How do you express the difference between compromise and commitment in Spanish?
Question on the word of the day, el compromiso: How do you express the difference between a compromise and a commitment in Spanish? In English the two words have opposite meanings.
11 Answers
Probably the same way that you decide the meaning of words in English. The meaning of the word would be taken from context.
How do you tell the meaning of let in English? You see what context that it is being used in.
Una persona en Estados Unidos me corrigió hace años el uso de la palabra compromise (negativo) y me explicó la diferencia con commitment (positivo) sin entrar en muchos detalles.
Sin embargo, en español, solo hay una palabra para traducir ambas. Pero de igual manera en español tiene ambos significados:
Tomar ese riesgo, puede comprometer los resultados de la empresa. En éste caso "comprometer" se refiere a que se arriesgan los resultados o que los resultados van a ser malos. En inglés éste sería compromise. Taking that risk will compromise the results of the company.
La empresa necesita gente que se quiera comprometer con la obtención de resultados. En éste caso comprometerse se refiere a trabajar activamente y demostrar que se desea obtener los resultados que la empresa requiere. The company needs people who want to commit with getting results.
I have been to several events that were translated into English, and at each event the translators used the English word "compromise" when clearly the word should have been "committment". At one of the events I discussed it with the translator and she told me that she had struggled with which word to use and thanked me for clearing it up. Just last week at church, my wife told me that the translator used "compromise" when the subject was the covenant between Abraham and God. In my little world there seems to be a lot of Spanish speakers that think "compromiso" and "compromise" have the same meaning.
1 - People who are committed to their principles won't compromise them.
2 - He's not really committed to his goals, look at all the compromises he makes.
1 - La gente que está comprometida con sus principios no los comprometerá (or "no los pondrá en riesgo")
2 - No está totalmente comprometido con sus objetivos, mira todas las concesiones que hace (or "mira todas las veces que acaba cediendo")
D R A E
compromiso.
(Del lat. compromissum).
m. Obligación contraída.
m. Palabra dada.
m. Dificultad, embarazo, empeño. Estoy en un compromiso
m. Delegación que para proveer ciertos cargos eclesiásticos o civiles hacen los electores en uno o más de ellos a fin de que designen el que haya de ser nombrado.
m. Promesa de matrimonio.
m. Der. Convenio entre litigantes, por el cual someten su litigio a árbitros o amigables componedores.
m. Der. Escritura o instrumento en que las partes otorgan este convenio.
de ~.
- loc. adj. Dicho de una solución, de una respuesta, etc.: Que se dan por obligación o necesidad, para complacer.
estar, o poner, en ~.
- locs. verbs. desus. Estar, o poner, en duda algo que antes era claro y seguro.
sin ~.
loc. adv. Sin contraer ninguna obligación. Se puede probar el traje sin compromiso
loc. adj. Sin novio o novia. Está soltero y sin compromiso
? V.
casa de compromiso
casa de compromisos
examples:
People that are committed to their principles won't compromise them.
He's not really committed to his goals, look at all the compromises he makes.
To commit to something is to make a promise.
To compromise is to look for a way out of the promise.
Sometimes compromise means to meet somebody halfway.
Commitment is something like a promise to go all the way.
Hey,
As far as I know, compromise means both reconciliation = estar de acuerdo, concordar, convenir and to risk: arriesgarse, correr riesgos,
and
commitment means : undertaking, responsability , enterprise = responsabilidad , empresa, compromiso etc.
So, I can't see a real contrast between these two words, am I wrong?
Correcto albertosi:
Compromise = promise/endanger lo mismo en castellano.
commitment = promise
para una mujer compromiso es compromiso. período sin compromiso jochair
1.- La gente que se ha comprometido (comprometerse - like promise, wish) con sus principios no se implicaran realmente (implicarse - means action) en ellos.
2.- Él no está comprometido (verbo comprometer) con los objetivos, mira todos los compromisos (noun) en que se mete. Or "mira todos los contratos o acuerdos (nouns) que hace".
Compromiso - noun. We use "compromiso" like compromise or commitment, depends on the context.
Comprometer a alguien - verb. To commit someone
Comprometerse con alguien o algo - verbo reflexivo. To commit yourself with someone o something.
Regards, R
¿Could you give us a couple of examples?
