish -which seems but a weak defense for the reasons already stated. But maybe there is more to it; I'll be glad to find out I am wrong here and learn something new!
Lester Tattersall Nov 15, 2019:
Upset me, Robert? Well, no. It's clearly you and Chema who've taken umbrage, by taking my Comment personally, when I didn't even address you or anyone.
By all means, if you two think "disciplinamiento electoral" means "voter indoctrination" then use it if it turns up in one of your translations. But I have a feeling you would think twice before doing so:)
Robert Carter Nov 15, 2019:
@Lester I'm sorry if I upset you, that wasn't my intention at all. I thought I might address the criticisms you made by defending my reasoning (if not my suggestion). On the other hand, perhaps you're just trolling, in which case, I'll leave it at that. Otherwise, feel free to debate the points made, I assure you my nerves can handle it :-)
Chema Nieto Castañón Nov 15, 2019:
Touched a raw nerve!? :)))
You are very funny, Lester.
Lester Tattersall Nov 15, 2019:
I've evidently touched a raw nerve here.
Robert Carter Nov 14, 2019:
@Lester While I admit my initial brief reading of the source text without further context may have been hasty, my logic was that "disciplinamiento" meant disciplining (whipping) by the "dirigencia" of a party or union. It didn't seem outlandish in any way to me, which is why I suggested it. I emphasize, it's only a suggestion (as you can see by the CR of 3). The asker can then decide whether that fits her context. Obviously "discipline" was one of the options I considered to begin with, but which I then rejected it as it seemed to me to be irrelevant to the context. I still think it's irrelevant, and I'm completely agreement with Chema's take, both in his answer and in his discussion entry.
As for "daring" to use these terms, well that's really a subjective question. If I'm fairly sure (there is usually no "proof" available) what the text is getting at, then I feel I'm probably better off making an educated guess, for which I can give reasoned support, than making an uneducated (and perhaps even risible) literal translation, and which is perhaps indefensible given the logic of the text.
Chema Nieto Castañón Nov 14, 2019:
Hi Lester,
Do please excuse my impertinence, but I do not follow your logic. The fact that two similar words or expressions exist both in English and Spanish is no "proof" that they share the same meaning. I am afraid that a literal translation is no safeguard against a bad translation.

In this particular case I believe you are misreading the Spanish expression. For me it is hard to believe that in the given context "disciplinamiento electoral" conveys the idea of an attempt to "discipline" politicians. And it is the meaning of the original expression which is at stake here as it is radically different for politicians to attempt to "discipline" voters than for voters to attempt to "discipline" politicians.

Anyhow, I might be wrong.
What I am sure about is that it is meaning what matters here; understanding the original and discussing what the original expression conveys so as to come up with a fair rendering in English is what everyone here is actually doing.
You might also want to give it a try.

Un saludo.
Lester Tattersall Nov 14, 2019:
"Disciplinamiento electoral" exists in Spanish political texts. "Electoral discipline" exists in English political texts.
Without proof, to take a chance and translate it as "indoctrination" or "vote whipping" or... whatever, seems, well... very unwise.
Would the people suggesting these terms dare use them if it was their translation? I don't think so. No way.

Proposed translations

+1
1 day 22 hrs
Selected

attempts to sway voters

Maybe “attempts to sway voters” could be a milder way of putting it, although in this case, like Chema has suggested, it sounds more like people are being pushed into voting for the government.

Vote For Me: Slogans that Made History
georgiapoliticalreview.com › vote-for-me-slogans-that...

3 oct. 2019 - As the 2020 presidential election nears, there is no doubt that the new candidates will also attempt to sway voters with appealing slogans.

SNP minister 'used public money to sway voters' - The Times
https://www.thetimes.co.uk › edition › scotland

4 may. 2017 - ... which Kevin Stewart, the SNP housing minister, revealed the spending was “a blatant attempt to sway voters” and an example of ...


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 día 22 horas (2019-11-14 11:15:27 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Or maybe even "attempts to discipline voters"
Peer comment(s):
agree Chema Nieto Castañón : Swaying is probably too mild. I like your alternative though; "(...) an obvious / a blatant attempt to discipline voters" seems to work alright here. ¡Saludos!
55 mins
Gracias, Chema ;-)
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Sara, this was PERFECT, exactly what they meant!"
+1
48 mins

electoral restraint

electoral discipline does seem to exist, but perhaps restraint works better ?

The Set Up
Public officials control public resources. Potentially, these resources can be used
either for the provision of public goods or for private patronage. Governments in
democracies normally face two institutions of restraint: the ballot box and the courts.
Public officials who choose private patronage over public goods are potentially
punished both by losing elections and by scrutiny and prosecution. We model these two processes of restraint, showing their limitations in societies with the
characteristics common in developing countries.
Our model has three steps. In the first we focus on the restraint imposed by elections.
We show how in certain conditions political parties in a competitive democracy will
rationally prefer to compete through private patronage rather than by the provision of
public goods. In the second step we introduce the restraint imposed by scrutiny.
Peer comment(s):
agree Lester Tattersall : This is surely the right idea, though I prefer the literal translation - safer.
23 hrs
Yes, probably. Many thanks, Lester.
Something went wrong...
+2
2 hrs

vote whipping

I think this is what is being referred to here. Vote whipping is a way of enforcing discipline among members of the same caucus or block to get them to vote with their leadership on a resolution or decision.

The whipping system is generally about discipline but, unhelpfully and confusingly, the same term is used to refer to different aspects of system.
https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/whip-party-what-withdrawn-...

