laminar

English translation: to trample; to severely compromise

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

Spanish term or phrase:	laminar
English translation:	to trample; to severely compromise
Entered by:	Robert Forstag

13:37 Apr 7, 2014

Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Journalism / Politics/government; article describing re-election of Viktor Orban as president of Hungary

Spanish term or phrase: laminar

The subheadline of an article in today's edition reads as follows:

Bruselas ha lidiado con un dirigente que intentó laminar el Estado de derecho

Further on in the same article, we have the following:

Bruselas ha aprendido una importante lección en Hungría. Hasta que Orbán empezó a laminar los principios del Estado de derecho, los europeos creían que la democracia estaba garantiza por el hecho de pertenecer al club comunitario.

The context suggests "compromise" or "modify."

The RAE does not suggest any definition beyond the standard one of "apply a protective coating. The glossary entries on this site are also not relevant here.

I'd also be interested to know if this use of "laminar" is limited to Spain, or if it is seen in Latin American contexts as well.

This is something I'm simply curious about. Not for a translation.

Thank you.

Robert Forstag KudoZ activity Questions: 1249 (1 open) (34 closed without grading) Answers: 5909 United States
Local time: 18:53

destroy

Explanation:
is one meaning of this word which fits here. Given by Collins Dic.

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Note added at 2 mins (2014-04-07 13:40:38 GMT)
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... destroy the rule of law......

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Note added at 4 mins (2014-04-07 13:42:15 GMT)
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there are lots of synonyms here......

demolish or dismantle might be better options

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Note added at 25 mins (2014-04-07 14:02:53 GMT)
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laminar in my collins says .......(fig) to smash, destroy

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Note added at 27 mins (2014-04-07 14:05:32 GMT)
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laminarV [conjugate]to smashV

http://www.tomisimo.org/dictionary/spanish_english/smash

Selected response from:

Billh
Local time: 23:53

Grading comment

Thank you, Bill. Thanks also to everyone else who responded and commented. In reviewing all the suggestions and comments, I think that "trample" is what works best in the way of a literally oriented translation. I also think that "severely compromise" would work (i.e., in conveying the intended sense in a non-literal way).
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

4 +3

ride roughshod over

neilmac

4 +2

destroy

Billh

4 +2

undermine

Mario Freitas

4 +2

to steamroller

David Ronder

attack

María Perales

harmonize

DLyons

Summary of reference entries provided

Link to article

neilmac

Taña Dalglish

Andy Watkinson

Discussion entries: 8

neilmac

Spain

I also thought

07:59 Apr 8, 2014

it might be a corruption of "aminorar" or "minar" (=socavar). We live and learn...

Maritza Andrade

Mozambique

06:30 Apr 8, 2014

En Latino América no he escuchado este término de laminar. Lo he leído en los periódicos y otros de Español de España.

Andy Watkinson

Spain

02:47 Apr 8, 2014

@Robert

Assuming I'm being referred to, my intention was not to belittle anyone's grasp of Spanish.
I'm simply surprised at even native speakers' unfamiliarity with, eg, the following typical use of a common expression

"Antena3: Sep 2013 ... El PSOE considera que el Ejecutivo planea "laminar el poder adquisitivo de los jubilados" al pretender ahorrar entre..."

I've been reading the Spanish press since 1976 and can't vouch that it was common currency back then. But it certainly has been for the last couple of decades.

Mario Freitas

Brazil

@ Alejandro,

22:25 Apr 7, 2014

I though the same as you, that's why I suggested "undermine". "Laminar" doesn't make much sense here, unless the author meant to make something thinner or to slice it.

Maritza Andrade

Mozambique

17:08 Apr 7, 2014

Tengo entendido que laminar es más un término político. Por ejemplo, se hablaba del PP-línea bronca y sus aliados mediáticos laminan más y mejor el Estado democrático de Derecho que la violencia política.

Alejandro Alcaraz Sintes

Spain

laminar

16:53 Apr 7, 2014

Couldn't it just be a slip of the pen for "minar", which would seem to fit in the context? Plenty of Google hits for "minar el Estado de derecho".

Robert Forstag

United States

ASKER

Sense of word

16:34 Apr 7, 2014

Well, there is nothing in the RAE entry to suggest its use as synonymous with "atropellar," so I certainly don't think it warranted to break out the dunce caps for those of us who've expressed uncertainty as to its meaning--or its correct translation into English--in said context. Yet I suppose the literal definition "to beat or compress into a thin sheet," renders such a use semantically logical. I personally was thinking of "laminate" in the sense of "to cover, protect," and hence my confusion.

At any rate, the figurative use of the term is now recorded forever and anon in the proz.com archive....

neilmac

Spain

The article

14:35 Apr 7, 2014

appears in El Pais. I'd think about asking the author, Lucía Abellán, what she meant by it, but I can't see an email address for on the web page.

Answers

26 mins confidence:

harmonize

Explanation:
Pons gives this, but I think it's crowdsourced.

