$31.106.000.000 millones (de pesos colombianos)

English translation: COP 31.11 billion (Colombian pesos) [USD 10.25 million] (the extra \"millones\" is a mistake)

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

Spanish term or phrase:	$31.106.000.000 millones (de pesos colombianos)
English translation:	COP 31.11 billion (Colombian pesos) [USD 10.25 million] (the extra \"millones\" is a mistake)
Entered by:	María Teresa Taylor Oliver

19:22 Aug 17, 2018

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

Spanish term or phrase: $31.106.000.000 millones (de pesos colombianos)

I'm translating an opinion piece about the Colombian peace process (post-conflict process): https://www.elespectador.com/opinion/marquez-cia-columna-806...

I can't even begin to parse this number. I would've thought it'd be 31.11 billion pesos (I've seen similar amounts before rendered, for example, as $31.106 mil millones de pesos or sometimes $31 mil 106 millones de pesos) if it weren't for the fact that the number is followed by the word "millones," which adds six more zeroes!!! Is that correct? I can't even.

According to the currency converter at https://www.xe.com the number 31106 followed by six zeroes from Colombian pesos into US dollars is USD 10,254,813.643 which I would render as USD 10.25 million. But the word "millones" is throwing me off. (There's also the issue of Colombia using a period for thousands instead of a comma. Here in Panama is the other way around. I know there's a rule for that, but it's not applied consistently.)

And then there's the other number: $74.499.592.426 Would that be 74.5 billion pesos? (USD 24,559,195.376 or USD 24.56 million).

Do these numbers make sense? I will greatly appreciate all help!

Here's the full paragraph:

Caquetá es uno de los epicentros en la implementación de la paz. El departamento está pensado como parte del Programa de Desarrollo con Enfoque Territorial (PDET) y en 9 de sus 16 municipios ya hay acuerdos firmados con 7.777 familias para la sustitución voluntaria de cultivos, en el marco del Programa Nacional Integral de Sustitución de Cultivos Ilícitos (PNIS). El Gobierno ha venido girando a estas familias importantes recursos: como parte de los acuerdos de sustitución, para garantizar cultivos de pancoger, capacitaciones y proyectos productivos. Así, al 30 de junio de este año, en Caquetá, *****el Gobierno ha pagado $31.106.000.000 millones ***** como parte de la implementación del PNIS; y aún quedan por pagar, en lo que queda del año: $74.499.592.426. La suma de este dinero, más de 100.000 millones de pesos en Caquetá, es tres veces el presupuesto de inversión de toda la Defensoría del Pueblo en 2018.

María Teresa Taylor Oliver KudoZ activity Questions: 1071 (1 open) (3 without valid answers) (21 closed without grading) Answers: 2099 Panama
Local time: 04:28

$31 mil 106 millones de pesos

Explanation:
In my opinion, the "millones" is just redundant.

The figure in English should be,

$31,106,000,000.

As simple as that.

You may need to confirm it, but I would be 80 % sure that is the case...

Saludos cordiales.

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Note added at 1 hr (2018-08-17 20:41:05 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Oops, in English should be the answer.

That is $31,106,000.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs (2018-08-17 23:07:46 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

N.B., As noted by Charles.
31 106 000 000 COP.

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Note added at 6 days (2018-08-23 22:38:51 GMT) Post-grading
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You're welcome!

Kudos to Charles and Taña! :-)

Selected response from:

JohnMcDove
United States
Local time: 02:28

Grading comment

Thanks, everyone, for helping me not lose my mind in the process of splitting hairs! :)

In the end, I went with "31.11 billion pesos [$10.25 million]". I am well aware of the $ vs. COP (and other pesos) vs. USD problem, but my client doesn't require the distinction since each particular document is clearly tagged in the system with the country it is from (in this case, Colombia) and the target is always US English. So it's a given that $ in every case is going to mean USD. These documents don't usually refer to more than one LatAm country in the same document in relation to the US, anyway.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

3 +2

$31 mil 106 millones de pesos

JohnMcDove

Summary of reference entries provided

Refs.

Taña Dalglish

Discussion entries: 8

Charles Davis

Spain

21:49 Aug 17, 2018

Sorry, I've just corrected the dollar figure, which should be 10 254 813. I would definitely not include the decimals (.643). They are confusing and really unnecessary; in any case, they will change with every fluctuation of the exchange rate.

