tirar del hilo

English translation: scratch beneath the surface

14:20 Jan 29, 2021
Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Bus/Financial - Manufacturing / Idiomatic expression from a book
Spanish term or phrase: tirar del hilo
Hola a todos,

Sigo sin encontrar un significado adecuado en inglés para la expresión "tirar del hilo". Aparece en un libro llamado 'Barcelona Inconclusa' por Laureano Debat.

Aquí les dejo la expresión en su contexto:

"Mucha gente acaba consumiendo en Zara o Mango y si tiras del hilo, hay un niño de 15 años en Pakistán tratando tintes cancerígenos sin ninguna seguridad."

Muchas gracias de antemano.

Saludos,

Matt
Matthew Leedham
United Kingdom
Local time: 01:46
English translation:scratch beneath the surface
Explanation:
An option:

Why you should scratch beneath the surface of a cheap manicure...£10 for a manicure? Sounds great. But the real price is likely human misery and violence, suffered mostly, of course, by women and girls.
https://shivafoundation.org.uk/why-you-should-scratch-beneat...

https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/tirar-del-hilo.46479...

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Note added at 4 days (2021-02-03 11:13:42 GMT) Post-grading
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Thanks, Matt, glad to be of help. I think you were spoilt for choice here with so many suggestions!
Selected response from:

Marie Wilson
Spain
Local time: 02:46
Grading comment
I really like the idiomatic expression, and I think it fits really well in this context.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +3follow the thread
matt robinson
4 +2dig deeper
Steven Huddleston
3 +1scratch beneath the surface
Marie Wilson
3connect the dots
patinba
3the hidden cost is
Lisa McCarthy
3unravel it all
Neil Ashby


  

Answers


12 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
connect the dots


Explanation:
came to mind. Can't see why the question is "offensive"?

In adult discourse the phrase "connect the dots" can be used as a metaphor to illustrate an ability (or inability) to associate one idea with another, to find the "big picture", or salient feature, in a mass of data.

patinba
Argentina
Local time: 22:46
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 40
Notes to answerer
Asker: This is helpful, thank you. These days people find a lot of things offensive!

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15 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
follow the thread


Explanation:
This works well IMO because of the textile context. The idea is if you look beyond the products you are consuming to their origins, you might get a shock.
You could use something like "take a second look" or many other possible options.


matt robinson
Spain
Local time: 02:46
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thank you Matt, I like how you incorporate the context. Very helpful explanation.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jason Muñoz Chaves
7 hrs

agree  neilmac
17 hrs

agree  Liliana Garfunkel
1 day 6 hrs
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19 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
the hidden cost is


Explanation:
Maybe something like:

...but behind this/their (cheap) clothing is a 15-year-old...."

...but the hidden cost is a...

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Note added at 28 minutos (2021-01-29 14:49:35 GMT)
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"How do I look?": The fashion industry needs a makeover - Corecore.ac.uk › download › pdf

The hidden cost of fast fashion more clothes ... Child labour is particularly prevalent in the ... reconsider their taste for quick-and-cheap fashion, and invest in.


PressReader - Hidden cost of cheap clothing - PressReader
www.pressreader.com › kentish-gazette-canterbury-district

Hidden cost of cheap clothing ... June 2008, a BBC Panorama programme investigated sweatshop allegations against Primark, including the use of child labour.


Or behind the price is....

The Death of Economics - ExplainingTheFuture.comwww.explainingthefuture.com › doe
30 Jan 2016 — In addition, considering the consequence behind the price is starting to drive customers away from clothing produced in sweat-shops, ... logic has driven manufacturing to the global location where labour is the cheapest.




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Note added at 38 minutos (2021-01-29 14:58:52 GMT)
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Or:

...but behind the (cheap) price tag is....



The story of a £4 Boohoo dress: cheap clothes at a high cost ...www.theguardian.com › business › jun › cost-cheap-fas...
22 Jun 2019 — But behind the price tag there is an environmental and social cost not contained on the label of such products. “The hidden price tag is the cost ...
Person: Carol Kane


Who pays the price for our cheap goods? | Pay | The Guardianwww.theguardian.com
13 Oct 2013 — ... works well until the hidden world behind the price tag is revealed. ... Last week, fire in another Bangladeshi clothing factory killed nine.



Lisa McCarthy
Spain
Local time: 02:46
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 24
Notes to answerer
Asker: This is very interesting, thanks for the links. I note in all of the answers the change in conjunction to "but" from the original "y" in the Spanish; however, I agree it works better.

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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
dig deeper


Explanation:
An equally idiomatic and widely understood metaphor with the same meaning.

Example sentence(s):
  • ...and if you dig deeper, there is a 15-year-old child in Pakistan...
Steven Huddleston
Mexico
Local time: 19:46
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Neil Ashby
2 hrs
  -> Thank you Neil.

agree  Liliana Garfunkel
1 day 4 hrs
  -> Gracias Liliana.
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
unravel it all


Explanation:
.

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Note added at 4 hrs (2021-01-29 19:07:15 GMT)
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unravel the situation

just another option....

Neil Ashby
Spain
Local time: 02:46
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 23
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18 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
scratch beneath the surface


Explanation:
An option:

Why you should scratch beneath the surface of a cheap manicure...£10 for a manicure? Sounds great. But the real price is likely human misery and violence, suffered mostly, of course, by women and girls.
https://shivafoundation.org.uk/why-you-should-scratch-beneat...

https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/tirar-del-hilo.46479...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 days (2021-02-03 11:13:42 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------

Thanks, Matt, glad to be of help. I think you were spoilt for choice here with so many suggestions!

Example sentence(s):
  • However, if we scratch beneath the surface, we would easily find that despite a plethora of policies designed to protect the rights of children, these rights are often neglected in Bangladesh
Marie Wilson
Spain
Local time: 02:46
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 32
Grading comment
I really like the idiomatic expression, and I think it fits really well in this context.
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thank you Marie. I like the idiomatic expression.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Neil Ashby
4 hrs
  -> Thanks, Neil :-)
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