I'm struggling to find a proper translation for "ballooning/spiraling" as in "ballooning public debt". Basically, it's about something growing very fast. Ideally, I want one word, an adjective, nor a verb. Creciente doesn't quite capture the speed of it. Explosivo might get closer but I am not convinced, as the key is not about violence but increasing speed. Desbordado doesn't sound appropriate either. A two word solution might be crecimiento acelerado. Do you have a suggestion for one word?
5
-
1Qué te parece ‘exponential’?– TravellerCommented Apr 17, 2020 at 7:11
-
1@Traveller: It would be "exponencial" in Spanish. But it would be "crecimiento exponencial", that is, two words.– CharoCommented Apr 17, 2020 at 11:04
-
2I would discourage the informal use of 'exponential' to mean 'very fast' when one talks about a variable that can be measured, since it has a specific mathematical meaning (growing as fast as fixed quantity exponentiated to a value that is proportional to time) which becomes shadowed by its imprecise counterpart. This is true both in Spanish and in English.– Guillermo BCNCommented Apr 18, 2020 at 13:48
-
1I totally agree with you, @GuillermoBCN. In the same way, "crecimiento muy rápido" and "crecimiento acelerado" don't have the same meaning.– CharoCommented Apr 18, 2020 at 14:14
-
@Charo, sure, that is another good example.– Guillermo BCNCommented Apr 18, 2020 at 14:16
Add a comment
|
4 Answers
¿Qué te parece el verbo disparar? En el propio DRAE aparece un ejemplo parecido al tuyo
- tr. Dicho de una cosa: Incrementar o hacer crecer sin moderación algo.
La demanda disparó los precios
growing very fast = crecer sin moderación algo
ballooning public debt = disparando(se) la deuda pública
-
1Would it not be deuda disparandose since ballooning is intended as an adjective?– mdeweyCommented Apr 17, 2020 at 14:16
-
@mdewey I was not sure about the exact use intended by the OP. But in that case it should be "disparada" (participio), instead of "disparando" (gerundio).– RubioRicCommented Apr 17, 2020 at 15:06
-
2I am fairly sure an adjective is meant here. The sentence might have been The country experienced a ballooning public debt. To be fair I would not have used spiralling in the same way, things are usually described as spiraling out of control.– mdeweyCommented Apr 17, 2020 at 15:14
-
-
1También funcionaría: "Con la deuda pública disparándose,..." Commented Apr 18, 2020 at 13:51
Could it be "deuda pública astronómica" or "deuda pública asfixiante" as it's choking the economy or society.
Also, "deuda pública galopante" implies that the debt is increasing fast
-
3
-
While it may not carry some of the connotations that "ballooning" (growing rapidly as if you were inflating a balloon) or "spiraling" (show a continuous and dramatic increase) have, the DRAE includes "sobrecrecer"
Exceder en crecimiento o crecer excesivamente.
As an advantage, it is one word.
[...] la sobrecrecida deuda pública
[...] la sobrecreciente deuda pública
-
2
How about "aumento fulminante"? This might be a little closer to ballooning than aumento explosivo. It's still a little more violent than a balloon, but a little less so than explosivo.
-
Thanks but this is two words. Also, the word is not to be used as a verb. Commented Apr 17, 2020 at 16:23
-
-
@RubioRic Yes but the frase would be "aumento fulminante de la deuda publica", instead of e.g. "deuda publica explosiva". Commented Apr 17, 2020 at 20:53