Each Thursday, ahead of the next parliamentary week, the party leadership distributes a schedule of expected parliamentary votes to their MPs containing instructions on how to vote. This is referred to as the ‘whip’. MPs are usually expected to show loyalty to their party when voting in Parliament.

The whip is also issued in the House of Lords, although party discipline is less strictly enforced among peers.
https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainers/whippin...

But so far, the San Francisco politician is showing her mastery of vote-whipping and backroom dealing as she fights off a band of dissident Democrats.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/11/26/nancy-pelosi-house-sp...

McIntosh, 71, declined to comment on the vote-whipping, saying she would not discuss the speakership until after
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/maggie-mcin...

In the two references above the term is hyphenated, but I don't think it should be unless it's used as an adjective.
Peer comment(s):
agree AllegroTrans
1 hr
Thanks, Chris.
agree Adrian MM. : seems to work for the US from your Pelosi ref. cf. gerrymandering
3 hrs
Thanks, Adrian.
neutral Chema Nieto Castañón : Hi Robert! In this case I suspect the original does not refer to politicians being forced to vote in certain way by means of caucus discipline but to voters being pushed (indoctrinated, almost intimidated) to vote in certain way
9 hrs
Hi Chema, yes, I've come back to this a couple of times today, and I've had a look at some source documents that seem to point to what you suggest. Thanks for posting!
Something went wrong...
+1
7 hrs

electoral subjugation

Disciplinamiento = Subjugation through discipline

These are extremely superficial notions that call for the submission of citizens' will, people's thinking and electoral subjugation. Our approach to nations in South
https://books.google.com.ar/books?id=zmeqDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT19&lp...

.. with the choice on offer, but are at least willing to campaign for a change in order to break the stasis of electoral subjugation that they believe FPTP imposes.
https://jedibeeftrix.wordpress.com/tag/referendum/

At the same meeting Cohen invoked the recent example of the ratepayers of Rye in freeing themselves from electoral subjugation and promised that Lyon and ...
https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1820-1832/c...

was electoral subjugation in the following election that effectively erased most of the municipal successes that had been won over the past three decades.
https://www.chriserl.com/s/0ux5vzchw5qa768qf5enr2lkloorlm

Hope it helps!

Peer comment(s):
agree Chema Nieto Castañón : Sí, suena razonable también
4 hrs
¡Gracias, Chema!
Something went wrong...
7 hrs

voting/electoral instruction

Something went wrong...
+3
11 hrs

voter indoctrination

Not sure if this is the best way to express the idea in English but this is what the original conveys; diciplinamiento as adoctrinamiento, indoctrination of voters; trying thus to force voters to vote a certain. It would be close to the idea of voter intimidation, without the legal implications.


Indoctrination
to imbue with a usually partisan or sectarian opinion, point of view, or principle
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/indoctrinate
Peer comment(s):
agree Robert Carter : I think you're right; on reflection it does seem to relate to more to the voting public rather than party politicians. "Indoctrination" does seem to be the sense here. ¡Saludos!
19 mins
Thanks a lot Robert! ¡Saludos!
neutral Adrian MM. : Non-jury nobbling, steamrolling or pressuring - I couldn't get far with these electoral alternatives myself, Chema.....
2 hrs
I see. Thanks for sharing!
agree AllegroTrans
18 hrs
Thanks AllegroTrans ;)
agree Sara Fairen : De acuerdo con tu lectura
1 day 10 hrs
Gracias, Sara ;)
Something went wrong...
21 hrs

electoral discipline

- "disciplinamiento electoral" se refiere a 'castigar en las urnas'; es decir, si el partido en el poder no da resultados pues los votantes le pueden "disciplinar" en las elecciones.

- The term "electoral discipline" exists, and there are many examples available, many of them are perhaps translations, but not all, such as this:
Do ElectionsMatter for Economic Performance?August, 2012Paul Collier and Anke Hoeffler. University of Oxford
"In mature democracies, elections discipline leaders to deliver good economic performance.[...]"
"The major changes in performance attributable to leadership change may occur where leaders are not subject to electoral discipline."
http://www.sfu.ca/dean-gradstudies/events/dreamcolloquium/Sp...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 21 hrs (2019-11-13 10:51:01 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Spanish example showing the meaning:
"Aragón es nuestro Ohio: Así votan los españoles - Google Books Result
https://books.google.co.uk › books
Equipo Piedras de Papel - 2015 - ‎Political Science
El voto, como herramienta de castigo, debería disciplinar y hacer que los partidos... "
Peer comment(s):
neutral Chema Nieto Castañón : Although it makes sense, in this particular case I believe that "estos anuncios" refers to some government announcements. From there, disciplinamiento electoral must be a government action over voters and not the opposite. Or maybe I am wrong ;)
10 hrs
neutral Robert Carter : Agree with Chema, that doesn't seem to be the idea at all here.
1 day 12 hrs
Something went wrong...
2 days 22 hrs

Voter Persuasion Strategies

Muchas veces el "disciplinamiento" se refiere a cosas que hace el gobierno para tratar de ganarle a los electores, como se ve claramente en este artículo: http://www.infonews.com/nota/324913/las-migajas-que-ofrece-e...
Es decir, más que "indictrination" sería intentos de persuadir a los que votan.
Reference:

http://www.infonews.com/nota/324913/las-migajas-que-ofrece-el-gobierno-esconden

Something went wrong...
Close search
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search