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25th translation contest: "Alien first impressions" » Spanish to English

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Source text in Spanish

Hace décadas, la humanidad viene buscando señales de inteligencia extraterrestre. Barrimos el cielo tratando de encontrar algún tipo de evidencia que confirme que no estamos solos en el Universo, inspirados en la infinidad de películas donde se realizaban los primeros contactos, visitas, o invasiones. Pero, ¿alguien se detuvo a pensar qué pasos se deberían seguir si llegara a darse ese contacto? ¿A quién debe comunicárselo primero? ¿A la prensa? ¿A la comunidad científica? ¿A una tía sorprendidísima por Facebook? Y ni hablar del interrogante que nos recuerda a una madrugada de domingo, uno más conocido por nuestra especie: ¿es buena idea responder este mensaje?
[...]

Mejor prevenir que curar. O, mejor dicho, mejor saber cómo actuar frente un ET antes de que venga uno, no tengas idea de qué hacer y te lo lleves a tu casa. El comité SETI de la Academia Internacional de Astronáutica (IAA) comenzó a debatir posibles acciones posteriores a la detección de inteligencia extraterrestre a mediados de los años ‘70. Entendieron que las primeras pruebas de detección podrían ser ambiguas o incompletas, por lo que era necesario un análisis cuidadoso para su confirmación. Por esta razón, el SETI de la IAA acordó con la comunidad científica una serie de principios para difundir información sobre la detección de inteligencia extraterrestre.

[...]

Ahora bien, una vez confirmada la señal ET, el siguiente paso sería determinar quién tiene que responder y en carácter de qué. La cuestión de designar la autoridad que debería representar a la civilización humana en una futura relación Alien-Humano fue siempre un campo de grandes debates y aún no está definida. Ojalá pudiéramos votar por Sagan.

En el artículo XI del Tratado del Espacio de 1967 –núcleo jurídico del Derecho Espacial– se reconoce de forma implícita el rol del secretario general de la ONU como representante de la humanidad (tranca el cargo). A su vez, otro tratado de la ONU, el Acuerdo que debe regir las actividades de los Estados en la Luna y otros cuerpos celestes –aprobado en 1979– señala en su artículo 5, inciso 3, que los Estados Partes informarán al Secretario General de la ONU cualquier fenómeno que descubran en el espacio ultraterrestre que pueda poner en peligro la vida o la salud humanas, así como de cualquier indicio de vida orgánica. Tenemos leyes para todo, queridos extraterrestres. Podrán escapar más fácilmente de las leyes de la gravedad que de las leyes del Derecho Espacial.
Por todo ello, y pese a que no existe un documento internacional que directamente ponga en la cabeza de la ONU las relaciones con los extraterrestres, desde la perspectiva del derecho internacional no es una locura determinar que, si algún día llega la señal, el secretario general de la ONU sea el mejor candidato para limpiar la voz, agarrar el micrófono y, en nombre de la humanidad, preguntar ‘Alien, ¿só vó?’.

Winning entries could not be determined in this language pair.

There were 20 entries submitted in this pair during the submission phase. Not enough votes were submitted by peers for a winning entry to be determined.

Competition in this pair is now closed.


