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English translation: within which a latent / an impending crisis was brewing

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Spanish term or phrase:en cuyo seno se anidaban los germenes de una crisis
English translation:within which a latent / an impending crisis was brewing
Entered by: Tony M

01:31 Jan 10, 2012
Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Social Sciences - History / Argentine history
Spanish term or phrase: en cuyo seno se anidaban los germenes de una crisis
hola

esta es una frase metafórica y me gustaría saber si hay algo parecido en inglés, o alguien puede ayudarme a darle una vuelta a la traducción.

la frase dice así: la gestión de gobierno dejaba de manifiesto los vicios del sistema en cuyo seno se anidaban los germenes de una crisis

mil gracias
susiq
Argentina
Local time: 02:20
within which a latent crisis was brewing
Explanation:
Personally, I'd get away from 'core' or 'heart', this is a somewhat overblown construction that one also finds in FR, and I think is best avoided in modern EN.

NB: The word order may need changing, depending on how you phrase the rest of the sentence

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Note added at 5 hrs (2012-01-10 07:03:04 GMT)
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I also thing 'was brewing' helps get away from any inference of its being a transitive verb, which is very likely, except with certain specific constructions.


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 10 hrs (2012-01-10 11:38:51 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Regarding 'seno', which I advocate omitting anyway, do let's remember that in this sort of figurative useage, 'bosom' is often more apposite in EN than 'breast'.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 13 hrs (2012-01-10 15:30:48 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Many apologies for failing to credit David H. with the first mention of 'latent', which I subsequently incorporated into my own suggestion, which is of course only subtly (but I think importantly) different from his own suggestion.
Selected response from:

Tony M
France
Local time: 07:20
Grading comment
Thanks! it was much help
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +11within which a latent crisis was brewing
Tony M
4 +2in which the seeds of an impending crisis had taken root
Lisa McCarthy
5in whose core the germs of a crisis nestled
Juan Pablo Sans
4 +1with the seeds of a crisis germinating at its heart
Yvonne Gallagher
4which became the breeding ground for the germs of a crisis
Richard Hill
4which harboured the seeds of an impending crisis
BrendanTK
3with the seeds of a crisis (festering) at its core
David Hollywood
3in whose breast the seeds of a crisis were sown
Barbara L Pavlik
4 -2where the seeds/germ/spark/core of a (coming) crisis brewed/nested
Lourdes Sanchez


  

Answers


8 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
in whose core the germs of a crisis nestled


Explanation:
Puede servir

Juan Pablo Sans
Mexico
Local time: 01:20
Native speaker of: Spanish
PRO pts in category: 8
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8 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): -2
where the seeds/germ/spark/core of a (coming) crisis brewed/nested


Explanation:
a ver que te parece
where the seeds/germ/sparks/core of a (coming) crisis were brewing/nested

tan solo una opcion

Lourdes Sanchez
Local time: 01:20
Works in field
Native speaker of: Spanish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Tony M: Wouldn't be idiomatic in EN. Seeds don't brew or nest! And using 'brew' like this tends to suggest it should be transitive; [something] 'were/was brewing' would ring truer, but not seeds. "A storm/crisis/trouble was brewing", yes!
2 hrs
  -> where the seeds of a crisis brewed, not idiomatic? your opinion
disagree  Michele Fauble: Seeds don't brew, nor do they nest.
5 hrs
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11 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
which became the breeding ground for the germs of a crisis


Explanation:
One possibility

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Note added at 16 mins (2012-01-10 01:47:39 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I guess you could call it a "nesting ground" to keep the verb, "anidar", but I prefer "breeding ground".

Richard Hill
Mexico
Local time: 00:20
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 24

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Tony M: I think 'breeding ground for germs' changes the metaphor to one of hygiene, which doesn't really work here.
2 hrs
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11 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
with the seeds of a crisis (festering) at its core


Explanation:
maybe ...

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Note added at 12 mins (2012-01-10 01:44:09 GMT)
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"festering" is very strong and you could put "latent" as an alternative

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 13 mins (2012-01-10 01:45:09 GMT)
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or: brewing

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 14 mins (2012-01-10 01:45:59 GMT)
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as a crisis normally "brews" in English

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 21 mins (2012-01-10 01:53:03 GMT)
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so "brewing at/in its core"

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 24 mins (2012-01-10 01:55:22 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

"in its core" is better

David Hollywood
Local time: 02:20
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 68
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54 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
with the seeds of a crisis germinating at its heart


Explanation:
another option

or more simply

at the heart of the system there was a crisis germinating

Yvonne Gallagher
Ireland
Local time: 06:20
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 14

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Charles Davis: I think this works
6 hrs
  -> many thanks Charles
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7 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
in which the seeds of an impending crisis had taken root


Explanation:
If you want to maintain the 'seeds' metaphor.

