cobrar por jugar de comparsa

English translation: to make somebody pay/to take an indirect swipe at (someone)/to show (someone) up for playing the puppet to (someone)/for sucking up to (someone)

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

Spanish term or phrase:	cobrar por jugar de comparsa
English translation:	to make somebody pay/to take an indirect swipe at (someone)/to show (someone) up for playing the puppet to (someone)/for sucking up to (someone)
Entered by:	María Teresa Taylor Oliver

14:13 Aug 31, 2018

Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Social Sciences - Government / Politics

Spanish term or phrase: cobrar por jugar de comparsa

I'm translating an opinion column, "Mintieron Trump y gobierno mexicano," by Ricardo Raphael on the statements made by Trump earlier this week that the US and Mexico had reached a "bilateral agreement" leaving Canada out: http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/columna/ricardo-raphael/nacion...

I can't quite find the way to render "cobrar" here (in fact, the whole phrase; I understand what "jugar de comparsa" might mean, but I don't know how to render it):

"Esto quiere decir que Canadá nunca estuvo fuera por motivos propios, sino por razones relacionadas con la problemática de sus socios.

Por esto fue que, una vez atendidas tales cuestiones complicadas —que estaban fuera de su órbita de decisión— el gobierno canadiense decidió volver a la mesa de negociaciones ayer miércoles a las nueve de la mañana.

Un día antes Freeland ********cobró a los negociadores mexicanos por haber jugado de comparsa******** con el habitante de la Casa Blanca. Con una sonrisa ingenua y un discurso preciso la ministra declaró el martes pasado: gracias a que México hizo concesiones significativas y difíciles en temas laborales y de la industria automotriz es que este próximo viernes podrá firmarse el TLCAN modernizado.

Many thanks in advance!

María Teresa Taylor Oliver KudoZ activity Questions: 1071 (1 open) (3 without valid answers) (21 closed without grading) Answers: 2099 Panama
Local time: 22:22

to make somebody pay for playing puppet

Explanation:
Freeland made the Mexican negotiators pay for playing puppet with the White House resident

Selected response from:

Francois Boye
United States
Local time: 23:22

Grading comment

Thank you so much for your contributions! Sadly, I can only give points to one answer, but everyone was very helpful. I appreciate the discussion. Since I had to deliver this before I could see some of the answers, I had to leave it as:

"took an indirect swipe at the Mexican negotiators for having acted as co-conspirators"
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

4 +1

to make somebody pay for playing puppet

Francois Boye

pay for sucking up to

David Hollywood

exact payment on - for playing puppet / second-rater in a puppet show

JohnMcDove

Discussion entries: 10

Sara Fairen

United Kingdom

07:07 Sep 1, 2018

I am also thinking of something along the lines of "she has shown them up (for what they really were... puppets, etc.)", to be more clear with the general meaning of the sentence.

Charles Davis

Spain

17:06 Aug 31, 2018

cobrar: I think Sara's suggestion of "got back at" is very suitable for this. The basic idea is surely "made them pay".

comparsa: The meaning must be this one:

"Persona que acompaña a otra, sin tener participación activa en sus acciones."
http://dem.colmex.mx/moduls/Default.aspx?id=8

The implication, it seems to me, is along the lines of "puppets". In this particular case, I would consider "useful idiots".

Elizabeth Joy Pitt de Morales

16:13 Aug 31, 2018

Se me ocurre "took an indirect swipe at the Mexican negotiators..."

Sara Fairen

United Kingdom

15:30 Aug 31, 2018

Yo entiendo que el autor sugiere que Freeland ha revelado públicamente que los negociadores mexicanos han actuado como “comparsas” de Donald Trump (por su papel pasivo) en sus mentiras acerca del estado de las negociaciones del tratado. Así es como les ha “pasado factura”, revelando la realidad (que una vez que México ha hecho concesiones, Canadá puede volver a la mesa de negociaciones) con una declaración pública, y mostrándoles como cómplices pasivos de la mentira.
Quizás:
Freeland tried to get back at the mexican negotiators for their supporting role… (“to get back at” es más suave que “revenge”)

Apolonia Dermit

Spain

15:26 Aug 31, 2018

Jaja, gracias! Qué casualidad, no es tan común :-)
Quizá algo como "made the Mexican negotiators pay for..." o "passed the bill"? Algo así podría funcionar, el sentido es que "castigó" a los negociadores mexicanos, se "vengó" de ellos, o así lo entiendo yo. Seguro que a alguien se le ocurre algo mejor :-)

María Teresa Taylor Oliver

Panama

ASKER

Gracias, Apolonia

15:11 Aug 31, 2018

He visto «pasar factura» con el significado de "(something) to take a toll on someone, to cost someone dear". Pero no estoy segura de cómo voltearlo para que se refiera a una persona realizando una acción directa sobre alguien... ¿me he explicado bien? (Por cierto, me gusta mucho tu nombre; tuve una tía mallorquina que se llamaba Apolonia :) )

Apolonia Dermit

Spain

15:03 Aug 31, 2018

María Teresa, I understand the "cobrar" part as "pasó factura" or "hizo pagar"...

María Teresa Taylor Oliver

Panama

ASKER

What I'm still not getting...

14:54 Aug 31, 2018

is the "cobrar" part.

María Teresa Taylor Oliver

Panama

ASKER

14:41 Aug 31, 2018

Thanks, I'm aware of who she is, that's why I'm translating an article on the NAFTA and I've been keeping up on the matter. Hmm... With "jugar de comparsa" I get the sense of them (Mexico and the US) having been "compinches" in the "lie" about both having reached a bilateral agreemeent without Canada. "Having acted as co-conspirators" maybe?

philgoddard

United States

14:30 Aug 31, 2018

Chrystia Freeland is Canada's foreign minister.
Something to do with playing as extras in a film?
http://www.spanishdict.com/translate/comparsa

Answers

2 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

cobrar a alguien por jugar de comparsa

to make somebody pay for playing puppet

Explanation:
Freeland made the Mexican negotiators pay for playing puppet with the White House resident

Francois Boye
United States
Local time: 23:22
Native speaker of:

French
PRO pts in category: 40

Grading comment

8 hrs confidence:

exact payment on - for playing puppet / second-rater in a puppet show

Explanation:

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/exact

verb

I'd say.

JohnMcDove
United States
Local time: 20:22
Works in field
Native speaker of:

Spanish
PRO pts in category: 16

2 days 12 hrs confidence:

pay for sucking up to

Explanation:
Un día antes Freeland ********cobró a los negociadores mexicanos por haber jugado de comparsa******** con el habitante de la Casa Blanca.

The day before Freeland .... made the Mexican negotiators pay for sucking up to the White House tenant

David Hollywood
Local time: 00:22
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 223

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cobrar por jugar de comparsa

English translation: to make somebody pay/to take an indirect swipe at (someone)/to show (someone) up for playing the puppet to (someone)/for sucking up to (someone)

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cobrar por jugar de comparsa

English translation: to make somebody pay/to take an indirect swipe at (someone)/to show (someone) up for playing the puppet to (someone)/for sucking up to (someone)

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