https://www.proz.com/kudoz/spanish-to-english/government-politics/6550399-compa%C3%B1eros-de-utop%C3%ADa.html

Glossary entry

Spanish term or phrase:

compañeros de utopía

English translation:

utopian comrades / utopian peers / fellow utopian peers

Added to glossary by María Teresa Taylor Oliver
Aug 10, 2018 22:32
5 yrs ago
1 viewer *
Spanish term

compañeros de utopía

Spanish to English Social Sciences Government / Politics
I'm translating an opinion piece (https://www.14ymedio.com/opinion/Bachelet-Habana-vigilar-der... by Cuban dissident Yoani Sanchez on reports that Michelle Bachelet will be the next UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

I'm having a hard time rendering the phrase "compañeros de utopía." The following paragraphs provide more context:

============================================================
Su historial no la ayuda mucho en ese empeño ecuménico. Bachelet demostró durante sus dos mandatos presidenciales que puede padecer de una obstinada miopía cuando se trata de los desmanes cometidos por sus compañeros ideológicos que mandan en Venezuela, Nicaragua y, sobre todo, en la Plaza de la Revolución de La Habana.

En los largos años que estuvo al frente de la sólida democracia chilena, sus críticas fueron más bien tibias o inexistentes hacia los populismos de izquierda que reprimían a sus disidentes. Salvo algunas pocas excepciones, la mandataria prefirió no incordiar a sus **********compañeros de utopía********** y optó por la estrategia de dirigir la vista hacia otra dirección.
============================================================

I know Yoani is talking about leftist rulers like Ortega in Nicaragua and Maduro in Venezuela, but... how to render it? In the previous paragraph, they are referred to as Bachelet's "compañeros ideológicos," which I translated as "ideological peers."

Any help will be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Discussion

María Teresa Taylor Oliver (asker) Aug 11, 2018:
Thanks, Charles! When I clicked on the URL in my question, it took me to the website, but the website returned a "page not found" error. So that's why I thought it had been cut off. Now I see it was because of the parenthesis I put in. Thank you!
Charles Davis Aug 11, 2018:
@María Teresa Your URL wasn't cut off, but it doesn't work because the closing parenthesis you put just after it has been included in it, and with the addition of that character it produces an error. Everything from http up to the next space is interpreted as part of the URL. So what you have to do is put a space between the last character of the URL and the next character that is not part of it (even if that character is a parenthesis). This is a very common problem on Proz.com and it's very often the reason why links don't work. (The other common reason is that people post URLs copied from Google results, which are truncated in the middle; you have to open the page and copy the URL from the box.)
María Teresa Taylor Oliver (asker) Aug 10, 2018:
I don't know why this thing cuts off URLs. Here's the shortened version, as it appears the URL I posted above was cut off: https://bit.ly/2P009lS

Proposed translations

+6
26 mins
Selected

utopian comrades

Not that it's commonly said, but I think this might work in this context (of Nicaragua).

Utopian Comrade (@UtopianComrade) | Twitter
https://twitter.com/utopiancomrade
The latest Tweets from Utopian Comrade (@UtopianComrade): "Sign up free and Get 400 followers a day using http://tweeteradder.com"

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Note added at 1 day 21 hrs (2018-08-12 19:43:10 GMT) Post-grading
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I'm glad to have helped, María Teresa.

When I was an undergrad, one of my poli-sci professors (who introduced me to Parenti's 'Democracy for the Few, now in its 9th edition') made it a point that 'socialism' is an economic order, and 'comunism' a political system.

As for using 'ideological peers' and 'utopian comrades,' I'd say they go together nicely here.

Cheers from Honduras :-)
Note from asker:
Thanks, Marcelo. I was thinking of using "comrades" but was a bit wary because Bachelet is more socialist than outright communist, like the other two. (I know Maduro is supposed to be a socialist, but come on!) Thanks, spielenschach1, I do know what "utopia" means... :)
Peer comment(s):

agree José Patrício : Utopia An ideally perfect place, especially in its social, political, and moral - aspects - https://www.thefreedictionary.com/Utopy
9 mins
Thanks
agree Barbara Cochran, MFA
27 mins
Thanks, Barbara
agree philgoddard
39 mins
Thanks, Phil
agree neilmac : This would seem to fit the author's evident antipathy to the subjects described.
9 hrs
Exactly. Many thanks, Neil
agree Robert Forstag : Agree with Neilmac.
14 hrs
Same here! Thanks, Robert
agree bigedsenior : probably as close as you can come
20 hrs
I think so, too. Thanks 'n cheers
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks, everyone, for your valuable input."
+1
1 hr

utopian fellows

I would shy away from "comrades" in this context and "fellows" might do it as there's a double meaning that would seem to fit here
Peer comment(s):

agree neilmac : I prefer this more balanced, less rabidly judgemental option :)
8 hrs
less rabid works
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+1
4 hrs

utopian peers - fellow utopian peers

I would stick with "peers", to stay consistent with what you used for "ideological peers".

Saludos cordiales.
Peer comment(s):

agree neilmac : Again, I prefer this calmer, less "in-your-face" choice.
5 hrs
Thank you very much, Neilmac. :-)
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