Reference: http://es.pons.com/traducci%C3%B3n/ingl%C3%A9s-espa%C3%B1ol/...

DLyons
Ireland
Local time: 23:53
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 12

25 mins confidence:

attack

Explanation:
Another possibility.

http://blogs.ft.com/beyond-brics/2014/02/05/guest-post-hunga...

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Note added at 26 mins (2014-04-07 14:04:26 GMT)
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By the way, I had never seen the use of "laminar" in this context.

María Perales
Spain
Local time: 00:53
Native speaker of:

Spanish

2 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

destroy

Billh
Local time: 23:53
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 4

Grading comment

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thank you for the answer and suggestions. The confusing thing here is that the meaning in these instances is diametrically opposite that of the general sense of the word. The suggestions of spanishdict.com and wordreference.com are of no help here.

40 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

undermine

Explanation:
Suggestion

Mario Freitas
Brazil
Local time: 19:53
Native speaker of:

English

1 hr confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

ride roughshod over

Explanation:
Based on Andy W's definition I think this might fit the bill.:
Ride roughshod over - Idioms - Fig. to treat someone or something with disdain or scorn.

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Note added at 1 hr (2014-04-07 14:42:05 GMT)
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= trample over (pisotear)

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Note added at 1 hr (2014-04-07 14:43:03 GMT)
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BTW Andy, I've been living and translating in Spain for over 20 years and it's new to me, and my Spanish proofreader colleague (Master en Lengua Española) has never heard of it used that way either.

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Note added at 1 hr (2014-04-07 14:44:26 GMT)
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Also "drive a coach and horses through"... http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/drive-a-c...

neilmac
Spain
Local time: 00:53
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 28

2 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

to steamroller

Explanation:
My Collins has a technical meaning for 'laminar' - 'to roll' - so I think 'steamroller' could work here in the sense of crush, flatten and indeed ride roughshod over.

David Ronder
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:53
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 28

Reference comments

59 mins

Reference: Link to article

Reference information:
In case you want to try contacting the author.

Reference: http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2014/04/06/act...

neilmac
Spain
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 28

1 hr peer agreement (net): +1

Reference

Reference information:
Robert:

I cannot find a specific reference to "laminar" but articles in English suggest "dismantling". It could be "undermine" too as Mario has suggested. I, therefore, did not propose it as an answer, but leave you with these links:

Viktor Orban | Economist - World News, Politics, Economics ...
www.economist.com/topics/viktor-orban‎
Viktor Orban heads to a third term—and wants to centralise power ... Viktor Orban is once again accused of **dismantling** the rule of law in Hungary.

http://elpais.com/tag/viktor_orban/a/

Hungary's “democracy” problem – a concept and its background ...
www.criticatac.ro/.../hungarys-democracy-problem-a-concept-...‎
Jul 10, 2013 - After Fidesz gained 2/3s in Parliament in 2010, it started a program of ... side, where “democracy” stood for an idealized European model of procedural democracy, ... TG: The apparent disputes of **dismantling** the rule of law, and the ... Viktor Orbán, but such phenomena had been on the agenda also before.

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Note added at 1 hr (2014-04-07 15:19:02 GMT)
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Sorry, in fact Billh's proposal may be better: "demolish or dismantle" may be closer.

Taña Dalglish
Jamaica
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4

2 hrs peer agreement (net): +2

Reference

Reference information:
Not particularly fond of posting numerous Google hits, but hardly a day goes by without a newspaper referring to the latest rights which have been “laminados”

www.fsc.ccoo.es/.../Actualidad:Federal:Actualidad:583...‎Translate this page
Mar 13, 2014 - Administración General del Estado • Administración de Justicia ... Posteriormente destacó los derechos perdidos por las empleadas y los ... “Este gobierno ha apostado por laminar los servicios públicos y también por laminar los derechos y ...

El País.com (España) ‎- 10 hours ago
... autoritarios de un líder que intentó laminar el Estado de derecho. ... solo queda pendiente un caso en el Tribunal Europeo de Derechos ...

www.totalnews.com.ar/content/blogcategory/13/104/‎Translate this page
9 hours ago - ... autoritarios de un líder que intentó laminar el Estado de derecho ....

www.spot-marbella-spain.com/alquiler/.../puerto-banú...‎Translate this page
... los deslices autoritarios de un líder que intentó laminar el Estado de derecho .... de

waldenland25.blogspot.com/.../de-unanimes-primores...‎Translate this page
Feb 15, 2012 - ... coro, después de perseguir tiranos blandiendo los derechos humanos; ... que cuestionar la decisión del TS es laminar el estado de derecho, ...

www.nabarralde.com › Catalunya‎Translate this page
El derecho de autodeterminación "no existe en ninguna parte". El derecho a decidir, por ... Extremismo es laminar los derechos laborales. Extremismo es ...

etc...etc.....etc.....etc.....etc.................

Andy Watkinson
Spain
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 4

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laminar

English translation: to trample; to severely compromise

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