Entries (20 total) Expand all entries

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Entry #31396 — Discuss 0 — Variant: US
Voting points1st2nd3rd
0000
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry4.004.00 (1 rating)4.00 (1 rating)
Entry tagging:
  • 1 user entered 1 "like" tag
  • 1 user agreed with "likes" (1 total agree)
+1
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Good term selection
philgoddard
Entry #31498 — Discuss 0 — Variant: British
Voting points1st2nd3rd
0000
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Entry4.004.00 (1 rating)4.00 (1 rating)
Entry tagging:
  • 1 user entered 3 "like" tags
  • 3 users agreed with "likes" (3 total agrees)
  • 1 user disagreed with "likes" (2 total disagrees)
-1
+1
1
Some gobsmacked girl on Facebook?
Flows well
Captures t​he mood of​ the origi​nal
Ian Duff
-1
1
Carl Sagan.
Flows well
Agree that​ full name​ is needed
Ian Duff
+2
1
no sweat
Good term selection
Decent tra​nslation o​f a tricky​ expressio​n
Ian Duff
Entry #30671 — Discuss 0 — Variant: US
Amanda Foy
Amanda Foy
United States
Voting points1st2nd3rd
0000
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Entry3.504.00 (1 rating)3.00 (1 rating)
Entry tagging:
  • 1 user entered 1 "like" tag
  • 1 user agreed with "likes" (1 total agree)
+1
1
“That you, alien?”
Flows well
Good refle​ction of t​he informa​lity of th​e original
Ian Duff
Entry #31138 — Discuss 0 — Variant: US South
Voting points1st2nd3rd
0000
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Entry3.504.00 (1 rating)3.00 (1 rating)
Entry tagging:
  • 1 user entered 4 "like" tags
  • 2 users agreed with "likes" (2 total agrees)
  • 2 users disagreed with "likes" (4 total disagrees)
-1
1
wee hours of Saturday night
Flows well
An origina​l way of d​ealing wit​h this
Ian Duff
+1
post-detection protocols
Flows well
Ian Duff
-2
2
chill-ass job
Flows well
Not an exp​ression I ​know but i​t seems cl​ose to the​ original
Ian Duff
-1
+1
1
Alien, u up
Flows well
Not an exp​ression I ​know, but ​the inform​ality make​s it more ​suitable t​han many o​f the othe​r versions
Ian Duff
Entry #31594 — Discuss 0 — Variant: British
Rowan Ritchie
Rowan Ritchie
United Kingdom
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0000
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Entry3.504.00 (1 rating)3.00 (1 rating)
Entry tagging:
  • 1 user entered 1 "like" tag
  • 1 user agreed with "likes" (1 total agree)
+1
(no pressure in that job
Flows well
Good refle​ction of t​he origina​l
Ian Duff
Entry #31523 — Discuss 0 — Variant: US
Benjamin Perez
Benjamin Perez
United States
Voting points1st2nd3rd
0000
Rating typeOverallQualityAccuracy
Entry3.003.00 (1 rating)3.00 (1 rating)
Entry tagging:
  • 2 users entered 2 "like" tags
  • 1 user disagreed with "likes" (1 total disagree)
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
Good term selection
philgoddard
-1
1
out of this world kind of job
Other
A humorous​ choice fo​r this art​icle!
Amanda Foy
Entry #31741 — Discuss 0 — Variant: British
Voting points1st2nd3rd
0000
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Entry3.004.00 (1 rating)2.00 (1 rating)
Entry tagging:
  • 1 user entered 3 "like" tags
The SETI (search for extraterrestrial intelligence) Committee
Other
Good that ​you define​d SETI
Ian Duff
Carl Sagan
Other
I agree th​at full na​me was nee​ded
Ian Duff
We have laws for everything, dear aliens. You can escape the laws of gravity more easily than those of space law.
Flows well
Ian Duff
Entry #31114 — Discuss 0 — Variant: British
philgoddard
philgoddard
United States
Voting points1st2nd3rd
0000
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Entry2.504.00 (1 rating)1.00 (1 rating)
Entry tagging:
  • 1 user entered 1 "like" tag
Carl Sagan
Good term selection
Agree that​ full name​ is needed
Ian Duff
Entry #30865 — Discuss 0 — Variant: Not specified
Voting points1st2nd3rd
0000
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Entry2.003.00 (1 rating)1.00 (1 rating)
Entry tagging:
  • 1 user entered 1 "like" tag
  • 1 user agreed with "likes" (1 total agree)
+1
We have laws for everything, dear aliens.
Flows well
Ian Duff
Entry #30794 — Discuss 0 — Variant: Not specified
Dr Neil Pyper, FRSA
Dr Neil Pyper, FRSA
United Kingdom
Voting points1st2nd3rd
0000
Entry tagging:
  • 2 users entered 2 "like" tags
  • 1 user agreed with "likes" (1 total agree)
You could escape the laws of gravity more easily than space law.
Flows well
philgoddard
+1
their
Good term selection
Amanda Foy
Entry #31045 — Discuss 0 — Variant: UK
Voting points1st2nd3rd
0000
Entry tagging:
  • No "like" tags
Entry #31069 — Discuss 0 — Variant: British
Voting points1st2nd3rd
0000
Entry tagging:
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Entry #31166 — Discuss 0 — Variant: Not specified
Voting points1st2nd3rd
0000
Entry tagging:
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Entry #31393 — Discuss 0 — Variant: Not specified
Voting points1st2nd3rd
0000
Entry tagging:
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Entry #31388 — Discuss 0 — Variant: British
Voting points1st2nd3rd
0000
Entry tagging:
  • 3 users entered 4 "like" tags
  • 1 user disagreed with "likes" (1 total disagree)
morning-after-the-night-before
Flows well
Amanda Foy
-1
1
morning-after-the-night-before
Good term selection
nice job! ​one of the​ few who a​ccurately ​conveyed t​he joke
Emily Ann McKelvey
SETI – the International Astronomical Association’s committee tasked with overseeing the search for intelligent life beyond earth
Other
This needs​ explainin​g.
philgoddard
putative
Good term selection
philgoddard
Entry #31400 — Discuss 0 — Variant: British
Voting points1st2nd3rd
0000
Entry tagging:
  • 1 user entered 1 "like" tag
It would be easier for you to go against the laws of gravity than our Laws on Outer Space
Flows well
Amanda Foy
Entry #31420 — Discuss 0 — Variant: US
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0000
Entry tagging:
  • 2 users entered 2 "like" tags
  • 1 user agreed with "likes" (1 total agree)
  • 1 user disagreed with "likes" (1 total disagree)
Better be safe than sorry
Good term selection
philgoddard
-1
+1
2
Wassup, Alien
Good term selection
Amanda Foy
Entry #31460 — Discuss 0 — Variant: Not specified
Debbie Garrick
Debbie Garrick
United Kingdom
Voting points1st2nd3rd
0000
Entry tagging:
  • 2 users entered 2 "like" tags
  • 1 user agreed with "likes" (1 total agree)
+1
sister’s cousin’s postman
Other
original w​ay to get ​at this ph​rase
Amanda Foy
wing it
Good term selection
philgoddard
Entry #31477 — Discuss 0 — Variant: British
Giles Bickford
Giles Bickford
United Kingdom
Voting points1st2nd3rd
0000
Entry tagging:
  • 1 user entered 2 "like" tags
Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence
Other
Needs to b​e explaine​d
philgoddard
Carl
Other
Should giv​e his name​ in full
philgoddard
Entry #31675 — Discuss 0 — Variant: US
Kirstin Sutherland
Kirstin Sutherland
United States
Voting points1st2nd3rd
0000
Entry tagging:
  • 1 user entered 1 "like" tag
Better safe than sorry
Flows well
Amanda Foy