Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Spanish term or phrase:
para lo que me pagan
English translation:
for the pittance/amount I\'m paid
Spanish term
Translator
Native in: Spanish 
Works in: English to Spanish, Spanish to English, Portuguese to Spanish, and 2 more.
para lo que me pagan
Thanks!
| 4 +5 | for the pittance/amount I'm paid |
Robert Carter
|
| 4 +2 | for what I get paid |
David Hollywood
|
| 3 +3 | Not for what I'm getting paid/ Not on this salary |
Gabrielle Oke
|
Oct 17, 2018 11:02: Yvonne Gallagher changed "Level" from "PRO" to "Non-PRO"
PRO (2): Robert Carter, Charles Davis
Non-PRO (3): Carol Gullidge, philgoddard, Yvonne Gallagher
When entering new questions, KudoZ askers are given an opportunity* to classify the difficulty of their questions as 'easy' or 'pro'. If you feel a question marked 'easy' should actually be marked 'pro', and if you have earned more than 20 KudoZ points, you can click the "Vote PRO" button to recommend that change.
How to tell the difference between "easy" and "pro" questions:
An easy question is one that any bilingual person would be able to answer correctly. (Or in the case of monolingual questions, an easy question is one that any native speaker of the language would be able to answer correctly.)
A pro question is anything else... in other words, any question that requires knowledge or skills that are specialized (even slightly).
Another way to think of the difficulty levels is this: an easy question is one that deals with everyday conversation. A pro question is anything else.
When deciding between easy and pro, err on the side of pro. Most questions will be pro.
* Note: non-member askers are not given the option of entering 'pro' questions; the only way for their questions to be classified as 'pro' is for a ProZ.com member or members to re-classify it.
Proposed translations
Mexico
Translating full-time since 1998
Native in: English (Variant: British) 
Works in: Spanish to English
for the pittance/amount I'm paid
https://books.google.com.mx/books?isbn=1784292877
What they say:
I’m working way too much for the amount I’m paid.
What they mean:
I feel overworked and undervalued.
https://cultureiq.com/5-examples-of-miscommunication-workpla...
| agree |
Joshua Parker
2 hrs
|
|
Thanks, Joshua.
|
|
| agree |
neilmac
3 hrs
|
|
Thanks, Neil.
|
|
| agree |
Chema Nieto Castañón
: for the pittance I'm paid... se ajusta perfectamente al tono y al sentido del original
5 hrs
|
|
Thanks, Chema, yes, it does work, but I think Gabrielle's version is more idiomatic.
|
|
| agree |
Cristina Tomàs White
7 hrs
|
|
Thanks, Cristina.
|
|
| agree |
Yvonne Gallagher
7 hrs
|
|
Thanks, Yvonne.
|
worked for int. orgs (IMF, OAS, IDB)
Native in: English
Works in: Spanish to English, German to English
for what I get paid
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 20 mins (2018-10-17 03:20:11 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
certain feeling of resentment involved here...
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 21 mins (2018-10-17 03:20:49 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
thinks he doesn't get enough
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 24 mins (2018-10-17 03:24:07 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
put your mind in the situation and ok
| agree |
philgoddard
: There are lots of ways to say this, but you were the first.
6 hrs
|
|
thanks Phil
|
|
| agree |
Cristina Tomàs White
7 hrs
|
|
thanks Cristina
|
Vietnam
Tourism/Literary/Music/Culinary 5+ years
Native in: English (Variant: US) , Spanish (Variants: Costa Rican, Nicaraguan, Latin American, Venezuelan, Standard-Spain, Colombian)
Works in: Spanish to English, Italian to English, Portuguese to English, and 1 more.
Not for what I'm getting paid/ Not on this salary
This phrase is very popular in films depicting the lives of minimum wage citizens.
For example: You want me to get off my break early? Not on this salary.
This phrase is heavily related to dissatisfaction with one's job. I've attached some articles below
You want me to get you coffee and take out the trash? Not on this salary.
| agree |
Ventnai
2 hrs
|
|
Thanks Ventnai!
|
|
| agree |
Robert Carter
: I think you're right. For English, the expression really works better in the negative, I feel. Nicely done.
23 hrs
|
|
Thanks Robert!
|
|
| agree |
Charles Davis
: I like "Not on this salary".
1 day 2 hrs
|
|
Thanks Charles!
|
Discussion
'For the pittance I'm paid,' Brendan defended himself from the other enf of the bar (...), 'they're lucky I even turn up'.
https://books.google.es/books?id=vOnNCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT332&lpg=P...
'That's stealing,' she'd told him angrily (...). 'You're ripping off taxpayers' (...)
'Yeah, well, I'm a taxpayer too. For the pittance I'm paid I deserve it, so zip it.'
https://books.google.es/books?id=qD4ExKZLV3IC&pg=PA69&lpg=PA...
"I work way too much for the pittance I'm paid..."
Well, these are examples of an equivalent usage and sense to that of "para lo que me pagan", although I understand that this Engish expression (For the pittance I'm paid) is far from being just as common as the Spanish "para lo que me pagan" is...
La expresión original es una figura retórica que supone una excusa o justificación para "pasar", para no involucrarse, para no trabajar o esforzarse en exceso, para no "pensar" o preocuparse más allá de la mecánica laboral necesaria para cumplir la función específica encomendada (útil o no), etc. "Para lo que me pagan" es una justificación genérica que puede utilizarse sola o con una coletilla (Pej. Para lo que me pagan, yo paso).
"5. como partícula adversativa, significando el estado en que se halla actualmente algo, contraponiéndolo a lo que se quiere aplicar o se dice de ello. Con buena calma te vienes para la prisa que yo tengo" (DLE).
In other words, it expresses the contrast between how little I'm paid and how much I'm expected to do for it. It doesn't mean "in return for what I'm paid".
Do we use "for what I'm paid"/"for the pittance I'm paid" to mean that? I'm not sure.