Although the origins of 'moot point', appear to have the opposite meaning, I'm wondering does anybody have a short phrase in Spanish for the modern meaning:
something irrelevant or not valid for discussion.
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Are you also looking for a Spanish phrase for the other meaning of "moot point"? That is, a point that doesn't make any difference.– Walter MittyMar 23, 2013 at 23:16
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No. In fact en.wiktionary.org/wiki/moot_point gives 2 distinct and nearly opposite meanings, so the 'other' meaning would not be a point that doesn't make any difference, but rather a point that is relevant and on the table for discussion. The translation I ask for and what you describe are the same meaning.– KeithApr 7, 2013 at 17:26
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La definición que das acerca de moot point no coincide con ninguna de las que encontré. El término se usa para algo controversial, que es distinto de irrelevante. Esta pregunta merece ser eliminada por desinformación– tacOct 4 at 2:16
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@tac moot has different meanings on the two sides of the Atlantic, a fact which leads to confusion. For me it means not decided, open for debate (originally in a moot court) but I understand that in North America it means decided, not open to debate.– mdeweyOct 4 at 13:53
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@mdewey Either it is decided or not decided, that doesn't mean it is irrelevant , out of scope, or not to the point– tacOct 4 at 17:10
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5 Answers
In Mexico we also use "eso no va al caso" o "ni al caso".
From RAE:
ni ~.
- expr. coloq. U. para indicar que algo no se toma o no debe ser tomado en consideración.
answered Mar 22, 2013 at 0:15
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I am, in fact, trying to translate my own poetry. So it's very difficult, as 'moot point' even conjures up images of the kind of person who would use the phrase. This is good, although in over 10 years in Mexico, it never entered my lexicon.– KeithApr 7, 2013 at 17:28
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The closest I know of is no tiene que ver
¿Qué tal decir que algo está fuera de lugar?
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While it has a link to moot point, it is open to a variety of interpretations– KeithApr 7, 2013 at 17:30
One way to say it could be:
Un argumento inválido.
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Que un argumento sea o no sea válido no tiene nada que ver con lo que está preguntando el OP. La relevancia o la controversia no son equivalentes ni de cerca respecto de la validez.– tacOct 4 at 2:18
In general, I'd simply choose irrelevante.
That -of course- means irrelevant, which might not be exactly equivalent to moot point.
But, as a general translation, it seems to me more appropiate than other proposed expressions (that might be better in special cases).
