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esboroando

English translation: eroding

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Portuguese term or phrase:esboroando
English translation:eroding
Entered by: Karen Vincent-Jones (X)

11:33 May 26, 2014
Portuguese to English translations [PRO]
Social Sciences - Social Science, Sociology, Ethics, etc. / sociology of work
Portuguese term or phrase: esboroando
Academic article on the relationship between time and work. Brazilian Portuguese.

The context is the following sentence:
"A pesquisa empreendida relaciona tempo e trabalho na simultaneidade de tempos e de múltiplos interesses nos quais a vida se desenvolve e mostra como as diferentes dimensões rompem com o tempo cronológico e o limite da finitude, esboroando os tempos da ação humana."

My difficulty with the sentence is that I understood 'esborear' to be an intransitive verb, as in 'fade', or 'crumble away'. It seems as if it is being used in a transitive sense here, i.e 'eroding the time...' but if so, what is doing the eroding?
In my view this sentence is unclear.
Karen Vincent-Jones (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 07:21
eroding
Explanation:
I think Karen was right. Her only error is thinking that esboroar is not transitive. The dicitonary Aurelio shows it as "v.t.d." - verbo transtivo direto".
It further defines "esboroar" as 1. Reduzir(-se) a pó; desfazer(-se) 2. Desmonorar(-se).
Selected response from:

Christopher & Rozilene Frye
Brazil
Local time: 03:21
Grading comment
Thank you Christopher and Rozilene. I think 'eroding' is the best fit here.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4eroding
Christopher & Rozilene Frye
4rupturing
Nick Taylor
3wasting away, causing to crash or to collapse
Mario Freitas
3breaking it to smithereens
Luís Labres
3gnawing away at
Muriel Vasconcellos
3eating away at
Marian Vieyra


Discussion entries: 5





  

Answers


24 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
wasting away, causing to crash or to collapse


Explanation:
Creio que esboroar aqui tenha o sentido de fazer ruir as convenções humanas, no caso, o próprio conceito do tempo.

Mario Freitas
Brazil
Local time: 03:21
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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47 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
eroding


Explanation:
I think Karen was right. Her only error is thinking that esboroar is not transitive. The dicitonary Aurelio shows it as "v.t.d." - verbo transtivo direto".
It further defines "esboroar" as 1. Reduzir(-se) a pó; desfazer(-se) 2. Desmonorar(-se).

Example sentence(s):
  • The research undertaken relates time and work in the simultaneity of time and multiple interests in which life develops and shows how the different dimensions break with chronological time and the limit of finitude, eroding the time of human action.
Christopher & Rozilene Frye
Brazil
Local time: 03:21
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thank you Christopher and Rozilene. I think 'eroding' is the best fit here.
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
breaking it to smithereens


Explanation:
Sugestão.

Luís Labres
Brazil
Local time: 03:21
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in PortuguesePortuguese
Notes to answerer
Asker: This is a vivid phrase, although I think it is perhaps too informal for an academic context. But thank you!

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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
rupturing


Explanation:
rupturing

Nick Taylor
Local time: 07:21
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 20
Notes to answerer
Asker: 'Rupturing' is the kind of word that is used a lot in this kind of theoretical text, but I think it is probably too violent for this context. But thank you anyway!

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7 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
gnawing away at


Explanation:
This is my understanding.

Muriel Vasconcellos
United States
Local time: 23:21
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 160
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23 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
eating away at


Explanation:
...(the time for) human activity

Marian Vieyra
United Kingdom
Local time: 07:21
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Notes to answerer
Asker: This is a good suggestion too.

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