Beneficio:
Beneficio can mean a mill or milling process in agriculture;
in legal terms "beneficio" or 'proteccion de la ley"
means granting an appeal. Almost never 'benefit' (job benefits
are 'prestaciones').
Brujo (a): in Central Mexico, usually a faith
or herbal healer or traditional practicioner; seldom witch,
or warlock.
Centro de Readaptacion Social (Cereso):
a prison, can be federal or state, or both. (as opposed to Centro
Penal de maxima seguridad, penitenciary). Absolutely no reform
or redemption element to them.
Consulta medica: doctor's appointment or medical
care (not "medical consultation")
Cortar: in agriculture, to harvest (sugar cane).
El Corte - harvest.
Damnificado: literally "affected,"
not necessarily homeless
Declarar: testify, offer a statement. Not 'declare'
Declaracion patrimonial: statement of assets,
net worth
Delegacion: in Mexico City, a borough or district.
Demanda penal: criminal complaint (if it's
filed by a citizen, it's just a complaint - authorities will
decide whether it's a criminal matter)
Denunciar un crimen: report a crime, file a
criminal complaint, but rarely "denounce" a crime
Elevar: increase, raise, promote (not usually
"elevate")
Ejercer accion penal: Arrest, or charge (usually,
it's just an arrest)
EPR: People's revolutionary army (not "popular")
Fama: Reputation (not "popular")
Fraccion Parliamentaria: legislators of a political
party; in a stretch, caucus or delegation. (not "fraction"
or "faction")
Hacer votos para: wish, hope, not vote
Incompetente (declararse): recuse one's self
from a case, or refuse a case on jurisdictional or other grounds,
never "declared himself incompetent"
Invasion: Land take-over, land seizure by squatters,
not "invasion."
Investigacion: Investigation, only in police
context. In academic context, it's called 'research.'
Lamina: corrugated sheet roofing, can be tar-paper,
fiberglass, zinc, galvinized steel.
Marco logistico: tk
Marino: sailor of the Mexican
navy. Mexico has no Marine Corps as such
Militante: "member" of a political
party, never "militant."
Militar: belong (to a party).
Ministerio Publico: Public Magistrate, or (better)
local prosecutor. These people are basically investigative police
officers responsible for taking statements and putting together
cases. If federal, they are part of AFI. There are also local
MPs.
Neo-liberal: market-oriented, or free market.
The term "neo liberal" does not exist and usually
confuses people in English.
Partido de Trabajo: Labor Party.
Not Workers Party
Perito: a certified expert, or
expert witness. Accent on first syllable, unlike "perrito,"
a little dog.
Pliego (or pliego petitorio): list of demands,
or request or motion to a judge in a court case.
Porra: policeman's nightstick. In Mexico, usually
used to mean a group of sports fans (often rowdy ones) or a
university youth gang. A porro is a member of a porra.
Proteccion Civil: Civil Defense (not 'civil
protection')
Protestar: not just "protest," it
also means swear, as in take an oath of office, or claim, as
in "protestar su inocencia"
Punto de Acuerdo: nonbinding resolution, called
in U.S. a "sense of the House" or Senate. Not "point
of agreement."
Ratificar (also careo): a sort of cross-examination,
in which a witness is read back his original testimony and asked
to confirm or change it. Not ratify.
Responsibilidad civil: found liable, or liability
in a lawsuit
Responsibilidad penal: criminal charges or
conviction. Not 'penal responsibility.'
Revindicaciones: usually, demands. revindicar
- support or achieve a demand. It's 'demand,' not 'revidicate
demands.'
Saldo blanco: zero casualties
Sanction administrativo: a fine,
(sometimes ban from holding office), as opposed to a jail term.
Seguridad Publica: Public Safety, not Public
Security
Seguro: safe (or confident, or insurance policy,
or lock), not "secure" unless as in 'seguro de si
mismo'
Semi-automatic: An outdated term; means every
time you pull the trigger, one bullet comes out, without cocking
or reloading. That describes anything from a normal pistol to
almost any rifle or shotgun without a bolt- or pump-action.
Rarely do we need to specify this by using the term; if we do,
it's better to say "pump-action shotgun" or bolt-loading
rifle, with the implication that they're primarily hunting weapons
or outdated military stock.
Tanqueta: a small armored vehicle. The Mexican
press uses the term to refer to anything from an armored Humvee
to an armored personnel carrier, or APC. It is most frequently
applied to heavy-tired armored cars, such as the Panhards that
the Mexican army used in Chiapas. Mexico's military does not
operate main battle tanks. Tanks by definition have TREADS,
not wheels, and a main CANNON, not machine gun.
Tema: issue, subject, topic (not usually "theme")
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