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  3. Slang

burlar al sistema

English translation: cheat the system

22:06 May 25, 2011
Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Slang
Spanish term or phrase: burlar al sistema
Hi! Can you help me to translate this phrase? It is used when people don't do what they are supposed to do. For example, in a job, they pretend to work but they don't do it.
Thanks
merchu
Local time: 02:06
English translation:cheat the system
Explanation:
There's another one... 'beat the system' to me is outsmarting the system, when you get where you want using your own smarter resources than society provides, " buck the system" is taking a different route to do something which may or may not be successful a riskful approach maybe, "cheat or fool the system" is about pretending to be working but you're actually doing a whole lot of nothing, so you probably needed to give out the exact context in which your phrase appeared, thus the myriad of possibilities...
Selected response from:

doryraly
Local time: 00:06
Grading comment
Thaks for your help.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +2beat the system
Damian Hosford
5cheat the system
doryraly
3 +1buck the system
Lisa McCarthy
4to fool the system
eski
4ridicule the system
jude dabo
4game the system
Muriel Vasconcellos
4thumb one's nose at (the system, the boss, or whatever)
Jenni Lukac (X)
3they work/abuse/take advantage/get over on the system
Robert Copeland
3work the system
Sara Oliveira
2milk the clock
Matthew Fuzzey
Summary of reference entries provided
.
chica nueva

Discussion entries: 2





  

Answers


3 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
they work/abuse/take advantage/get over on the system


Explanation:
just a few ideas

or they find ways to get over on the system (stay ahead of "the man") skate by

Robert Copeland
United States
Local time: 01:06
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 22
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5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
beat the system


Explanation:
another suggestion

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Note added at 7 mins (2011-05-25 22:14:08 GMT)
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http://www.proz.com/kudoz/english_to_spanish/idioms_maxims_s...

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Note added at 9 mins (2011-05-25 22:16:29 GMT)
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http://www.wordreference.com/es/translation.asp?tranword=sys...

Concise Oxford Spanish Dictionary © 2009 Oxford University Press:

he tried to beat the system ~ intentó burlar el sistema

Damian Hosford
Spain
Local time: 07:06
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  David Ronder
11 mins
  -> Thanks David, having lived in Venezuela, I know all about "burlar" being a "gringo", it also has other meanings!
agree  Khaoti
27 mins
  -> Thanks Khaoti
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5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
buck the system


Explanation:
buck the system
to fight against the usual way of doing something Tom spent much of his working life bucking the system, which explains why he didn't get many promotions.
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/buck the system

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Note added at 12 mins (2011-05-25 22:18:35 GMT)
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I think I should **buck the system** more at work. instead of bein' so ...
13 Jun 2008 ... Read I think I should buck the system more at work. instead of bein' so good natured by Brian on Myspace. Social entertainment powered by ...
www.myspace.com/brian_w_dubyah/blog/405298839 - Cached

#
Peter the Great - Government Reforms
He stifled initiative and such was his reputation, everybody worked in the way Peter wanted them to work. Few had the courage to **buck the system** in case ...
www.historylearningsite.co.uk › Peter the Great - Cached - Similar
#
Review of Brazil
31 Oct 1997... to the studio work of various pop musicians and groups like Eric ... the movie who is a renegade plumber and loves to **buck the system**. ...
www.challengingdestiny.com/reviews/brazil_sound.htm - Cached

Lisa McCarthy
Spain
Local time: 07:06
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Linda Grabner
17 hrs
  -> Thanks, DrG :)
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25 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
to fool the system


Explanation:
Consider:

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Note added at 26 mins (2011-05-25 22:33:20 GMT)
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t's not nice to fool the IRS F*cked News. ... Go Back ?? fuckedgaijin > General > F*cked News · Reload this Page It's not nice to fool the IRS ...
www.fuckedgaijin.com › fuckedgaijin › General › F*cked News - Cached

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Note added at 28 mins (2011-05-25 22:34:36 GMT)
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23 Feb 2008 ... Protected: You Can't Fool The IRS – Palm Spring Man Convicted in Scheme to Defraud IRS! Choices and Consequences says Ethics Speaker Chuck ...
chuckgallagher.wordpress.com/.../you-cant-fool-the-irs-palm-spring-man-convicted-in-scheme-to-defraud-irs-choices-and-consequenc... - Cached - Similar

