Definition (English):—
Definition (Spanish):—
Comments:In a similar way to the discussion surrounding 'abusar de', the moment when a speaker simply says 'me maltrató' can be a delicate one. There is a risk in rendering this as 'he/she mistreated me', and a risk in rendering it as 'he/she abused me'. Something to keep in mind are the long-term effects of any kind of abuse, and the effort that it often times takes for the victim to discuss that abuse later. As interpreters, we are sworn to transparently transfer meaning from one language to another. We also must consider being trauma informed when interpreting issues of trauma, and not to shy away from calling abuse what it is, even when the speaker struggles to call it that. Both 'abuso' and 'maltrato' are used in Spanish, although based on anecdotal evidence, 'maltrato' seems, at least in many dialects, to be a preferential or less English-influenced choice, especially when describing abuse experienced by the speaker.