Martín Fierro

This text discusses the different aproaches women have towards childbirth, and it says that there two kinds of women:
1. The ones who are "fixed" women, the ones who facilitate treir own birth, they are their own midwives, they are lively women.
2. The ones who are "unfixed" women, who aproach childbirth with despair.

The doubt I have relates to the meaning and consequently right translation of the words "fixed" and "unfixed" within this context. I think "fixed" refers to a woman who can manage by herself, "una mujer que se las arregla por su cuenta", "una mujer que lidia positivamente con la situación". ¿Is this so?

mariaklec

I'm a mother of two who delivered with midwives and did a lot of reading about birth and I'm a native speaker of English. The uses of fixed and unfixed in this context mean nothing to me---never heard these terms before and can't make any sense of them other than what is implied in the rest of the text.

Martín Fierro

Yes, I agree with you, but when we work with any material written by a non professional author we face this kind of problem. Ultimately, we should follow our faith (ja, ja!), so to speak, so, do you agree with me, that "fixed" might refer to a woman who can go through her own birth smoothly and happily?

mariaklec

"Fixed" usually means surgically altered to be unable to conceive, and is usually used in reference to animals.

The original text seems to provide a different definition of sorts, and without anymore information to go on, you would have to rely on that.

(The descriptions of the two kinds of women seem to leave out women who are neither despairing nor acting as their own midwives, women who trustingly and happily leave the birth in the hands of a doctor and/or midwife. This might be the biggest group of women of all, at least in the US.)

hermit

hi martinfierro - additional note: in this context "fixed" = "resolute, and
well-focussed".

"unfixed" = "unsure, apprehensive, poorly focussed".

hermit

mariaklec

I think that Hermit is right----that what the author meant was resolute and focused on a philosophy vs. unsure, apprehensive, and poorly focused. I'm just saying that I don't think that fixed and especially unfixed are properly used in this way in English, so it's up to the translator to interpret what the author meant based on the rest of the text.

I think that fixed on something is more common than just fixed---but that's not relevant here since you're translating into Spanish.

Martín Fierro

Thank you both!