Charles Davis

Spain

21:46 Aug 17, 2018

If you want to be ultra-correct you should put 31 106 000 000 COP (10 254 813 USD), using spaces instead of commas as thousands separators and ISO currency codes: then it would be completely unimpeachable. Ideally they should be thin non-breaking spaces.

Charles Davis

Spain

Exactly

21:28 Aug 17, 2018

Patinba's argument is unanswerable: it is quite definitely 31,106 million and "millones" is superfluous.

María Teresa Taylor Oliver

Panama

ASKER

Thanks, everyone...

21:28 Aug 17, 2018

...for confirming my gut feeling, and especially Pat for pointing out the sum part which I missed because I was focusing on the other part. I ended up ignoring the "millones" since I had to deliver the translation. I'm leaving this open for now.

patinba

Argentina

Billions it is

20:33 Aug 17, 2018

The first "millones" is a mistake, as your own text shows when it states that the total for the region is "mas de 100.000 millones" (or 100 billion), arrived at by adding the 31 billion to the 74 billion "que aún quedan por pagar"

María Teresa Taylor Oliver

Panama

ASKER

Thanks, Phil

19:49 Aug 17, 2018

I just wanted to be sure if I was reading this correctly and compare my reading with that of other colleagues in case I'm missing something.

philgoddard

United States

19:40 Aug 17, 2018

I think this is more of a research question than one of translation, since the meaning is clear. Have you tried looking up other sources to confirm the figure? It's so huge that it makes me think "millones" is a mistake.

María Teresa Taylor Oliver

Panama

ASKER

And yes, I HAVE to translate the currency amounts.

19:26 Aug 17, 2018

I have to leave the original amounts in the Colombian currency and then put the equivalent in US dollars within square brackets. So that is why I use XE.com

Answers

1 hr confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

$31 mil 106 millones de pesos

JohnMcDove
United States
Local time: 02:28
Works in field
Native speaker of:

Spanish
PRO pts in category: 16

Grading comment

Reference comments

45 mins peer agreement (net): +3

Reference: Refs.

Reference information:
María Theresa: This is how I read it:

$31.106.000.000 millones > $31.11 billion pesos [US$10,253,667.029 or US$10.25 million]

https://es.coinmill.com/COP_USD.html#COP=31106000000
US$10,224,748.16 (million US$) (English format)

https://es.coinmill.com/COP_USD.html#COP=74499592426
COP $74.499.592.426 > US$24,488,509.30 (US$24.29 million) (English format).

I hope I have given you the right information. Perhaps other colleagues can confirm?

HTH!

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Note added at 1 hr (2018-08-17 20:34:52 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Phil: Your remark which is so rude "I'd research the correct figure elsewhere or put a note saying the number doesn't make sense". I suggest very strongly, Phil, you do the research since you don't agree (what's new?). I have done the research.....

Taña Dalglish
Jamaica
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 116

Peer comments on this reference comment (and responses from the reference poster)

neutral

philgoddard: I don't see how you arrive at "billion". If you take the "millones" at face value, I make it quadrillion. I'd research the correct figure elsewhere or put a note saying the number doesn't make sense.

17 mins

-> And I think you are dead wrong: $31.106.000.000 millones (de pesos colombianos). Spanish are famous for adding "milliones" when figures alone will suffice! IMO, it is simply "$31.106.000.000 (Spanish format). Have asked you to leave me alone! Negative!

agree

patinba: The text makes it clear that you are right (see my discussion entry)

26 mins

-> Thank you so much Pat. I appreciate your support. What I do not appreciate is the negative remarks of others (they must then prove me wrong!).

agree

JohnMcDove: Yes, you are right. Is like when in Spanish we say "$5 dólares". We already have the "$" symbol... Same thing with the "000.000" = millones... :-)

34 mins

-> Thank you John.

agree

Charles Davis: For Colombian pesos either COP after the figure, separated by a space (better), or COL$ before. And for US dollars similarly USD after the figure (which I would recommend) or US$ before. Your figures are right (but make it whole dollars; cut the decimals)

1 hr

-> Thank you Charles.

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$31.106.000.000 millones (de pesos colombianos)

English translation: COP 31.11 billion (Colombian pesos) [USD 10.25 million] (the extra \"millones\" is a mistake)

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$31.106.000.000 millones (de pesos colombianos)

English translation: COP 31.11 billion (Colombian pesos) [USD 10.25 million] (the extra \"millones\" is a mistake)

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