no es venganza sino desquitanza

English translation: It's not wreaking revenge but seeking redress

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

Spanish term or phrase:	no es venganza sino desquitanza
English translation:	It's not wreaking revenge but seeking redress
Entered by:	Carol Gullidge

02:26 Apr 20, 2014

Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / literature (Mexican)

Spanish term or phrase: no es venganza sino desquitanza

Hi Folks,

I am trying to translate a Mexican variation on the expression "No es buena la venganza pero sí la desquitanza" (the variation is basically "ésta no es venganza sino desquitanza"). The meaning is essentially "This isn't revenge, it's getting even" but of course the originaal has the rhyme xxx-anza, xxx-anza (and the colloquial-ness of the fact that "desquitanza" is not necessarily an accepted word)

So far I have come up with "It's not just revenge, it's just desserts" and "It's not exactly revenge, more like exacting retribution" but I'm not 100% satisfied and would love any other options involving rhyme, wordplay, alliteration, etc.

Suggestions?
Many thanks in advance!!

xLisa

ldillma KudoZ activity Questions: 42 (none open) (1 closed without grading) Answers: 0 United States
Local time: 18:19

It's not wreaking revenge but seeking redress

Explanation:
OR

Not wreaking revenge but seeking amends

----

an attempt at (half!) rhyme and also at keeping it reasonably catchy, hence the higher CR

I would prefer something like 'atonement/atone', but can't think of anything catchy right now. More later, perhaps…?

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Note added at 8 hrs (2014-04-20 10:28:50 GMT)
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more vindication than vindiction

---

no rhyming, but it works in a different way. And, yes, "vindiction" is made up (combination of conviction and vindictiveness), or you could just use 'vindictiveness' instead.

I feel it's important to use two words that are NOT exact synonyms, as the whole point is that one is not comparing like for like: "It's not A but B" makes no sense if A = B!
Also, in this context, the 2nd adjective/noun... (the proposed alternative to vengeance) needs to somehow appear more conciliatory/justifiable or less drastic/wicked/sinful than vengeance/revenge. Here, the writer is presumably trying to justify his/her (or whoever's) actions: Call it X if you like, but not vengeance!

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Note added at 13 hrs (2014-04-20 16:09:47 GMT)
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Thanks Idillma! Have to admit I hadn't realised that the 2 had to be exact synonyms, as it made sense (to me!) that they are justifying their actions with something that at least sounds less vindictive, even if it isn't!

I tend to agree with you re "vindication"!

In order to maintain (exaggerate, even?) the 'joke', I suppose you could always consider something clownishly obvious like

"It's not wreaking revenge but seeking vengeance"

Btw, I also like "comeuppance" (although it might not fit the 'new' criteria, as it isn't really synonymous with revenge), but see that Javier beat James to it by a couple of hours!

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Note added at 13 hrs (2014-04-20 16:11:48 GMT)
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Re "I tend to agree with you re "vindication"!", above - that should of course read "…. vindiction"

Wretched auto-correct - grrrh!

Selected response from:

Carol Gullidge
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:19

Grading comment

I really like so many of the answers proposed, but the "wreaking" and "seeking" has the rhyme I most prefer. Thanks to everyone!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

it is not revenge, but rematch

Jacqueline Carrera

4 +1

it’s not (just) vengeance — it’s comeuppance!

James A. Walsh

4 +1

It's not wreaking revenge but seeking redress

Carol Gullidge

this isn't vengeance, it's payback

Ray Ables

it's not revenge, it's retribution

Marian Vieyra

it's retaliation rather than revenge

Wendy Streitparth

it is not revenge, but requital

Javier Grande

it is not revenge.... but what you deserve

Cecilia Gowar

It is not revenge, but avenge

Sharon Heller

It's not about getting revenge, but getting even

denismyth (X)

Discussion entries: 8

Carol Gullidge

United Kingdom

This wasn't revenge, and I'm telling the truth,

10:25 Apr 21, 2014

But an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
----

OK, this is too long and flowery to be a serious contender, but I couldn't resist posting it just for fun!

RE CONTEXT: OK, it always helps to have as much as possible from the outset, but at least you did help by offering your own well-thought-out ideas, which is more than some people do!

ldillma

United States

ASKER

Mea Culpa - context

22:51 Apr 20, 2014

Hi All, Very sorry for not having given more context. In my mind, providing the "meaning" (what I was taking to be the meaning) of the expression was the context, but obviously that was, as I say, "in my mind"! I should add that it is just my _assumption_ that it is intended tongue in cheek, because from what I gleaned from asking people and Google, "desquitanza" was used as "getting even", and therefore there appeared to be no difference between the two. So I think (thought?) it is (was) a joke, not in the "ha-ha, funny" sense but simply the irony of pretending that "revenge/vengeance" is bad, but "getting even" is not.

At any rate, again I am truly sorry, for a bit more appropriate context: in a dialogue, a criminal has kidnapped someone and claims that his action "Esto no es venganza sino desquitanza".

Carol has now got me wondering if perhaps I am wrong and the idea _is_ in fact that "desquitanza" is seen as less vindictive.

At any rate, I really like a LOT of these options you've given me.

Juan Jacob

Mexico

19:43 Apr 20, 2014

Desquitanza no existe. Es desquite. Ojo con el registro lingüístico ahí.

