Sep 16, 2010 19:04
13 yrs ago
3 viewers *
Spanish term
Clientes (ver explicación)
Spanish to English
Marketing
Marketing / Market Research
Es una suerte el que la lengua inglesa cuente con dos palabras "customer" and "client" con significados claramente diferenciados (en contexto) mientras que en español sólo tenemos el término "cliente".
El problema que planteo ahora es que cuando estamos trauduciendo un texto más o menos largo, en el que se refieren costantemente a "clientes". ¿Cómo debe traducirse cuando no es claro si se trata de "customers" o de "clients"? ¿Por qué plabra debemos optar en líneas generales cuando no sea posible determinar de que se trate, o cuando sea posible utilizar cualquiera de los dos términos?.
El problema que planteo ahora es que cuando estamos trauduciendo un texto más o menos largo, en el que se refieren costantemente a "clientes". ¿Cómo debe traducirse cuando no es claro si se trata de "customers" o de "clients"? ¿Por qué plabra debemos optar en líneas generales cuando no sea posible determinar de que se trate, o cuando sea posible utilizar cualquiera de los dos términos?.
Proposed translations
(English)
4 +3 | [see explanation] | Robert Forstag |
5 +2 | clientele | bigedsenior |
Proposed translations
+3
22 mins
Selected
[see explanation]
The following applies to US English, which I assume is the context of your question.
*Customers* is typically used when the commercial interaction: 1.) Involves the purchase of goods; and 2.) Involves the purchase of services that are not considered professional in nature.
Thus, under #1:
Customers of a department store.
Customers of a gas station.
Customers of a bank.
And under #2:
Customers of an oil change center.
The customers of a dry cleaning store.
"Clients," on the other hand, is mainly used in reference to services considered more "professional" or "involving" (i.e., in terms of the relationship between the provider and the purchaser) in nature. (Of course, in medical or para-medical contexts, "patients" would generally be used rather than "clients".
Thus:
The social worker's clients.
The psychotherapit's clients.
The clients of the weight-loss center.
The hairdresser's clients.
The stockbroker's clients.
The insurance broker's clients.
I am sure that exceptions to this general rule can be found, but this does seem to be the general rule (again, for US English).
Suerte.
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Note added at 23 mins (2010-09-16 19:27:43 GMT)
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Typo:
"psychotherapist's"
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Note added at 1 day16 hrs (2010-09-18 11:49:37 GMT)
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A mi juicio, si no se se sabe en concreto a que circunstancia se refiere, la mejor opcion es usar la palabra "customer" en ingles. Pero si se se sabe a la relacion a la que se refiere, se puede usar mi explicacion como una pauta para decidir cual palabra se adecua al contexto.
*Customers* is typically used when the commercial interaction: 1.) Involves the purchase of goods; and 2.) Involves the purchase of services that are not considered professional in nature.
Thus, under #1:
Customers of a department store.
Customers of a gas station.
Customers of a bank.
And under #2:
Customers of an oil change center.
The customers of a dry cleaning store.
"Clients," on the other hand, is mainly used in reference to services considered more "professional" or "involving" (i.e., in terms of the relationship between the provider and the purchaser) in nature. (Of course, in medical or para-medical contexts, "patients" would generally be used rather than "clients".
Thus:
The social worker's clients.
The psychotherapit's clients.
The clients of the weight-loss center.
The hairdresser's clients.
The stockbroker's clients.
The insurance broker's clients.
I am sure that exceptions to this general rule can be found, but this does seem to be the general rule (again, for US English).
Suerte.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 23 mins (2010-09-16 19:27:43 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Typo:
"psychotherapist's"
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day16 hrs (2010-09-18 11:49:37 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
A mi juicio, si no se se sabe en concreto a que circunstancia se refiere, la mejor opcion es usar la palabra "customer" en ingles. Pero si se se sabe a la relacion a la que se refiere, se puede usar mi explicacion como una pauta para decidir cual palabra se adecua al contexto.
Note from asker:
He intentado varias veces enviar una explicación detallada de lo que he querido decir, pero no se que pasa que no logro enviarla. En abosoluto se trata de distinguir entre el significado de "client" y "customer" en inglés, creo que eso lo tiene que tener super claro cualquiera que tenga un mínimo conocimiento del idioma inglés. La cuestión que planteo es totalmente distinta: que término usar cuando en un artículo (con base de modelos y estadísticas) se utiliza repetidametne en el original español la palabra "cliente" y no esta claro si se refiere a "client" o "customer". En inglés jamás existiría este problema, porque sencillametne en el oríginal pondrían uno de los dos términos. El problema se puede plantear, repito, cuando tenemos que traducir el término "cliente" y no esta claro en absoluto si se están refiriendo a "client" o "customer". En tal caso, creo sería del todo incoherente traducir "clients" en un párrafo y "custormers" en el siguiente, en un mismo artículo. Por eso pregunto cual sería el preferente. Por mi parte estoy empezando a pensar que el término prpeferente a utilizar en tales casos sería "customer", pero espero vuestras sabias opiniones al respecto. |
Peer comment(s):
agree |
eski
: Claro que si! eski
10 hrs
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Thank you, Eski.
|
|
agree |
Triston Goodwin
11 hrs
|
Thank you, Triston.
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agree |
Neil Ashby
: BUT social worker's have clients? they are paid by the 'client'? In the UK we would 'cases'. And I believe most bankers would consider their services as porfessional and therefore they are 'clients' not customers - they charge fees and commisions.
14 hrs
|
Thanks.These seem to be differences in US/UK usage. In the US, when social workers refer to the persons they serve, they definitely refer to their "clients" and not "cases" (although they might say to a colleague, "I have a case load of 230 clients").
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Muchas gracia por tu explicación. Al final yo también me incliné por "customer" como la palabra más general cuando no es posible saber si se trata de "clients" o de "customers"."
+2
5 hrs
clientele
the clients or customers, as of a professional person or shop, considered <<collectively>>; a group or body of clients: This jewelry store has a wealthy ...
dictionary.reference.com/browse/clientele -
dictionary.reference.com/browse/clientele -
Peer comment(s):
agree |
Marian Vieyra
7 hrs
|
agree |
Neil Ashby
: BUT clientele is typically used for 'artistic' / luxury / high expense / highly personalised services (e.g. hair-dressers, escort agencies, hotels, masseuses, restaurants, etc.). It is a good term to use for the collective body of 'customers' / 'clients'
9 hrs
|
Discussion
cus·tom·er
/ˈkʌstəmər/ Show Spelled[kuhs-tuh-mer] Show IPA
–noun
1.
a person who purchases goods or services from another; buyer; patron.
2.
Informal . a person one has to deal with: a tough customer; a cool customer.
cli·ent
/ˈklaɪənt/ Show Spelled[klahy-uhnt] Show IPA
–noun
1.
a person or group that uses the professional advice or services of a lawyer, accountant, advertising agency, architect, etc.
2.
a person who is receiving the benefits, services, etc., of a social welfare agency, a government bureau, etc.
3.
a customer.
So Phil hit it right on!!!!