Dec 14, 2012 16:59
11 yrs ago
59 viewers *
Spanish term
United States
English wordsmith
Native in: English
Works in: Spanish to English, Arabic to English, Hebrew to English, and 1 more.
descompensar
Spanish to English
Medical
Medical (general)
patient interview / Spain
I am going a bit nuts with this interview transcript from a hepatitis patient in Spain. His way of speaking, both in general conversation and medical, is not familiar to me, as I generally work with Latin American patients. There are a few places in the text where uses the term "descompensar" or "descompensacion," and it's clearly not in the technical sense of "decompensation." Here's an example:
"Es que nunca se sabe. Puedes ahora tener a lo mejor todas las cosas compensadas y en determinado momento, pues, descompensarte ..." (After that, he changes the subject.)
Is "descompensarte" here simply that you could "get worse" or "get sick"? (whereas "tener las cosas compensadas" means everything in the body is under control)
I basically just want to make sure that I'm on the right track and not missing anything more significant.
Thanks in advance.
"Es que nunca se sabe. Puedes ahora tener a lo mejor todas las cosas compensadas y en determinado momento, pues, descompensarte ..." (After that, he changes the subject.)
Is "descompensarte" here simply that you could "get worse" or "get sick"? (whereas "tener las cosas compensadas" means everything in the body is under control)
I basically just want to make sure that I'm on the right track and not missing anything more significant.
Thanks in advance.
Proposed translations
(English)
| 3 +1 | [See below.] |
Robert Forstag
|
| 5 | out of control/balance |
DanielJosephy
|
| 4 | lose it |
Joseph Tein
|
| 2 | out of balance |
Emma Goldsmith
|
Proposed translations
+1
21 mins
Robert Forstag
United States
United States
Native in English
Works in field
United States
Translating words, preserving meaning
Native in: English
Works in: Spanish to English, English
Related KudoZ points
:
243
Selected
[See below.]
"Es que nunca se sabe. Puedes ahora tener a lo mejor todas las cosas compensadas y en determinado momento, pues, descompensarte ..."
"It's really hard to say. Things might be going [along] okay for a while and then suddenly some problem comes up."
Or:
Instead of "suddenly some problem comes up":
"suddenly there's an issue."
"suddenly things go wrong."
"all of a sudden there's an episode."
etc.
In other words, I think your idea of "descompensar" here is accurate.
Suerte.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2012-12-14 18:11:27 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
The language "todas las todas compensadas" makes me think that the speaker is making only the most general of statements regarding the condition of his health. "Imbalance" or "out of balance," in the mouth of a typical patient, would suggest reference to particular factors or issues (e.g., a diabetes referring to his insulin levels).
"It's really hard to say. Things might be going [along] okay for a while and then suddenly some problem comes up."
Or:
Instead of "suddenly some problem comes up":
"suddenly there's an issue."
"suddenly things go wrong."
"all of a sudden there's an episode."
etc.
In other words, I think your idea of "descompensar" here is accurate.
Suerte.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2012-12-14 18:11:27 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
The language "todas las todas compensadas" makes me think that the speaker is making only the most general of statements regarding the condition of his health. "Imbalance" or "out of balance," in the mouth of a typical patient, would suggest reference to particular factors or issues (e.g., a diabetes referring to his insulin levels).
Note from asker:
| Thanks, Robert! Very helpful explanation. |
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you. The multiple translation options you provided helped me thoroughly understand the usage/possible meanings."
22 mins
Emma Goldsmith
Spain
Spain
Native in English
Specializes in field
Spain
25 years of medical translations
Native in: English (Variant: UK) 
Works in: Spanish to English
Related KudoZ points
:
855
out of balance
I think you're right. If this is a verbatim patient account, then we're not talking about cardiac decompensation or anything technical.
I'd say "everything's nicely balanced at one minute, but at the next, things get out of balance (or even out of sync).
Or even "feel fine .... feel out of sorts"
I'd say "everything's nicely balanced at one minute, but at the next, things get out of balance (or even out of sync).
Or even "feel fine .... feel out of sorts"
Note from asker:
| Thanks, Emma! I appreciate your quick reply. |
9 hrs
Joseph Tein
United States
United States
Native in English
Specializes in field
United States
Multilingual. Very careful & precise.
Native in: English 
Works in: Spanish to English, Italian to English
Related KudoZ points
:
412
lose it
I can't tell whether this interview is strictly about health (?) ... it sounds to me like the person is talking about his life. In that case, it seems to me that he's saying, very colloquially, something like "You never know. At one point you might have it all together, and then the next moment/at some other point you lose it." Or ... "you fall apart". Depends on the context.
Suerte, like Robert says!
Suerte, like Robert says!
3 days 2 hrs
DanielJosephy
Canada
Canada
Native in Spanish
&
English
Specializes in field
Canada
Parallel with the source
Native in: Spanish , English
Works in: Spanish to English, English to Spanish, French to Spanish, and 1 more.
out of control/balance
Yes, it usually, for me, had the connotation of being stable and (obviously) then not, usually because of having a hypotension. Or for example, when I get a hyper or hypoglycaemia (usually the former) my mum would say "Sí, se descompensó todo mi chiquito" (:)), "got out of control/balance", so to say, and I've never heard it as "fall apart", actually.
Something went wrong...