al margen de la ley

English translation: (terrorism, counterintelligence) subversive groups / elements

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Spanish term or phrase:al margen de la ley
English translation:(terrorism, counterintelligence) subversive groups / elements
Entered by: Michael Powers (PhD)

18:24 Jun 13, 2005
Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Law/Patents - Law (general)
Spanish term or phrase: al margen de la ley
De Colombia

We must have an idiomatic way of saying this.

Constancia de la FISCSAL TRECE - UNAIM, de que había evidencias de personas al margen de la ley interesadas en atenta contra la vida e integridad personal del señor Briagadier General MANZANA PERA FRESA o su familia.
Michael Powers (PhD)
United States
Local time: 02:59
subversive groups / elements/subjects
Explanation:
For sure !

PDF] HUMAN RIGHTS AND COUNTER-TERRORISM: THE APPROACH OF THE EUROPEAN ...
Formato de archivo: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Versión en HTML
subversive elements operating within its jurisdiction. ... algunos Estados al
margen de la comunidad internacional en abierto desconocimiento ...
www.icj.org/IMG/pdf/Friday_24_October_Morning.pdf - Páginas similares
Declaración del designado como Embajador por la Casa Blanca ...
Los narcotraficantes y los grupos armados al margen de la ley están sintiendo la
... The US and Colombia agree that the narco-trafficker and subversive ...
bogota.usembassy.gov/wwwsww02.shtml - 25k - En caché - Páginas similares

[PDF] Untitled
Formato de archivo: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Versión en HTML
grupos armados al margen de la ley, la. producción y comercialización de drogas
ilegales ... Between 1990 and 2000, the subversive groups ...
www.ccong.org.co/foros/documentosforo/ estrategia_cooperacion.pdf - Páginas similares
Selected response from:

Terejimenez
Local time: 01:59
Grading comment
There are a lot of good suggestions for answering this particular phrase; however, within the context of counterintelligence, specifically in Colombia with FARC, ELN, paramilitary, etc., I believe this is the best answer. In the glossary I will clarify that this is the translation in terrorism and counterintelligence usage.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +7outlaws
Mayte Vega
5 +4(who operate) on the fringe of (the) law
Marcelo González
3 +4criminal elements
duchess
5 +2subversive groups / elements/subjects
Terejimenez
5 +1individuals outside the law
Giovanni Rengifo
4 +2lawbreakers
colemh
3 +2outside the law...
Andy Watkinson
4 +1who skirt the law
marybro
5anarchists
Flavio Posse
5outside the law; illegal
Maria do Carmo Andrade
5 -1In support of María’s answer.
Manuel Cedeño Berrueta
4who would take the law in their own hands
Muriel Vasconcellos
3criminal elements
duchess
4 -1on the outskirts of the law
Refugio
2who undermine the law
Orkoyen (X)


  

Answers


2 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
outside the law...


Explanation:
...could be a version.

Andy

Andy Watkinson
Spain
Local time: 07:59
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 151

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  bigedsenior
10 hrs

agree  Marcelo González: this is the idea (as it descibes where they operate) :-)
2 days 30 mins
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3 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
individuals outside the law


Explanation:
-

Giovanni Rengifo
Colombia
Local time: 01:59
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 269

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  guenthpw: Your answer would be correct for the Spanish term "fuera de la ley", but not for "al margen de la ley". Sorry. Marcelo González' answer is the most accurate translation: "(who operate) on the fringe of (the) law"
5342 days
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4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +4
(who operate) on the fringe of (the) law


Explanation:
And he wrote appeals freelance, still hovering on the fringe of law. "I really never wanted to practice," Schachter says. "I was always casting around for ...
www.newnyart.com/reviewsartetc/mirror.html - 12k - Cached - Similar pages


Private Detective Still Wrontful: Supreme Court... shadowing and stealthily taking photos and roam on the fringe of law, gain the legal identity, and thus walking under the sun in a stately manner? ...
english.people.com.cn/200201/11/eng20020111_88453.shtml - 18k - Cached - Similar pages


Destination Hollywood Tribute to The GodfatherHis specialty … hard edged, gritty characters that exist on the fringe of law-abiding society. But as he has shown recently, he's equally at home in all-out ...
www.destinationhollywood.com/ movies/godfather/overview_content.shtml - 21k - Cached - Similar pages


TemplateOn the fringe of law enforcement for many years, and with increased and diverse settlement occurring, especially of senior citizens, which has brought ...
www.naturalborders.com/Willamette/Chapter21.htm - 57k - Cached - Similar pages