Cecilia Gowar

United Kingdom

Context

16:28 Apr 20, 2014

I thought about that but then it seemed it was just an expression, not necessarily within a context. If that is not the case, obviously more context would help.

Carol Gullidge

United Kingdom

@ Janice and Phil

16:24 Apr 20, 2014

Janice: a good idea, but would't work 100% because if you say "it's not just XXX, it's YYY", then the YYY idea has to be stronger/more intense than XXX for it to make sense. And in this case, reversing the terms wouldn't work either - pity though!

Phil: Agrel re context - I hadn't appreciated the joke, which has now been explained to me… Or maybe I'm just extra thick, and it was obvious all the time! But I guess not, judging by some of the other answers

philgoddard

United States

15:34 Apr 20, 2014

How come no one is asking for the context?

Janice Giffin

Italy

@Idilma

08:20 Apr 20, 2014

Not just revenge but just desserts is very clever! Why not use that?

Ray Ables

United States

I'm not familiar with the expression.

06:51 Apr 20, 2014

Every time I heard "desquitarse" used in Mexico it was in the sense of "venting."

Answers

1 hr confidence:

it is not revenge, but rematch

Explanation:
the re and re beginings and their simplicity as well as reduced length certainly meet literature requirements

Jacqueline Carrera
Ecuador
Local time: 17:19
Native speaker of:

Spanish

3 hrs confidence:

it's not revenge, it's retribution

Explanation:
Retribution being a synonym for revenge. However, I do like both your own renderings: getting even / just desserts.

Marian Vieyra
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:19
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 47

5 hrs confidence:

it's retaliation rather than revenge

Explanation:
Or the other way round:

It's revenge rather than retaliation

Or it's more tit for tat than retaliation.

Wendy Streitparth
Germany
Local time: 00:19
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 18

6 hrs confidence:

it is not revenge, but requital

Explanation:
Both start by "re-" and moreover requital is similar to "desquitanza".

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Note added at 7 hrs (2014-04-20 10:22:34 GMT)
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Another option involving rhyme, even if a bit long:

It's not revenge I'm looking for, it's just settling the score

(or "evening the score")

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Note added at 8 hrs (2014-04-20 10:27:01 GMT)
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And even another one (although I like it less than the previous):

It's not vengeance, but comeuppance

Javier Grande
Spain
Local time: 00:19
Native speaker of:

Spanish
PRO pts in category: 4

10 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

ésta no es venganza sino desquitanza it’s not (just) vengeance — it’s comeuppance!

Explanation:
My take. The double "ance" doesn't work as well as the double "anza" in the Spanish, but that's about all I can come up with...

Example sentence(s):

ésta no es venganza sino desquitanza
it’s not (just) vengeance — it’s comeuppance!

James A. Walsh
Spain
Local time: 00:19
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English,

Spanish
PRO pts in category: 48

Notes to answerer

Asker: I like these "-ance"s. I agree that it's not quite as good as the "anza"s but the informality of "comeuppance" suits the context quite well. I am still debating and will wait for the 24 hours but wanted to say thanks! (Have another doozy I'll be sending soon).

11 hrs confidence:

it is not revenge.... but what you deserve

Explanation:
I also like your option "just deserts", if you want to keep the rhyme, which is not going to be as good as "anza" as John pointed out....
I suppose you are aware the word "desquitanza" is a twisting of the correct word, "desquite", probably to make it rhyme with "venganza".

Cecilia Gowar
United Kingdom
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

Spanish
PRO pts in category: 227

7 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

It's not wreaking revenge but seeking redress

Carol Gullidge
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:19
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 315

Grading comment

I really like so many of the answers proposed, but the "wreaking" and "seeking" has the rhyme I most prefer. Thanks to everyone!

Notes to answerer

Asker: Hi Carole, I really like some of these options. Especially the "wreaking" and "seeking". I am going to wait the requested 24 hours before selecting my top choice but also just wanted to say that I think the "joke" is supposed to be essentially the fact that indeed A _does_ equal B. I love the inventiveness of "vindiction", too, but within the context don't think I can make it work.

18 hrs confidence:

It is not revenge, but avenge

Explanation:
Or:

It is not revenge, it is avenge

Or you could turn it around like Wendy did - It is avenge rather than revenge?

Just some thoughts ...

Sharon Heller
United States
Local time: 16:19
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 8

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thank you Sharon. I really like the "revenge" and "avenge" just could not come up wit a way to make them both nouns!

21 hrs confidence:

this isn't vengeance, it's payback

Explanation:
In light of the additional context provided in the discussion.

Ray Ables
United States
Local time: 17:19
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

Spanish,

English
PRO pts in category: 4

1 day 8 hrs confidence:

It's not about getting revenge, but getting even

Explanation:
I think your initial proposal was OK. I've just added a little twist so that we have the symmetry 'getting - getting'.

denismyth (X)
Local time: 00:19
Native speaker of:

English,

Spanish

Notes to answerer

Asker: Hi Denis, I like this! (and many suggestions offered). If I could have thought of a way to work in Sharon's idea of "revenge" and "avenge" with the double "getting" it would be perfect!

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no es venganza sino desquitanza

English translation: It's not wreaking revenge but seeking redress

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English translation: It's not wreaking revenge but seeking redress

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