3 ms·

Fun story: a lot of Puerto Rico's problems are linked to a mis-translation of the Constitution from Spanish to English [1]: > The big spending was fueled by a

by jmyeet 3y ago

Fun story: a lot of Puerto Rico's problems are linked to a mis-translation of the Constitution from Spanish to English [1]: > The big spending was fueled by a translation error between Spanish and English in the island's 1952 constitution. It enabled Puerto Rico to issue debt to fund many activities, including day-to-day operations. It all comes down to the interpretation of the phrase "recursos totales" -- total revenue or total resources? It was interpreted as resources, which is a broader term allowing the government to fund regular operations (e.g. education, policing, health care, etc.) via bonds. In Spanish "recursos totales" is better translated as "total revenue" not "total resources". [1]: https://money.cnn.com/2016/05/12/investing/puerto-rico-debt-crisis/ https://money.cnn.com/2016/05/12/investing/puerto-rico-debt-...

pyuser583 3y ago
This is fascinating!
sammywater 3y ago
I've never seen recurso translated as "revenue", I've only see it translated as "resource". The same can be see in this etymology dictionary: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/recurso#Spanish https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/recurso#Spanish No mention of "revenue"-- not even in the latin root.
- Y_Y 3y ago
  My Spanish isn't native, but my reaction was the same as yours. It may well be an archaic usage though, and etymology won't solve that for you. (All the same wiktionary is a perfectly good general-purpose dictionary).
- jmyeet 3y ago
  I'm not a Spanish speaker so I'm reliant on these accounts. Here's a more detailed explanation [1]: > The legal framework for a balanced budget dates back to Section 34 of the 1917 Jones-Shafroth Act, which states that “No appropriation shall be made, nor any expenditure authorized by the legislature, whereby the expenditure of the Government of Porto Rico during any fiscal year shall exceed the total revenue then provided for by law and applicable for such appropriation or expenditure, including any available surplus in the treasury, unless the legislature making such appropriation shall provide for levying a sufficient tax to pay such appropriation or expenditure within such fiscal year.” A provision in Puerto Rico’s Constitution, which was approved in 1952, contains similar language in English: The appropriations made for any fiscal year shall not exceed the total revenues, including available surplus, estimated for said fiscal year unless the imposition of taxes sufficient to cover said appropriations is provided by law. P.R. Const., art. VI, §7. The Spanish translation of the Constitution, however, translated revenues as “recursos” which can also be interpreted to mean resources. A 1974 ruling by Puerto Rico’s attorney general clarified the legal meaning of “recursos” to a broader general definition of resources available to the government, including proceeds of bond issuances. P.R. Op. Sec. Just. 1974-15, 19 The way this reads is backwards to what I previously read (and stated) where "revenues" was translated into Spanish later to "recursos" in 1952, which was interpreted to include debt, bypassing the original 1917 act for a balanced budget. [1]: https://www.gao.gov/assets/700/691944.pdf https://www.gao.gov/assets/700/691944.pdf
deleted 3y ago
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by jmyeet 3y ago

pyuser583 3y ago

This is fascinating!

sammywater 3y ago

I've never seen recurso translated as "revenue", I've only see it translated as "resource". The same can be see in this etymology dictionary: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/recurso#Spanish https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/recurso#Spanish No mention of "revenue"-- not even in the latin root.

Y_Y 3y ago
My Spanish isn't native, but my reaction was the same as yours. It may well be an archaic usage though, and etymology won't solve that for you. (All the same wiktionary is a perfectly good general-purpose dictionary).
jmyeet 3y ago
I'm not a Spanish speaker so I'm reliant on these accounts. Here's a more detailed explanation [1]: > The legal framework for a balanced budget dates back to Section 34 of the 1917 Jones-Shafroth Act, which states that “No appropriation shall be made, nor any expenditure authorized by the legislature, whereby the expenditure of the Government of Porto Rico during any fiscal year shall exceed the total revenue then provided for by law and applicable for such appropriation or expenditure, including any available surplus in the treasury, unless the legislature making such appropriation shall provide for levying a sufficient tax to pay such appropriation or expenditure within such fiscal year.” A provision in Puerto Rico’s Constitution, which was approved in 1952, contains similar language in English: The appropriations made for any fiscal year shall not exceed the total revenues, including available surplus, estimated for said fiscal year unless the imposition of taxes sufficient to cover said appropriations is provided by law. P.R. Const., art. VI, §7. The Spanish translation of the Constitution, however, translated revenues as “recursos” which can also be interpreted to mean resources. A 1974 ruling by Puerto Rico’s attorney general clarified the legal meaning of “recursos” to a broader general definition of resources available to the government, including proceeds of bond issuances. P.R. Op. Sec. Just. 1974-15, 19 The way this reads is backwards to what I previously read (and stated) where "revenues" was translated into Spanish later to "recursos" in 1952, which was interpreted to include debt, bypassing the original 1917 act for a balanced budget. [1]: https://www.gao.gov/assets/700/691944.pdf https://www.gao.gov/assets/700/691944.pdf

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]