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Desvio de dinheiro público...

English translation: misappropriation of public funds

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Portuguese term or phrase:Desvio de dinheiro público...
English translation:misappropriation of public funds
Entered by: Cesar Sanchez

02:02 May 18, 2005
Portuguese to English translations [Non-PRO]
Law (general)
Portuguese term or phrase: Desvio de dinheiro público...
A colloquial expression for this?
Cesar Sanchez
Brazil
Local time: 17:42
misappropriation of public funds
Explanation:
A google search of the whole phrase (in quotation marks) gives countless uses.
Selected response from:

Michael Kelly
Grading comment
Used your suggestion Michael. Others are nice, but yours sounds great, and seems to be widely used in the US.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
5 +5embezzlement of public money
JH Trads
5 +2siphoning off of public funds/money
Marsel de Souza
4 +3misuse of public funds
airmailrpl
5misappropriation of public funds
Michael Kelly


Discussion entries: 2





  

Answers


6 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +5
Desvio de dinheiro público...
embezzlement of public money


Explanation:
or public funds

JH Trads
United States
Local time: 16:42
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish, Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 20

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Claudia Costa
17 mins
  -> thanks Claudia :-)
agree  Claudio Mazotti
52 mins
  -> thanks a lot :-)
agree  Henrique Magalhaes
6 hrs
agree  Jorge Rodrigues
7 hrs
agree  Felipe Simões
10 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

48 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +2
Desvio de dinheiro público...
siphoning off of public funds/money


Explanation:
Cesar,

If you need a colloquial expression, this is a very suitable solution.

Here is a definition from the Cambridge Int'l Dictionary:

siphon off sth or siphon sth off British, American & Australian, British & Australian syphon off sth or syphon sb/sth off

to **dishonestly take money** from an organization or other supply and use it for a purpose for which it was not intended
"It was later discovered that he had siphoned off 400 million from the company pension fund."

Now, see this example from Transparency International, one of the most important anti-corruption NGOs in the world:

While civil engineering works such as dams, canals, and water schemes all have automatic objective scientific quality norms, the construction of buildings does not, leaving immense scope for **the siphoning off of public funds** at the expense of the common people.
http://www.transparency.org/newsletters/2001.2/reports.html

Good luck!

Marsel de Souza
Brazil
Local time: 17:42
Native speaker of: Native in PortuguesePortuguese
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Claudio Mazotti: nice option as well...
10 mins
  -> Thanks, klausinSP. Just what Cesar asked for: something colloquial.
agree  rhandler: Embezzlement is too hard and misuse is too soft.
12 hrs
  -> ... and "siphon off" is, IMHO, the best option.According to the Longman Dic. of Phrasal Verbs, the original meaning is: "to remove (liquid) through a *bent* pipe". From the word "bent" in this description, it’s easy to see why it went on to mean "desvio".
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20 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
Desvio de dinheiro público...
misuse of public funds


Explanation:
mal.ver.sar
[mawvers'ar] v. to misuse, embezzle

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 8 hrs 21 mins (2005-05-18 10:24:33 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------


dipping sticky fingers into the treasury pot

Sticky Fingers at the Justice Department and US Customs
... Department of the Treasury US Customs Service 3 Jun 1996 ENF 2-02 RR:IT:PE 631697 TJS. Charles Hayes c/o Special Agent in Charge US Customs Service ...
www.orlingrabbe.com/customs.htm

Henry Thornton
... carefully the possibility of political sticky fingers wanting their pet ... and the Treasury’s discussion paper Australia’s Demographic Challenges in ...
www.henrythornton.com/article.asp?article_id=3273

Forbes.com: Make the IRS Share Your Pain
... If your broker gets sticky fingers, that\'s theft. But the Treasury recently warned taxpayers that--rumors to the contrary--they can\'t deduct a drop in ...
www.forbes.com/forbes/2004/0607/197_print.html

PBS Watch: December 2004
... The politician\'s hand has sticky fingers and is quicker than the voter\'s eye. There is a Social Security treasury account, referred to as the \"Social ...
pbswatch.blogspot.com/2004_12_01_pbswatch_archive.html

NFIB: Small Business Focus -- 170
... It\'s unfortunate that they must also keep a wary eye on their state\'s treasury, fearing the sticky fingers of politicians who give the nod to every .
www.businessforum.com/nfib170.html

airmailrpl
Brazil
Local time: 17:42
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in PortuguesePortuguese
PRO pts in category: 175

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Muriel Vasconcellos: This would be my preference. "Embezzle" can also mean to "misuse," but the common interpretation is theft, which is more specific than "desvio."
1 hr
  -> thank you
agree  Eduardo Queiroz: not necessarily embezzlement.
8 hrs
  -> thank you
agree  Marcia Oliveira
11 hrs
  -> thank you
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1 day 3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
Desvio de dinheiro público...
misappropriation of public funds


Explanation:
A google search of the whole phrase (in quotation marks) gives countless uses.

Michael Kelly
Grading comment
Used your suggestion Michael. Others are nice, but yours sounds great, and seems to be widely used in the US.
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)



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