el Síndico

English translation: compliance officer

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Spanish term or phrase:el Síndico
English translation:compliance officer
Entered by: Jane Martin

08:16 Sep 20, 2016
Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Bus/Financial - Business/Commerce (general)
Spanish term or phrase: el Síndico
Relating to a Sociedad Anonimo in Spain for translation to English (UK).

The text reads:

La Junta General de Accionistas será convocado por el Directorio, ***el Síndico***, o a solicitud escrita y motivada de accionistas que representen por lo menos el veinte por ciento del capital social.

This has been asked here before but none of the various suggestions made seem right to me in this case. TIA
Jane Martin
Local time: 22:30
compliance officer
Explanation:
I have to agree with Charles that the references to "directorio" (rather than "consejo de administración") and "síndico" in your text would suggest that it's not from Spain (perhaps Argentina or Uruguay?)

Here is a description of the functions of the "síndico" in Argentina:
https://gobiernodelasorganizacionesiae.wordpress.com/2013/08...

At any rate, this person is called a "compliance officer" in English, and many Spanish corporations now have "compliance officers" (called just that) and described as "director de cumplimiento normativo."

http://cincodias.com/cincodias/2014/10/11/empresas/141298260...

http://economia.elpais.com/economia/2016/04/28/actualidad/14...

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Note added at 9 hrs (2016-09-20 17:32:34 GMT)
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Looking at patinba's comment and the article from Price Waterhouse Argentina (see my link above) it appears that Argentine companies have both "síndicos" and "external auditors". The functions of "síndicos" as described in the article are similar to those of "compliance officers." If you think translating "síndico" as "statutory auditor" might be confused with the "external auditor," perhaps "external compliance officer" might prove to be a possible translation.
Selected response from:

Rebecca Jowers
Spain
Local time: 23:30
Grading comment
Thank you Rebecca. This is really helpful. J
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +5compliance officer
Rebecca Jowers
4 +1statutory auditor
patinba
2 -1the Syndic
neilmac


Discussion entries: 3





  

Answers


22 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5 peer agreement (net): -1
the Syndic


Explanation:
Wikipedia dixit:
"Syndic (Late Latin: syndicus; Greek: σύνδικος, sýndikos – one who helps in a court of justice, an advocate, representative) is a term applied in certain countries to an officer of government with varying powers, and secondly to a representative or delegate of a university, institution or other corporation, entrusted with special functions or powers."

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Note added at 25 mins (2016-09-20 08:41:59 GMT)
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NB: Charles' note is important though; in some contexts it could even be "Ombudsman" - in Valencia, the Síndic de Greuges or Síndica de Greuges ("advocate of grievances") is the ombudsman/woman-...

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Note added at 27 mins (2016-09-20 08:44:47 GMT)
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However, (pax Charles) it looks like "liquidator/auditor" may well be the best options in the query context, as it mentions shareholders.


    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syndic
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 23:30
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 564

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  AllegroTrans: This would have zero meaning to an English speaker
1 hr
  -> Well, it certainly meant something to whoever drafted the Wikipedia entry...
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
statutory auditor


Explanation:
Not to be confused with the external auditor.
Argentine law requires certain larger companies to have a statutory auditor or a "comisión fiscalizadora" of more than one statutory auditor.
"Compliance officer" does not really work because it would indicate that the person is an employee within the company. The law specifically states that the holder must be external to the company, and either a lawyer or a certified public accountant.

Articulo 286 - Inhabilidades e incompatibilidades.

No pueden ser síndicos:
1 - Quienes se hallan inhabilitados para ser directores, conforme al artículo 264;
2 - Los directores, gerentes y empleados de la misma sociedad o de otra controlada o controlante;




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Note added at 4 hrs (2016-09-20 12:36:27 GMT)
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Statutory auditors also exist in Japan, and according to Wikipedia the Japanese association of statutory auditors has recommended adopting the English title "audit & supervisory board member" to avoid confusion

WIKIPEDIA
The role of the statutory auditor in Japan is distinct from the role of an external auditor or internal auditor as understood in English-speaking countries, which has led to some confusion when discussing their role in internationally prominent cases such as the Olympus scandal.[4] The Japanese association of statutory auditors has recommended adopting the English title "audit & supervisory board member" to avoid such confusion

patinba
Argentina
Local time: 19:30
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 648

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Robert Carter: This is more in line with the figure of "síndico" in Uruguay (or "comisario" in Mexico), in that the duties of a "compliance officer" are different from those of a "statutory auditor" (i.e. narrow regulatory compliance vs. risk management)
2459 days
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47 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +5
compliance officer


Explanation:
I have to agree with Charles that the references to "directorio" (rather than "consejo de administración") and "síndico" in your text would suggest that it's not from Spain (perhaps Argentina or Uruguay?)

Here is a description of the functions of the "síndico" in Argentina:
https://gobiernodelasorganizacionesiae.wordpress.com/2013/08...

At any rate, this person is called a "compliance officer" in English, and many Spanish corporations now have "compliance officers" (called just that) and described as "director de cumplimiento normativo."

http://cincodias.com/cincodias/2014/10/11/empresas/141298260...

http://economia.elpais.com/economia/2016/04/28/actualidad/14...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 9 hrs (2016-09-20 17:32:34 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Looking at patinba's comment and the article from Price Waterhouse Argentina (see my link above) it appears that Argentine companies have both "síndicos" and "external auditors". The functions of "síndicos" as described in the article are similar to those of "compliance officers." If you think translating "síndico" as "statutory auditor" might be confused with the "external auditor," perhaps "external compliance officer" might prove to be a possible translation.

Rebecca Jowers
Spain
Local time: 23:30
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 306
Grading comment
Thank you Rebecca. This is really helpful. J
Notes to answerer
Asker: It actually came as a one page excerpt with no references to any country. I assumed Spain but I am now thinking Argentina as the next page of unrelated content refers to an Argentinean company. Thank you for picking that up.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Charles Davis: Aha! That looks like the solution.
3 mins
  -> Thanks, Charles

agree  AllegroTrans
39 mins
  -> Thanks, AllegroTrans

agree  neilmac: This looks more like it :-)
1 hr
  -> Thanks, neilmac

agree  Mario Solis Burgos
2 hrs
  -> Thanks, Mario

agree  Adrian MM. (X): curador in Arg. is a receiver or trustee-in-bankruptcy - perhaps: called a Síndico in Spain.
2 hrs
  -> Thanks, Adrian. The text is actually from Argentina where compliance officers are called "síndicos societarios"

neutral  patinba: Compliance officers are internal resources. Síndicos are external.
7 hrs
  -> Thanks, patinba. I'll post a comment above.

neutral  Robert Carter: Hi Rebecca, as always, thanks for your input, but for the first time I have to go with a different suggestion over yours (basically, that a compliance officer deals with legal and regulatory risk, vs. a statutory auditor that deals with all corp. risks.
2459 days
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