Need help to fix instructions at my work

Question

I am trying to fix the following sets of instructions posted at my work. I will first enter it precisely as it is posted currently.

Instruccions Para Mujeres 1. Escriba su nombre en el vasito. 2. Abre 3 paquetes du toallitas. 3. Mientras sentada, abra los labios mayores de la vagina. 4. Con la primera tuallita, limpie un lado de los labios menores una ves para abajo. Tire la tuallita. 5. Con la Segunda toallita, repita la el mismo proceso en el otro lado de los labios menores una ves para abajo. Tire la tuallita. 6. Con la tercera tuallita, limpie la parte central una ves para abajo. Tire la tuallita. 7. Orine un poquito en el escuado. Cuando continue orinar, orine en el vasito para colectar el orin 8. Sin tocar, adentro de el vasito, pongale la tapadera. 9. Ponga orin adentro de la puerta de metal.

Instrucciones Para Hombres 3. Rectractre la piel suelta de el pene si presente. 4. Con la primera tuallita, limpie el final de el pene una ves para abajo. Tire la toallita. 5. Repita el paso 4 dos veces mas.

Steps 3-5 replace steps 3-6 above; steps 7-9 follow as steps 6-8.

I am guessing this was handwritten by one person and then typed by someone else who doesn’t understand Spanish. Here is my attempt to fix it:

Instrucciones Para Mujeres 1. Escriba su nombre en el vasito. 2. Abra 3 paquetes de toallitas. 3. Mientras sentada, abra los labios mayores de la vagina. 4. Con la primera toallita, limpie un lado de los labios menores una vez para abajo. Tire la toallita. 5. Con la segunda toallita, repitalo el mismo proceso en el otro lado de los labios menores una vez para abajo. Tire la toallita. 6. Con la tercera toallita, limpie la parte central una vez para abajo. Tire la toallita. 7. Orine un poquito en el escuado. Cuando continua orinar, orine en el vasito para colectar el orin 8. Sin tocar adentro del vasito, pongale la tapadera. 9. Ponga el vasito adentro de la puerta de metal.

Instrucciones Para Hombres

1. Rectracte la piel suelta de el pene si presente.
2. Con la primera toallita, limpie el final de el pene una vez para abajo. Tire la toallita.
3. Repita el paso 4 dos veces mas con las toallitas otros.

This is intended to be for Mexican Spanish speakers primarily. I do not believe that “adentro de” is correct Spanish and think it should be either “adentro” or “dentro de”, but I am not sure what the normal usage for a Mexican speaker would be, so I did not put in a correction (except to change “de el” to “del” so that it would be less wrong). I see la orine rather than el orin in the dictionary at this site- I do not know if that is a difference with Mexican usage or just an additional error. Also if "el orin" is actually correct I would need to know if it should have an accent on the i. I am not sure about some of the nouns, for instance I learned “inodoro” for toilet, although I have seen “escuado” used. I also wonder if it should be “los labios…de la vulva”. “Una vez para abajo” is “with a single downward stroke” in the English version “La puerta de metal” is actually refered to as “the metal cabinet” in the English version and refers to a compartment in the wall that has a metal door on either side so the specimen can be placed in it from inside the bathroom and removed from the other side before the person is done in the bathroom. I only started studying Spanish 4 months ago, so have no ability yet to judge whether the tone and vocabulary choices are proper for a polite, clinical set of instructions that will still be understood. Anything else that I missed or any corrections I did wrong would also be appreciated.

Sorry for the long length

Answer 1

Ok, based on the English original, here's my final version:

Procedimiento de Muestra de Orina Para Mujeres: 1. Escriba su nombre en el vasito. 2. Abra 3 paquetes de toallitas. 3. Estando sentada, abra los labios mayores de la vulva (los pliegues de piel externos). 4. Con la primera toallita, limpie un lado de los labios menores (los pliegues internos) una vez hacia abajo. Tire la toallita. 5. Con la segunda toallita, repita el mismo proceso en el lado opuesto limpiando una sola vez hacia abajo. Tire la toallita. 6. Con la tercera toallita, limpie la parte central una vez hacia abajo. Tire la toallita. 7. Orine un poquito en el inodoro. Luego, mientras continúa orinado, ponga el vasito bajo el chorrito para recoger la muestra de orina. Llene el vasito hasta la mitad. No toque la parte interna del vasito 8. Sin tocar la parte interna de la tapa, tape bien el vasito 9. Ponga el vasito adentro del gabinete de metal en la pared.

Procedimiento de Muestra de Orina Para Hombres: 1. Retraiga la piel del prepucio, si está presente. 2. Con la primera toallita, limpie la punta del pene una vez, hacia abajo. Tire la toallita. 3. Repita el paso cuatro (4) dos veces más con las otras toallitas.

If you'll forgive me an irrelevant comment, this is the most complicated urine sample collection procedure I have ever seen in my life! My experience thus far has been limited to a curt: "pee in the cup and bring it back to me when you're done - next!"

