Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Spanish term or phrase:
a cuenta gotas
English translation:
in dribs and drabs / little by little / a few at a time
Added to glossary by
Myriam S
Apr 22, 2008 11:27
16 yrs ago
8 viewers *
Spanish term
a cuenta gotas
Spanish to English
Social Sciences
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
Source text from Colombia
The article deals with forced displacement in regions of armed conflict, and the text uses several idiomatic expressions, ¨a cuenta gotas¨ is one of them.
Here's how it appears in the sentence in quesiton:
XYZ es uno los departamentos donde históricamente el conflicto social y armado ha generado el mayor número de desplazados del país; especialmente en la región del XYZ donde no existe un censo confiable del total de desplazados; sólo es posible conocer aquellos sitios en los cuales ocurre el desplazamiento de manera masiva, pues hay lugares en los cuales este se da a cuenta gotas y de manera muy discreta y que difícilmente son catalogados como tal por la entidades encargadas de ello.
Here's how it appears in the sentence in quesiton:
XYZ es uno los departamentos donde históricamente el conflicto social y armado ha generado el mayor número de desplazados del país; especialmente en la región del XYZ donde no existe un censo confiable del total de desplazados; sólo es posible conocer aquellos sitios en los cuales ocurre el desplazamiento de manera masiva, pues hay lugares en los cuales este se da a cuenta gotas y de manera muy discreta y que difícilmente son catalogados como tal por la entidades encargadas de ello.
Proposed translations
(English)
Change log
Apr 22, 2008 11:29: Fabio Descalzi changed "Term asked" from "a cuenta gotas (idiomatic expression)" to "a cuenta gotas" , "Field" from "Law/Patents" to "Social Sciences" , "Field (specific)" from "Government / Politics" to "Idioms / Maxims / Sayings"
Proposed translations
+4
13 mins
Lisa McCarthy
Spain
Spain
Native in English
Spain
Especialista de marketing
Native in: English 
Works in: Spanish to English, Catalan to English
Related KudoZ points
:
67
Selected
in dribs and drabs / little by little / a few at a time
-
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Note added at 3 hrs (2008-04-22 14:52:39 GMT)
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Here are articles, some similar in context to your text, using DRIBS AND DRABS:
However, instead of arriving as expected en masse[1] Iraqi refugees **have arrived in dribs and drabs** – threatened both by bullets and loss of livelihoods – as the situation in Iraq has continued to deterioratehttp://www.fmreview.org/text/FMR/23/17.htm
http://www.economist.com/research/Backgrounders/displaystory...
Local staffer: In that sense it’s every day. They go to churches looking for help separately, in dribs and drabs.
http://www.northkoreanrefugees.com/2006-1-interview.htm
It would be wrong to say there were two clear and
organised camps. Most were making up their minds as
individuals and people left in **dribs and drabs**.
http://www.liberator.org.uk/media/lib-1204.pdf
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Note added at 3 hrs (2008-04-22 14:52:39 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Here are articles, some similar in context to your text, using DRIBS AND DRABS:
However, instead of arriving as expected en masse[1] Iraqi refugees **have arrived in dribs and drabs** – threatened both by bullets and loss of livelihoods – as the situation in Iraq has continued to deterioratehttp://www.fmreview.org/text/FMR/23/17.htm
http://www.economist.com/research/Backgrounders/displaystory...
Local staffer: In that sense it’s every day. They go to churches looking for help separately, in dribs and drabs.
http://www.northkoreanrefugees.com/2006-1-interview.htm
It would be wrong to say there were two clear and
organised camps. Most were making up their minds as
individuals and people left in **dribs and drabs**.
http://www.liberator.org.uk/media/lib-1204.pdf
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you also for providing the reference links. "
+3
13 mins
Fabio Descalzi
Uruguay
Uruguay
Native in Spanish
Uruguay
GER>SPA Translator in Architecture
Native in: Spanish
Works in: German to Spanish, English to Spanish, Spanish to English
little by little
Little by little - that is the most common translation for "con cuentagotas" (literally "with eye-dropper", i.e. "drop by drop")
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
María Angélica Fernández
5 mins
|
| agree |
Rosa Elena Lozano Arton
1 hr
|
| agree |
Noni Gilbert Riley
: For this context.