Pluralism and Anarchism - Kenneth Maddock... a mixed bag of idealists, intellectuals, crackpots, visionaries, malcontents and individuals drifting on the fringe of law and conventional morality. ...
www.takver.com/history/sydney/maddock1.htm - 50k - Cached - Similar pages


ALIEN FIRES: 2199 AD extracted from Sewer Docs by Underdogs for ...... to a mining colony on a planet called Galaxy's End, a Babel of alien cultures, life with smugglers and rogues, existing on the fringe of law and order. ...
www.the-underdogs.org/games/ a/alienfires/files/alienfires.txt - 23k - Cached - Similar pages


Centar za liberalno-demokratske studijeFields of his professional interest encompass civil law and various topics on the fringe of law and economics. He is President of Judiciary Committee of the ...
www.clds.org.yu/html/cv-drahib.html - 3k - Cached - Similar pages


Political SandwichThe Lt. Colonel, having worked with civilians as an Amy Intelligence officer, says that civilian interrogators are on the fringe of law. ...
politicalsandwich.blogspot.com/ - 28k - Jun 12, 2005 - Cached - Similar pages


LP: Police: Man Arrested in BTK Serial Killings... 17. To: Trina1 (#0). What got me was the 'petty tyrant' nature of this guy. A compliance officer on the fringe of law enforcement and monitoring. ...
68.166.163.242/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=86140 - 30k - Supplemental Result - Cached - Similar pages


[PDF] BOOK RE VIE WSFile Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat
taken on the fringe of law; yet they. must always bear in mind the over-. riding importance of maintaining sov-. ereignty. (By “sovereignty” ...
www.blackwell-synergy.com/links/ doi/10.1111/j.1533-8525.1967.tb01056.x/abs/ - Similar pages

Marcelo González
United States
Local time: 20:59
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 202

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Daniel Burns (X)
32 mins
  -> Thank you, Daniel :-)

agree  Marina Soldati
2 hrs
  -> Gracias, Marina, y saludos desde Nuevo México :-))

agree  Christina Courtright: best choice in this context
16 hrs
  -> thanks :-))

agree  guenthpw: Go to him for translations. He knows Spanish!
5342 days
  -> Even more than a decade later, love the feedback!!! Cheers and many thanks :-)
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4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +7
outlaws


Explanation:
Suerte.

Mayte Vega
Argentina
Local time: 03:59
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Miguel Falquez-Certain
1 min
  -> Muchas gracias Nigelguy. :-)

agree  Gabriela Rodriguez
5 mins
  -> Muchas gracias Gaby. :-)

neutral  duchess: bit too cowboys and indians for me, sorry
12 mins
  -> Gracias por tu opinión.

agree  Margarita Gonzalez
32 mins
  -> Muchas gracias Marga. :-)

agree  Manuel Cedeño Berrueta
4 hrs
  -> Muchas gracias Manuel.

agree  zemba: De acuerdo, María.
8 hrs
  -> Muchas gracias Zemba. :-)

agree  Oso (X): ¶:^)
11 hrs
  -> Mil gracias Oso. Rocky te manda saluditos.

agree  Clara Nino
1 day 3 hrs
  -> Muchas gracias Clisaz. :-)

agree  Alicia Casal: Muchas gracias Clisaz.
1 day 7 hrs

disagree  guenthpw: This answer fits the term "fuera de la ley"
5342 days
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13 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +4
criminal elements


Explanation:
Not sure why, but sounds better than just plain 'criminals'.

duchess
Local time: 07:59
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Margarita Palatnik (X)
5 mins
  -> Thanks, Margarita

agree  Carlos Diaz de Leon
7 mins
  -> Thanks, Carlos

agree  *TRANSCRIPT
15 mins
  -> Thank you, Transcript

agree  Mijo Schyllert
20 mins
  -> Thanks, Mijo

agree  Maria Arcelus
2 hrs
  -> Thank you, Maria

agree  Manuel Cedeño Berrueta: I like this one, but I also like “outlaw”.
3 hrs
  -> Thanks, Manuel

disagree  Marcelo González: Sorry dutchess. :-) >The problem is that we have to describe where these individuals operate... :-)) >Doesn't this describe the actual people, and not so much the envirnonment in which they work (i.e., "al margen de la ley")?
1 day 20 hrs
  -> Thanks, actually I know what you're saying, but it's just that I was looking at this particular context. Otherwise I would have perhaps said 'criminal', 'illegal' but then what what would you do with 'people'?

disagree  guenthpw: Your answer fits the question "elementos criminales". The most faithful translation remains: "(who operate) on the fringe of (the) law" by Marcelo González.
5342 days
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22 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
criminal elements


Explanation:
Not sure why, but sounds better than just plain 'criminals'.

duchess
Local time: 07:59
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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47 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
who skirt the law


Explanation:
To lie along or form the edge of; border: the creek that skirts our property.
To pass around rather than across or through: changed their course to skirt the storm.
To pass close to; miss narrowly: The bullet skirted an artery.
To evade, as by circumlocution: skirted the controversial issue

("Donors skirt campaign finance law").

