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I was told the Spanish word conmoción refers to a strong feeling of shock or emotion shared by a group of people rather than an individual. It seems like English doesn't have a single word or phrase that describes this whole concept. What would be the best way to translate conmoción when translating something from Spanish to English?

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I guess commotion or shock would be the best translations, be aware that, in medical context, conmoción means concussion. – Laura Dec 28 '11 at 9:33
@Laura: Shouldn't that be an answer? I'd vote it up. – CesarGon Dec 28 '11 at 11:04
I didn't think it was elaborated enough for an answer, but thanks for your "vote" :D – Laura Dec 28 '11 at 14:35
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I would agree with @Laura's comment except that it should be conmoción cerebral. Conmoción alone means shock – Icarus Dec 28 '11 at 15:12

1 Answer

up vote 2 down vote accepted

From wordreference.com:

conmoción sustantivo femenino

( Med ) concussion

(trastorno, agitación): el siniestro produjo una ~ en el país the disaster left the country in a state of shock; la noticia produjo una ~ familiar the news shocked the whole family

( Geol ) shock

For your purpose I would go with "state of shock".

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