2 hrs
|
+2
8 mins
Cecilia Gowar
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in Spanish
United Kingdom
I read the Alethiometer
Native in: Spanish 
Works in: English to Spanish, Spanish to English, French to Spanish, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
4
trickle in
discreetly...
Una idea :-)
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Note added at 13 mins (2008-04-22 11:40:28 GMT)
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Sorry should have specified that it would be "refugees trickle in..."
Una idea :-)
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Note added at 13 mins (2008-04-22 11:40:28 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Sorry should have specified that it would be "refugees trickle in..."
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Sandra Rodriguez
: muy apropiado para el contexto
1 hr
|
|
¡Gracias Sandra!
|
|
| agree |
Janine Libbey
4 hrs
|
|
¡Gracias viva Madrid!
|
18 mins
Gad Kohenov
Israel
Israel
Israel
30 years of experience+satisfied clients
Native in: French , Hebrew
Works in: English to Hebrew, Hebrew to English, French to Hebrew, and 8 more.
Sparingliy
This is the figurative translation. In French it's the same: "au compte-gouttes".
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Lisa McCarthy
: This doesn't work in this context - you use something sparingly but people can't enter a country `sparingly'
2 hrs
|
19 mins
pues hay lugares en los cuales este se da a cuenta gotas
la expresión en inglés es "in drips and draps"
year-they have finally started to give them to me in drips and draps but they refuse to indicate what time frame they are paying me for. ...
También podríamos decir:
trickle...
year-they have finally started to give them to me in drips and draps but they refuse to indicate what time frame they are paying me for. ...
También podríamos decir:
trickle...
22 mins
very slowly, little by little, bit by bit
A cuenta gotas = a cuentagotas = gota a gota = muy lentamente
1 hr
in a restrained manner
I believe the point of the expression 'a cuenta gotas' is that the information is being delivered in small packets - on purpose. This is an intentional rationing of information.
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From Oxford Spanish
cuentagotas m (pl cuentagotas) dropper; dar algo con cuentagotas (fam): los permisos los
dan con cuentagotas it’s very difficult to get a permit out of them, they’re very mean with
the permits; nos van dando la información con cuentagotas they just keep feeding us tiny snippets of information
------------------
From Maria Moliner
Con cuentagotas (inf.). Aplicado a la manera de dar o recibir algo, con tacañería o muy poco a poco.
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From Shorter Oxford
restrained /rstrend/ a. L16. [f. RESTRAIN + -ED1.] That has been restrained; repressed; kept under control or within bounds; confined; held in place, as by a safety belt or harness; characterized by restraint or reserve, not excessive or extravagant.restrainedly /-ndli/ adv. in a restrained manner, with restraint
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From Oxford Spanish
cuentagotas m (pl cuentagotas) dropper; dar algo con cuentagotas (fam): los permisos los
dan con cuentagotas it’s very difficult to get a permit out of them, they’re very mean with
the permits; nos van dando la información con cuentagotas they just keep feeding us tiny snippets of information
------------------
From Maria Moliner
Con cuentagotas (inf.). Aplicado a la manera de dar o recibir algo, con tacañería o muy poco a poco.
-----------------
From Shorter Oxford
restrained /rstrend/ a. L16. [f. RESTRAIN + -ED1.] That has been restrained; repressed; kept under control or within bounds; confined; held in place, as by a safety belt or harness; characterized by restraint or reserve, not excessive or extravagant.restrainedly /-ndli/ adv. in a restrained manner, with restraint
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17 hrs
only snippets of it
One more option
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