JAPAN LAW: STOCK EXCHANGES-Securities manipulators? ... and that it is permissible for them in their omnipotence to skirt the law and distort markets,
www.japanlaw.info/law2003/2003_ STOCK_EXCHANGES_SECURITIES_MANIPULATORS.html

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 50 mins (2005-06-13 19:15:42 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

oops...the verb definition from...v.tr....http://www.answers.com/skirt

marybro
Local time: 02:59
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 12

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  guenthpw: But the best answer is the most faithful translation: "(who operate) on the fringe of (the) law" by Marcelo González.
5342 days
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57 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): -1
on the outskirts of the law


Explanation:
Usurping Law For the Rule of Man
... war betrays the young men and women who enlisted to defend their country, not to make it a hegemonic empire that operates on the outskirts of the law. ...
www.dissidentvoice.org/ Articles4/Abulhawa_Usurping-Law.htm - 23k - Cached - Similar pages


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 58 mins (2005-06-13 19:23:46 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Providers of sale-leasebacks deny that they\'re all a loan
Sale-leasebacks, says spokeswoman Mary Jackson, are \"coming from a perspective of surviving on the outskirts of the law.\" ...
www.bankrate.com/brm/news/pf/20010424a.asp - Similar pages

FrontierTimes - Outlaws - Belle Starr
Moreover, life lived on the outskirts of the law begs an important question—how to make a law-breaker the protagonist in a young adult book without inviting ...
www.frontiertimes.com/outlaws/belle_starr.html - 44k - Cached - Similar pages

Refugio
Local time: 23:59
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 118

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  guenthpw: "Outskirts" is already outside. "Fringes" is like "on the edge", i.e., not quite outside. One step farther and you are on the other side. You then are looking in from the "outskirts."
5342 days
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
personas al margen de la ley
lawbreakers


Explanation:
lawbreaker
 Definition
1. one who disobeys the law.
http://www.wordsmyth.net

 
 
 

 
Related Words
 
culprit , criminal , outlaw , convict

 
 
 

 
Derived Forms
 
lawbreaking, [n.], adj.

colemh
Local time: 01:59
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Oso (X): ¶:^)
7 hrs
  -> Sr. Oso, es usted muy amable. Saludos Cordiales. 8-)

neutral  Marcelo González: Es cierto lo que dice en cuanto a lo que aparece en la parte de abajo, pero su respuesta describe a la gente, y no el ambiente en que andan...>Sorry, colemh. This describes the people, not where they do their dastardly deeds...
1 day 20 hrs
  -> Marcelo, si observa con atención el párrafo que incluye el término, estoy contestando bajo el supuesto de “personas al margen de la ley”. Bajo este contexto lawbreakers es precisamente eso. Gracias por sus comentarios.

agree  guenthpw: The first Spanish word for "lawbreaker" would be "infractor" or "delincuente" or "transgresor". The most faithful translation remains: "(who operate) on the fringe of (the) law" by Marcelo González.
5341 days
  -> Thank you
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): -1
In support of María’s answer.


Explanation:
We must remember that the meaning of words change with the pass of time; please see the current meaning of “outlaw”, not only its original meaning.

Best regards,
Manuel
--------

Quick definitions (Outlaw)
• noun: someone who has committed (or been legally convicted of) a crime
• verb: declare illegal; outlaw
http://www.onelook.com/?w=outlaw&ls=a


Main Entry: 1out•law
Pronunciation: 'aut-"lo
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English outlawe, from Old English utlaga, from Old Norse utlagi, from ut out (akin to Old English ut out) + lag-, log law -- more at OUT, LAW
1 : a person excluded from the benefit or protection of the law
2 a : a lawless person or a fugitive from the law b : a person or organization under a ban or restriction c : one that is unconventional or rebellious
3 : an animal (as a horse) that is wild and unmanageable
- outlaw adjective
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=out...


