# alien citizen / foreign citizen



## Toyma

Hi there...

Working on an immigration text, I unavoidedly stumbled on a word problem when translating into Spanish: alien citizen vs foreign citizen. Both are extranjero in Spanish.
Any ideas as how to differentiate them???

Thanks in advance!!!


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## fenixpollo

I would say that they are synonyms in English, and there's no need to differentiate them in Spanish.


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## Toyma

_Sorry to insist... I'd consider the, synonyms too, but accrding to the text I'm working on:_

“Alien” is typically the word used in legislation to refer to a foreign-born resident of the United States who has not been naturalized and is still a citizen of a foreign country.  The adjective “foreign” is rarely if ever used in legislation to refer to alien workers.  To some people, however, a “foreign” worker may seem to refer to anyone who was born in a foreign country to non-U.S. parents, even though the “foreign” person is now a U.S. citizen. 

_That's why I need help coming up with a differentiating term in Spanish, because there is where they are in fact synonyms... LOL...._


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## beardouk

Since that is a matter of usage rather than actual English, you will need to explain what you are talking about anyway.


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## fenixpollo

So, according to this definition, an "alien citizen" is a person who is a citizen of another country; and a "foreign citizen" is a person who originally was an alien citizen, but is now a U.S. citizen?  This is confusing, at best. If you say the phrase "foreign citizen" to 100 Americans, I'll bet that 99 of them will say that it's a person who is the citizen of a foreign country. Even after you defined it for me, I still don't understand how a "foreign citizen" can be a U.S. citizen -- they are mutually exclusive terms (unless the person has dual citizenship).

Please, give us more background information about where this confusing definition comes from, and also please give us an exact sentence to translate.

Thanks.


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## Toyma

Sorry for creating more confusion... that is the actual paragraph I have to translate. I am working on a confusing, difficult translation about the 3 NAFTA countries and their legal convergences/differences regarding immigration and temporary agricultural workers. This is the US report, and they are talking about the "Statuatory Sources" of all of these Immigration terms and concepts.

As I said in the beginning, my problem is finding a term in Spanish to differentiate "alien" from "foreign", as both of them sound like "extranjero" to me. 

Thanks for the time and the help!


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## zumac

I did some searching on the website of the US Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS).

1. *An alien cannot be a citizen* of the United States. Therefore, there is no such thing as an alien citizen, which only leaves the case of a foreign citizen.

2. A foreign citizen is a citizen of a foreign country who is applying for a visa for travel in the United States.

Saludos.


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## Toyma

Gracias Zumac....

Ahora viene lo más importante para mi en este caso: en español, ¿solamente podemos utilizar "extranjero"?

¿O se te ocurre algún término para diferenciarlos? Si los traduzco como "extranjeros", y de por si ya está confuso, imagínate nada más!!!

Gracias por todo!!!


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## zumac

Toyma said:


> Gracias Zumac....
> 
> Ahora viene lo más importante para mi en este caso: en español, ¿solamente podemos utilizar "extranjero"?
> 
> ¿O se te ocurre algún término para diferenciarlos? Si los traduzco como "extranjeros", y de por si ya está confuso, imagínate nada más!!!
> 
> Gracias por todo!!!


Ya que "alien citizen" no existe, ¿qué sería el nuevo texto en inglés que quieres traducir al español?

Saludos.


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## marghera

Hi Toyma,
In Spain, apart from "extranjero", the expression "de fuera" is also used in a very loosely fashion. By no means would it ever be found in legislation but I feel it may somehow fit the second part of the fragment you posted. Maybe you can think of a way to work it into the text.
Good luck


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## Toyma

Thanks a lot... it sure helps!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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