Saludos!
eski :))

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Note added at 28 mins (2011-05-25 22:35:17 GMT)
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Dec 2007 ... This instruction will show you how to Fool a fingerprint security system as easy as ABC. IBM never want you to know about,. it works for ...
www.instructables.com/.../How-To-Fool-a-Fingerprint-Securit... - Cached -

eski
Mexico
Local time: 23:06
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 8
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
cheat the system


Explanation:
There's another one... 'beat the system' to me is outsmarting the system, when you get where you want using your own smarter resources than society provides, " buck the system" is taking a different route to do something which may or may not be successful a riskful approach maybe, "cheat or fool the system" is about pretending to be working but you're actually doing a whole lot of nothing, so you probably needed to give out the exact context in which your phrase appeared, thus the myriad of possibilities...

doryraly
Local time: 00:06
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in RomanianRomanian
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thaks for your help.
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
ridicule the system


Explanation:
or 'ridiculed' as the case my be.

jude dabo
Local time: 06:06
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
milk the clock


Explanation:
Suggestion

Since you said "in a job, they pretend to work but they don't do it" I think this will work. This is "milking the clock" but only if they are paid hourly.

Matthew Fuzzey
Local time: 22:06
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
game the system


Explanation:
This is one of the common meanings, but it all depends on the context. See:

Wikipedia:Gaming the system - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaEditors typically game the system to make a point, to further an edit war ...

The meaning of 'gaming the system' - Examples - Spurious legalisms
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Gaming_the_system

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Note added at 6 hrs (2011-05-26 04:17:51 GMT)
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Without context, it's' hard to tell exactly what is meant. My suggestion implies that the person uses the system to achieve outcomes it was not intended to produce. It is enlisted to produce unintended results. That's quite different from getting around the system.

Examples:

Verb
game the system (third-person singular simple present games the system, present participle gaming the system, simple past and past participle gamed the system)
1. To use the rules and procedures meant to protect a system in order to instead manipulate the system for a desired outcome.
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/game_the_system

game the system: to manipulate and take unfair advantage of loopholes in rules and regulations in order to make that system of rules and regulations work to your own advantage in risky, typically illegal, schemes
http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861614274/game.html

Jun 30, 2009 ... Once they've established their mastery, the next step is to figure out how to “game” the system, meaning that they will discover and define ...
opusresearch.net/.../nytimes-column-highlights-google-voices-transcription-shortcomings/



Muriel Vasconcellos
United States
Local time: 22:06
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 14
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9 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
thumb one's nose at (the system, the boss, or whatever)


Explanation:
I'm accustomed to seeing "burlar al sistema" used in the context of rejecting the rules, circumventing, or maybe even subverting rules and norms. A specific context would help in deciding what exactly the person would be thumbing his or her nose at. Examples:He was given multiple warnings and metaphorically thumbed his nose at his boss. Now he's a folk hero? What's the over/under on number of ...
blogs.chicagotribune.com/.../the-car-salesman-who-wouldnt-take-off-his-packer-tie-deserved-to-get-the-sack.html?... - En caché;Why would a man in Detroit "thumb his nose" at his boss? ...
www.funtrivia.com/en/subtopics/All-Thumbs-306871.html; If someone disrespects you, you can say that person is thumbing their nose at you.
If you tell someone you are sad and they laugh at you, you can say they are thumbing their nose at you.
If you tell your boss you are ill and she says you have to work anyway, your boss is thumbing her nose at you.
If you ask your neighbors to turn the music down, and they turn it up, they are thumbing their noses at you.http://www.englishbaby.com/lessons/1672/slang/thumb_their_no...

Jenni Lukac (X)
Local time: 07:06
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 16
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2 days 38 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
work the system


Explanation:
I think it would also be a suitable translation, but without more context it is kinda hard to be sure.

Sara Oliveira
Portugal
Local time: 06:06
Native speaker of: Native in PortuguesePortuguese
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Reference comments


2 days 6 hrs
Reference: .

Reference information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goofing_off
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slacker
slacking, slacking around

chica nueva
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
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