1

I need to translate baja financiera (Spanish) or baixa financeira (Portuguese) into English. That idiom is a noun phrase used to describe a partial or total payment of a purchase or sale.

I'll give an usage example of that idiom. If a client uses multiple payment methods (money, check, debit, credit), every baja/baixa consists of a paid amount and a payment method. If a client pays in multiple installments, every time an installment is paid a baja/baixa is done.

There's a related idiom dar de baja (Spanish) or dar baixa (Portuguese). That idiom is a verb phrase used to describe the action of registering a partial or total payment of a purchase or sale.

I found an English translation for the second idiom: write off. That translation is a verb, but I need a noun to translate the first idiom. I found the option financial low, but I don't know if that idiom has the meaning I expect.

|improve this question
  • 2
    "Write off" (and the corresponding noun, "writeoff") are used to indicate that a partial payment (or no payment at all) is being accepted, and the remainder of the value is considered lost - that is, if the value of the item or service being purchased is $100, and I accept $75 because I believe that I won't be able to get more than that from you, I "write off" the remaining $25. If this is semantically what dar de baja/dar baixa imply, then it would be reasonable to translate baja financiera/baixa financiera as "writeoff". – Jeff Zeitlin Aug 19 '19 at 14:36
  • However, putting baja financiera into Google Translate results in a translation of financial loss. That would imply that the translation of dar de baja could as well be taking a loss (on the transaction). – Jeff Zeitlin Aug 19 '19 at 14:45
  • @JeffZeitlin, I gave an usage example. – Marcelo Henrique Bittencourt Aug 19 '19 at 14:54
  • 1
    Given your example, the proper translation of baja financiera/baixa financeira would be partial payment, since you are not assuming a loss on the transaction. If the entire sale is paid for in a single payment, if that is still considered a baja financiera/baixa financeira, then a better translation would simply be payment. – Jeff Zeitlin Aug 19 '19 at 14:56
  • @JeffZeitlin semantic implication of dar baixa is more similar to "bookkeeping" I'd say, because it is not only used for payments, you can use it for all kinds of records in a journal, ledger or book of accounts. – Juliana Karasawa Souza Aug 19 '19 at 15:14
1

Financial low would not make sense. A low could mean many things, including a point where one has the least of something (financial low ~ point of least money). In English, that doesn't translate to payment. For example, if I'm paying for part of my college tuition, I may incidentally reach a financial low, that is, I don't have much money left in my account, but that's semantically separate from the act of payment or the transaction.

Regarding your usage example:

I'll give an usage example of that idiom. If a client uses multiple payment methods (money, check, debit, credit), every baja/baixa consists of a paid amount and a payment method. If a client pays in multiple installments, every time an installment is paid a baja/baixa is done.

At least in American English, payment would denote giving money by some method. So they might pay in multiple installments, that is, each time they pay a payment is made. You could also say that with each installment a transaction is done. Because translation can be precise, context-specific work, I can't go further than that. I would look up the words in the contexts you're going for to see if they fit or if there are even more precise words or phrases that you'd prefer.

|improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.