Yes, I also wonder how many people actually read it through as well- None-the-less it was driving me crazy to have to read it every time I went to the bathroom. Your help is greatly appreciated. - Stadt, Sep 28, 2010

Answer 2

I think you did a pretty good job, specially if you only have been sutdying Spanish for 4 months! I wish you had provided the English instructions, to be sure about a couple of details. As it is, here is a slightly modified version. I have added a few details that I think make the instructions clearer. This version should work in just about all of Latin America:

Instrucciones Para Mujeres: 1. Escriba su nombre en el vasito. 2. Abra 3 paquetes de toallitas. 3. Estando sentada, abra los labios mayores de la vagina. 4. Con la primera toallita, limpie un lado de los labios menores una vez hacia abajo. Tire la toallita. 5. Con la segunda toallita, repita el mismo proceso de limpiar el otro lado de los labios menores, una vez hacia abajo. Tire la toallita. 6. Con la tercera toallita, limpie la parte central una vez hacia abajo. Tire la toallita. 7. Orine un poquito en el inodoro. Luego, continúe orinando dentro vasito para colectar el orin. No toque la parte de adentro del vasito 8. Sin tocar adentro del vasito, póngale la tapa. 9. Ponga el vasito adentro del gabinete de metal.

Instrucciones Para Hombres (I assume that you skipped part of these instructions)

1. Retracte la piel del prepucio, si está presente.
2. Con la primera toallita, limpie la punta del pene una vez, hacia abajo. Tire la toallita.
3. Repita el paso 4 dos veces más con las otras toallitas.

Thanks, I really like your version, although I still have qualms with "adentro de". I did not include the English because I thought the post was already too long so I just commented when I was not sure the Spanish conveyed the meaning. - Stadt, Sep 28, 2010

English version entered as a new answer - Stadt, Sep 28, 2010

Answer 3

Hi there,

I can't help you on the contents of your question because my Spanish isn't good enough but I can give you some pointers to get quicker responses to your post:

• Write your exact question in the header of your post - even if it's a long question. Leave out "homework" because a lot of members will suspect you are trying to have your school homework done by them and therefore will not read your question
• Use bold or italic letters to highlight the words or (pieces of) sentences you are unsure of
• Make a clearer distinction between the original text and your version of it

Hope this helps!

Saludos, Chica

Good advice Chica :) You would say my Spanish isn't good enough not well emough :) - FELIZ77, Sep 28, 2010

Argh! You are sooo right! - chicasabrosa, Sep 28, 2010

Answer 4

su nombre...sobre el vasito

repítalo

póngale la tapa.

coloque el vasito dentro del amario/gabinete y cierre la puerta de metal. (privacidad)

la orina; el orín

Repita el paso dos veces más con las otras toallitas.

limpie el final extremo del pene

Not a native, just looking at spelling, etc.

Thanks, all help is apreciated - Stadt, Sep 28, 2010

Answer 5

Perhaps I asked for a little too much in this question. I would appreciate any feedback, even if it is "I don't know about the rest, but you clearly got this part wrong". This has been posted at my work for years. About 2-3 months ago when I was just starting to try to learn Spanish I tried reading as an initial attempt to learn from it. I could see that it was error-filled at that point and took it to the clinical staff supervisor with the obvious errors marked and asked her to have someone who speaks Spanish fix it. Apparently everyone she could find that was a Spanish speaker only knows informal spoken Spanish with no formal school training and so no one felt comfortable editing it. I thought that at this point I could make a try at it and even if not perfect, it will be better than it is now, so in the absence of feedback, I will probably drop the de from adentro de and otherwise leave it as per my suggested fix.

It would have been better if you had broken it into segments, say For women in one and for Men in next explaining that there would be parts 1, 2, etc. - 0074b507, Sep 28, 2010

To shorten it you should have omitted the original copy that you corrected. - 0074b507, Sep 28, 2010

Probably so but I did want people to have a sense for how bad it was, and I am a beginner so couldn't be sure my corrections were actually better than the original - Stadt, Sep 28, 2010

Answer 6

The English version (see above request):

Urine Sample Procedure for Women 1. Write your name on the cup. 2. Open three packets of towlettes. 3. While seated on the toilet, spread the labia major (outer folds). 4. With the first towelette, wipe one side of the labia minor (inner fold) using a single downward stroke. Discard the towelette. 5. With the second towelette, repeat the procedure on the opposite side using a single downward stroke. Discard towelette. 6. With the third towelette, cleanse meatus (center area) with a single downward stroke. Discard towelette. 7. First urinate in the toilet. As you continue to void, bring the cup into “midstream” to collect the urine specimen. Fill the cup halfway. 8. Without touching the inside of the lid, secure the lid to the cup. 9. Place urine sample in the metal cabinet in the wall.

Urine Sample Procedure for Men 3. Retract foreskin if present 4. With the first towelette, cleanse the end of the penis with a single downward stroke. Discard the towelette. 5. Repeat step four (4) with the two remaining towelettes.