Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Spanish term or phrase:
Oficinas de Atención la la Ciudadanía
English translation:
Citizen Services Offices
Added to glossary by
Kate Major Patience
Jun 27, 2011 14:42
12 yrs ago
249 viewers *
Spanish term
Spain
Analytical and creative (DipTrans, MA)
Native in: English 
Works in: Spanish to English, Galician to English, English
Oficinas de Atención la la Ciudadanía
Spanish to English
Social Sciences
Government / Politics
This is the location where you would hand in certain forms when applying for certain licenses, etc. according to a council website informing the general public on how to complete various procedures such as applying for grants, licenses, and so on.
En el Registro General de las Oficinas de Atención a la Ciudadanía (OAC), o en qualquiera de los órganos de las Administraciones Públicas que prevé el artículo 38.4 de la Ley 30/1992.
I have found a surprising number of hits for "Citizen Attention Office" which to me sounds horribly literal and of course only gets about 100 hits from within the UK. I don't know whether this is more like "Citizens' Services" or something (perhaps too easily confused with current discussion in the UK of "Citizen Service" - something quite different).
Anyway. I would be very grateful for your help.
UK Eng.
Thanks in advance.
En el Registro General de las Oficinas de Atención a la Ciudadanía (OAC), o en qualquiera de los órganos de las Administraciones Públicas que prevé el artículo 38.4 de la Ley 30/1992.
I have found a surprising number of hits for "Citizen Attention Office" which to me sounds horribly literal and of course only gets about 100 hits from within the UK. I don't know whether this is more like "Citizens' Services" or something (perhaps too easily confused with current discussion in the UK of "Citizen Service" - something quite different).
Anyway. I would be very grateful for your help.
UK Eng.
Thanks in advance.
Proposed translations
(English)
| 4 +4 | Citizen Services Offices |
Henry Hinds
|
| 4 +7 | Customer Services |
David Ronder
|
| 5 | Office of Citizen Services |
JenniferBurg (X)
|
| 4 | Citizen Care Office |
swisstell
|
| 4 | Customer Service |
Peter Collins
|
References
| citizen/customer |
patinba
|
Proposed translations
+4
4 mins
Henry Hinds
United States
United States
Native in Spanish
&
English
Works in field
United States
43 years of Border Experience and fast.
Native in: English 
, Spanish
Works in: English to Spanish, Spanish to English
Related KudoZ points
:
661
Selected
Citizen Services Offices
My suggestion, there surely will be others.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
liz askew
7 mins
|
|
Gracias, Liz.
|
|
| agree |
Martin Boyd
: This is what I always use
8 mins
|
|
Gracias, Martin.
|
|
| agree |
philgoddard
: Or departments.
59 mins
|
|
Gracias, Phil.
|
|
| agree |
patinba
1 hr
|
|
Gracias, Patinba.
|
|
| neutral |
AllegroTrans
: Good for USA but not UK, we are all "customers" here since the start of the PC era
3 hrs
|
|
I can see that. We ceased being subjects centuries ago and are now "citizens"; still well-armed too.
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "I actually agree with patinba's comments on "citizens", after some thought. It makes it clear what the relationship is. Given the lack of context in places on this website, I think it works best. Thanks everyone."
5 mins
Citizen Care Office
Virtual Citizen Care Office The Virtual Procedures Office has two types of information on the citizens ...
www20.gencat.cat/docs/OVT/Static/Ajuda/.../ovt_Ajuda_06.htm - Spain
www20.gencat.cat/docs/OVT/Static/Ajuda/.../ovt_Ajuda_06.htm - Spain
31 mins
Office of Citizen Services
I also believe the original terms you are looking for was:
Oficinas de Atención al Ciudadano.
Oficinas de Atención al Ciudadano.
+7
36 mins
David Ronder
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in English
Specializes in field
United Kingdom
Linguistic flair and an eye for detail
Native in: English
Works in: Spanish to English, English
Related KudoZ points
:
44
Customer Services
As advertised.
Two local examples, with apologies for the north London bias:
http://www.haringey.gov.uk/index/contact/customer_services/o...
http://www.barnet.gov.uk/
Two local examples, with apologies for the north London bias:
http://www.haringey.gov.uk/index/contact/customer_services/o...
http://www.barnet.gov.uk/
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Simon Bruni
: my local council here in Exeter calls it the Customer Service Centre
1 min
|
|
Thanks, Simon. I was struggling to find a Welsh example specially for Kate, but Exeter is definitely in the right direction.
|
|
| agree |
Evans (X)
11 mins
|
|
Thanks, Gilla
|
|
| agree |
AllegroTrans
38 mins
|
|
Thanks, Allegro
|
|
| agree |
liz askew
: for GB, yes
58 mins
|
|
Thanks, liz
|
|
| agree |
James A. Walsh
1 hr
|
|
Thanks, James
|
|
| agree |
Muriel Vasconcellos
3 days 11 hrs
|
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Thanks, Muriel
|
|
| agree |
Kim Metzger
8 days
|
|
Thanks, Kim
|
1 hr
Peter Collins
Spain
Spain
Native in English
Specializes in field
Spain
specialist in business and academic
Native in: English
Works in: Spanish to English, Catalan to English, French to English, and 1 more.
Customer Service
Over recent decades there has been a move to apply more business-oriented terminology to government offices and I am fairly sure that Customer Service is used generally in this type of context.
Reference comments
2 hrs
Reference:
citizen/customer
Even for the UK, I would prefer citizen. It makes the govt/people relationship clear, whereas "customer" just confuses it with something M&S might offer. The translation is only meant to be read in the UK, it is not as if the agency was being set up there.
Note from asker:
| I agree. I think citizen is preferable here for the reasons you state. |
Peer comments on this reference comment:
| neutral |
David Ronder
: I would prefer citizen too. My answer is based on what is commonly used in the UK.
59 mins
|
|
Thanks David (and apologies for putting this as a reference when it was meant to be a discussion entry) However, as I said, unless one is being opened in the Uk, I don't think a UK reader would have any problem with Citizen.
|
Discussion
My local council decided to opt out of giving us any services by moving the council miles away and leaving us with a contact point called a "One Stop Shop". Citizens schmitizens...
Our councils usually just call your source term 'Customer Services', strange though it may seem. I'm about to post that as an answer.