Ederney Community Notices for Ederney and County Fermanagh
ederney.com/cnb_notices.php?gid=79&cntr_id=48&nid=350Cached
17 Oct 2011 – By now, the ***seeds had taken root** and would flourish in years to cone. The end of '33 and '34 were comparatively quiet years in Ederney ...

The world's game: a history of soccer - Google Books Result
books.google.co.uk/books?isbn=0252067185...Bill Murray, William J. Murray - 1998 - Sports & Recreation - 218 pages
Certainly once ***the seeds had taken root*** and the game was firmly planted, the British influence became nearly — but never totally — irrelevant. It was the ...

Social care funding and the NHS: ***an impending crisis***? - The King's ...
www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/social_care_funding.htmlC...
17 Mar 2011 – Social care funding has increased in real terms for the past decade, but this new paper examines the trends in spending and suggests there ...

Holyrood magazine | impending crisis
www.holyrood.com/articles/tag/impending-crisis/Cached
7 Dec 2009 – Some view it anxiously as an **impending crisis**, a ticking timebomb set to detonate within the next two decad... Continue reading. ...

Lisa McCarthy
Spain
Local time: 07:20
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 52

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  James A. Walsh: Nice option too, Lisa :)
2 hrs
  -> Cheers, James :)
agree  Aisha Prigan (X): I also like this option, although it might sound a bit too literary in the given context.
6 hrs
  -> Thanks, Aisha. I think the original is quite 'flowery' so was trying to match the register.
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7 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
in whose breast the seeds of a crisis were sown


Explanation:
another option

Barbara L Pavlik
United States
Local time: 01:20
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  James A. Walsh: Whatever way I read this, a system having a metaphorical "breast" in which "the seeds of a crisis were sown" just sounds weird.
2 hrs
neutral  Tony M: Have to agree with James! seeds / sown / breast just doesn't work for me, and as I've already said, i think this whole 'breast' thing is a bit over-inflated for EN.
2 hrs
  -> lol... well, I meant breast in the sense of the chest or place where the heart or soul resides, but maybe James is right about this not applying well to a governmental system. There are certainly better suggestions here.
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +11
within which a latent crisis was brewing


Explanation:
Personally, I'd get away from 'core' or 'heart', this is a somewhat overblown construction that one also finds in FR, and I think is best avoided in modern EN.

NB: The word order may need changing, depending on how you phrase the rest of the sentence

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 hrs (2012-01-10 07:03:04 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I also thing 'was brewing' helps get away from any inference of its being a transitive verb, which is very likely, except with certain specific constructions.


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 10 hrs (2012-01-10 11:38:51 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Regarding 'seno', which I advocate omitting anyway, do let's remember that in this sort of figurative useage, 'bosom' is often more apposite in EN than 'breast'.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 13 hrs (2012-01-10 15:30:48 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Many apologies for failing to credit David H. with the first mention of 'latent', which I subsequently incorporated into my own suggestion, which is of course only subtly (but I think importantly) different from his own suggestion.

Tony M
France
Local time: 07:20
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8
Grading comment
Thanks! it was much help

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Michele Fauble
2 hrs
  -> Merci, Michele !
agree  Charles Davis: I'm inclined to agree, Tony; this is the best way to handle it
4 hrs
  -> Thanks, Charles!
agree  Alistair Ian Spearing Ortiz
4 hrs
  -> Thanks, Alistair!
agree  Margarita Ezquerra (Smart Translators, S.L.)
6 hrs
  -> Thanks, S/T!
agree  Jenni Lukac (X): Nice!
6 hrs
  -> Thanks, Jenni!
agree  K Donnelly
6 hrs
  -> Thanks, KD!
agree  James A. Walsh
7 hrs
  -> Thanks, James!
agree  EirTranslations
7 hrs
  -> ¡Gracias, Beatrix!
agree  Bubo Coroman (X): perfect English, and has the advantage of not sounding "twee"
8 hrs
  -> Thanks a lot, Deborah!
agree  Aisha Prigan (X): Definitely sounds the most natural, and the best fit in terms of the subject matter (government, crisis, etc.)
11 hrs
  -> Thanks a lot, Aisha!
agree  Phong Le
19 hrs
  -> Thanks, Phong Le!
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1 day 14 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
which harboured the seeds of an impending crisis


Explanation:
'in whose core' - i feel is unnecessary in the translation and sounds a little stilted in english ( as already pointed out in previous answers)

BrendanTK
Local time: 07:20
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Tony M: Perso, I think this places too much emphasis on an active action by the 'system' than the state of germination of these seeds themselves. Also, not sure if 'harboured' goes well with 'seeds'? Harbour illegal immigrants/criminals/grudges/doubts — seeds???!
23 mins
  -> I feel that 'harboured' is an appropriate choice. I was sure i had heard it before used in similar contexts and having entered the phrase in the google browser, did find many instances of its being used. Each to their own i suppose :)
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