breaks and luck

Spanish translation: oportunidades y suerte

12:07 Jan 14, 2016
English to Spanish translations [PRO]
Social Sciences - Government / Politics
English term or phrase: breaks and luck
I don’t care how smart, brilliant or passionate a secretary of state may be, unless the world cooperates, significant success — let alone real breakthroughs — aren’t possible. It’s the interaction between human agency and circumstance that usually defines what happens and doesn’t in international politics. The notion that secretaries of state make their own breaks and luck is true enough, provided there’s enough raw material out of which to fashion success.
Andrés Barral
Spain
Local time: 18:22
Spanish translation:oportunidades y suerte
Explanation:
En este caso, es un uso no formal de "break" que se refiere a una oportunidad de lograr éxito en un empleo o profesión.

Quizá:
"...crean sus propias oportunidades y su propia suerte..."

break: an opportunity or chance, especially one leading to professional success: his big break came when a critic gave him a rave review.
Oxford Dictionary of English

Selected response from:

Robert Carter
Mexico
Local time: 11:22
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +3oportunidades y suerte
Robert Carter
3 +3fabrican su propia suerte
Beatriz Ramírez de Haro
4tienen sus propios aciertos y fracasos
Mireia Oliva Solé
4en su momento y con suerte
Juan Arturo Blackmore Zerón
3golpes de suerte y buena fortuna
patinba
3saltos y suerte
jude dabo


  

Answers


4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
golpes de suerte y buena fortuna


Explanation:
possibly

La suerte: aventuras y desventuras de la vida cotidiana
https://books.google.com/books?isbn=8489691207
Nicholas Rescher - 1997
Aunque la buena suerte suele consistir en que las cosas anden bien (o no anden ... la buena fortuna como extraordinaria y hablamos de "golpes de suerte".
Piense y Hágase Rico - Resultado de la Búsqueda de libros de Google
https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1101612851
Napoleon Hill - 2012 - ‎Self-Help
golpe de suerte pueda ofrecernos una oportunidad, pero el plan más seguro es no ... El“golpe de suerte” consistió en mi buena fortuna de conocer y recibirla ...

patinba
Argentina
Local time: 14:22
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 115
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16 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
saltos y suerte


Explanation:
saltos de la suerte

jude dabo
Local time: 17:22
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8
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27 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
tienen sus propios aciertos y fracasos


Explanation:
Es una traducción menos literal pero que significa que sus decisiones a veces son buenas (por suerte) y a veces no lo son (por mala suerte o por las circunstancias)

Mireia Oliva Solé
Spain
Local time: 17:22
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in CatalanCatalan
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30 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
fabrican su propia suerte


Explanation:
Break está tomado aquí en el sentido de "golpe de suerte"

break n slang (fortunate event) salto nm
golpe de suerte grupo nom
http://www.wordreference.com/es/translation.asp?tranword=bre...

Creo que en español no es necesaria la repetición.

Beatriz Ramírez de Haro
Spain
Local time: 18:22
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 552

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Robert Forstag: This suggestion seems to best reflect the sense of the English phrase.
2 mins
  -> Thanks Robert - Bea

agree  Diego Carpio: De acuerdo, y aquí va otra variante de la misma expresión: "labran su propio destino". Saludos!
3 hrs
  -> ¡Muy buena! Saludos Diego - Bea

agree  Marcelo González: de acuerdo, sin la repetición :-)
10 hrs
  -> Gracias Marcelo - Bea
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3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
oportunidades y suerte


Explanation:
En este caso, es un uso no formal de "break" que se refiere a una oportunidad de lograr éxito en un empleo o profesión.

Quizá:
"...crean sus propias oportunidades y su propia suerte..."

break: an opportunity or chance, especially one leading to professional success: his big break came when a critic gave him a rave review.
Oxford Dictionary of English



Robert Carter
Mexico
Local time: 11:22
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 16
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  JohnMcDove: Así lo traduciría yo también. :-)
3 hrs
  -> Viniendo de ti, es un gran cumplido. Gracias, John :)

agree  Victoria Frazier
4 hrs
  -> Gracias, Victoria!

agree  Marcelo González
8 hrs
  -> Gracias, Marcelo.
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9 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
en su momento y con suerte


Explanation:
Se dice que si un político o ejecutivo está en su justo/adecuado momento, lugar y con suerte, hará un buen desempeño y tendrá éxito.

Juan Arturo Blackmore Zerón
Mexico
Local time: 12:22
Works in field
Native speaker of: Spanish
PRO pts in category: 19
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