The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

outlaw

SYLLABICATION: out•law
PRONUNCIATION: out lô
NOUN: 1a. A fugitive from the law. b. A habitual criminal. c. A rebel; a nonconformist: a social outlaw. 2. A person excluded from normal legal protection and rights. 3. A wild or vicious horse or other animal.
TRANSITIVE VERB: Inflected forms: out•lawed, out•law•ing, out•laws
1. To declare illegal: outlawed the sale of firearms. 2. To place under a ban; prohibit: outlawed smoking in the house. 3. To deprive (one declared to be a criminal fugitive) of the protection of the law.
ETYMOLOGY: Middle English outlaue, from Old English tlaga, from Old Norse tlagi, from tlagr, outlawed, banished : t, out; see ud- in Appendix I + lög, law; see legh- in Appendix I.
OTHER FORMS: out law —ADJECTIVE
WORD HISTORY: The word outlaw brings to mind the cattle rustlers and gunslingers of the Wild West, but it comes to us from a much earlier time, when guns were not yet invented but cattle stealing was. Outlaw can be traced back to the Old Norse word tlagr, “outlawed, banished,” made up of t, “out,” and lög, “law.” An tlagi (derived from tlagr) was someone outside the protection of the law. The Scandinavians, who invaded and settled in England during the 8th through the 11th century, gave us the Old English word tlaga, which designated someone who because of criminal acts had to give up his property to the crown and could be killed without recrimination. The legal status of the outlaw became less severe over the course of the Middle Ages. However, the looser use of the word to designate criminals in general, which arose in Middle English, lives on in tales of the Wild West.


The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
http://www.bartleby.com/61/10/O0161000.html

All the best,
Manuel


Manuel Cedeño Berrueta
Local time: 02:59
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 402

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Marcelo González: With all due respect, common usage, in this context, "trumps" prescriptive authority. On hearing "outlaws" (the noun) many native speakers will always think of "Cowboys and Indians" and the Hollywood-hyped Jessie James. :-)
1 day 1 hr
  -> Thank you for your comment, Marcelo; I will bear it in mind.
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6 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +2
subversive groups / elements/subjects


Explanation:
For sure !

PDF] HUMAN RIGHTS AND COUNTER-TERRORISM: THE APPROACH OF THE EUROPEAN ...
Formato de archivo: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Versión en HTML
subversive elements operating within its jurisdiction. ... algunos Estados al
margen de la comunidad internacional en abierto desconocimiento ...
www.icj.org/IMG/pdf/Friday_24_October_Morning.pdf - Páginas similares
Declaración del designado como Embajador por la Casa Blanca ...
Los narcotraficantes y los grupos armados al margen de la ley están sintiendo la
... The US and Colombia agree that the narco-trafficker and subversive ...
bogota.usembassy.gov/wwwsww02.shtml - 25k - En caché - Páginas similares

[PDF] Untitled
Formato de archivo: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Versión en HTML
grupos armados al margen de la ley, la. producción y comercialización de drogas
ilegales ... Between 1990 and 2000, the subversive groups ...
www.ccong.org.co/foros/documentosforo/ estrategia_cooperacion.pdf - Páginas similares


Terejimenez
Local time: 01:59
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Spanish
PRO pts in category: 200
Grading comment
There are a lot of good suggestions for answering this particular phrase; however, within the context of counterintelligence, specifically in Colombia with FARC, ELN, paramilitary, etc., I believe this is the best answer. In the glossary I will clarify that this is the translation in terrorism and counterintelligence usage.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Patrick Weill
2995 days

agree  Orkoyen (X): Yes—to subvert
5746 days
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7 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
who would take the law in their own hands


Explanation:
Many interesting suggestions, but IN THIS CONTEXT, speaking of an attempt on the guy's life, I believe the intent of the author is slightly different from the literal meaning of the expression. He/she is not speaking of criminal elements generically, but rather people who feel strongly enough to take action outside the law. This is my take on the overall meaning of the text.

Muriel Vasconcellos
United States
Local time: 23:59
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 161
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8 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
anarchists


Explanation:
.

Flavio Posse
United States
Local time: 23:59
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 368
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5746 days   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
who undermine the law


Explanation:
to emphasize the chaotic/destructive nature of such action

Orkoyen (X)
United States
Local time: 02:59
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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6363 days   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
outside the law; illegal


Explanation:
The expression refers to someone acting outside the law, an outlaw. If someone doesn't act according to the law, then their actions are outside the law or illegal.

Example sentence(s):
  • [...] juzgamiento de los crímenes cometidos contra la población civil por miembros de grupos armados al margen de la ley en Colombia.
  • [...] designed to prosecute crimes committed against the civilian population by armed groups operating outside the law in Colombia.
Maria do Carmo Andrade
Portugal
Local time: 06:59
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in PortuguesePortuguese
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