English to Spanish Social Sciences Idioms / Maxims / Sayings

I have decided to compile a somewhat thorough English-Spanish glossary, a long-standing goal I have had for many years but never actually done. In approximately 10% of the cases, I am recurring to you, my colleagues on Proz, to ask you to help me get appropriate translations into Spanish of a number of idioms.

I want to assure everyone that ALL TRANSLATIONS WILL BE SHARED on the open forum we have in Proz. The way I guarantee this is by choosing “one answer” to which I incorporate many of the other answers, and then I click to save the question and answer on the open Proz forum.

Selection criteria: 1) extensive usage throughout the Spanish-speaking world. I am counting on your help, and since usually colleagues simply agree without adding where they know the translated term to be used, I am not able to specify this in the answers. This is not a commercial enterprise, but rather an informal exercise for the benefit of all of us. 2) Many times there are really creative idioms that are used which, although not used necessarily throughout the Spanish-speaking world, would be readily understood by all. I am particularly happy to include these in the open forum so that we can all enjoy them in our use, whether literally, or perhaps with an adaptation to the degree that each translator deems appropriate for that particular target population.
Please, when you agree with an answer, mention the countries in which you know such idiom to be used, if not already mentioned by another colleague. Since this project is so time-consuming and endless, and since, like you, I have such a heavy load of translations and interpreting jobs to do and cannot spend umpteen million hours on it, I must count on your help. And although simply listing countries because another translator says so is in no way scientific, at least it is an interesting start.

Finally, I know context is everything. Quite often I will give the meaning(s) in which I am interested, and I will attempt to include a sample. Some sources, such as the Random House Dictionary, already have an example, so there is no need for me to do this, since time is of essence.

Thank you for your help.


definition: exchange ideas, opinions, or information about a particular subject.


example:

Speeding an AIDS Vaccine

By Richard G. Lugar and Patty Stonesifer
Wednesday, January 19, 2005; Page A19

Picture two scientists in adjacent labs. They're working on the same problem -- how to stop a disease that kills 3 million people every year -- but although they compare notes and share findings, they need a better plan to coordinate their research. They labor for years at the same task, but as individuals rather than as a community of scientists. Although they make important progress, after two decades just one vaccine makes it into large-scale clinical trials -- and it doesn't work.

With a few exceptions, this has been the story of the search for an HIV vaccine. While dedicated scientists around the world have collaborated on significant discoveries, they've had no shared strategy for finding a preventive vaccine, no standardized tools to compare results, no forum to identify priorities and share information. Meanwhile, HIV-AIDS is spreading at an alarming pace, with a record 4.8 million new infections in 2003. At the current rate, there will be 45 million new infections by 2010 and nearly 70 million more deaths by 2020.