comisaría/subcomisaría municipal

[yaaxtoloc]

Hi,

I'm looking for equivalent/approximate renditions of the terms "comisaría municipal" and "sub-comisaría municipal". They are used in Mexico to refer to political/administrative jurisdictions ("second" and "third" level, respectively) below the municipal capital city/town, whose names are usually derived from a given minor town/village.
For example: Mérida is the capital of the municipality of Mérida; within that municipality, there are several comisarías, which in turn have one or two "sub-comisarías".

I'm afraid "county" will not do.

Cheers

 

[pachanga7]

Hi yaaxtoloc,

When I hear comisaría I think "police station" but it sounds like you are referring to something more general, a division of government and not a building that the police work out of, am I right?

Otherwise I was going to mention "precinct" and "ward" as possibilities which are terms for subgroupings of police jurisdiction, although now that I think of it, the administration of elections also refers to these groupings, so perhaps they will work for your purposes.

 

[yaaxtoloc]

Hi Pachanga,

Thanks a lot for your help. "Police station" is indeed the most widely known translation of "comisaría", and as such, the one you're most likely to find in dictionaries. However, I'm interested in a connotation that has nothing to do with police administration or jurisdiction and is more about municipal government administration. I'm aware that this use of the term is limited to México and its political/administrative system, so I may end up using it "as is" in quotations, and include a brief description of its meaning.

Thanks anyway!

 

[noroeme]

Hi Pachanga,

Thanks a lot for your help. "Police station" is indeed the most widely known translation of "comisaría", and as such, the one you're most likely to find in dictionaries. However, I'm interested in a connotation that has nothing to do with police administration or jurisdiction and is more about municipal government administration. I'm aware that this use of the term is limited to México and its political/administrative system, so I may end up using it "as is" in quotations, and include a brief description of its meaning.

Thanks anyway!

Hola, yaaxtoloc
Tenemos lo mismo en Colombia, aunque ya quedan muy pocas comisaría. Mi solución para traducir ha sido la que propones, dejarlo así (y describir sólo si es importante para el sentido).