# Vertiente interior



## Breadstick

In the context of Mexico's rivers, there are those "de la vertiente del Pacífico y Golfo de California" and "de la vertiente del Golfo de México y Mar Caribe", both of which I'm translating as rivers that flow into... That's fine, but then I've got "de la vertiente interior" to translate. Would they be "inland rivers"? The idea is that they don't flow into an ocean, sea of gulf. Any help or advice would be most appreciated. 

Cheers

Breadstick


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## marghera

Mi sugerencia:
inland watershed.


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## Breadstick

Thanks for the suggestion marghera. That could indeed work, although I've never heard the expression used as such, and Google only turns up 3200 results, probably because a watershed is by necessity inland.

Another suggestion that came to my mind is "inland-flowing rivers". I'm still not entirely sure which option to go with, so I remain open to other suggestions. 

Cheers

Breadstick


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## marghera

Hi again breadstick,
the direct translation of "vertiente" outside North America is watershed. "Water divide" is probably the term you need to use if you translation is for the US.
Please refer to the following link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drainage_divide


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## Breadstick

Thanks again marghera... although I beg to differ, at least in the specific case I'm translating. The idea is that there in what I'm translating, there are three types of rivers: 


Those that flow into the Pacific and Gulf of California ("ríos de la vertiente del Pacífico y Golfo de California"),
Those that flow into the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea ("ríos de la vertiente del Golfo de México y Mar Caribe"),
And finally, the one I'm having problems with, those that don't flow out into any particular ocean or sea (which are "de la vertiente interior").
Since these rivers are found throughout the country (Mexico), they're obviously not one particular watershed. I think I'm going to stick with "inland rivers". 

Cheers

Breadstick


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## marghera

I see we both beg to differ from one another and I think it's a healthy attitude.<BR>Nevertheless, if I may make a further suggestion, please also consider "inland-bound rivers". Of course I would have preferred "inland-bound divide"<BR>Cheers.<BR>


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## Breadstick

Agreed, that's entirely what the forum's for! Although in this particular case, "inland-bound rivers" only gets one Google return, so I'd tend to use that as a reference. 

Cheers

Breadstick



marghera said:


> I see we both beg to differ from one another and I think it's a healthy attitude.<BR>Nevertheless, if I may make a further suggestion, please also consider "inland-bound rivers". Of course I would have preferred "inland-bound divide"<BR>Cheers.<BR>


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## k-in-sc

Wikipedia translates it as "rivers in endorheic basins," which seems perfectly accurate to me. 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endorheic_basin
But it depends on your audience. "Endorheic" would not be suitable for a general readership. You might also consider something like "rivers with no outlet to the sea" or "(inland) rivers that don't flow to the sea."


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## Breadstick

Thanks k-in-sc, I fully agree with the translation of endorheic basins, although I also agree that it's not exactly an everyday term for Joe Public. The other suggestions sound good. If I'm not mistaken, inland rivers are by definition those that don't flow to the sea, so that would be a pleonasm. I think I'll settle for "inland rivers" to translate this term. 

Cheers

Breadstick



k-in-sc said:


> Wikipedia translates it as "rivers in endorheic basins," which seems perfectly accurate to me.
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endorheic_basin
> But it depends on your audience. "Endorheic" would not be suitable for a general readership. You might also consider something like "rivers with no outlet to the sea" or "(inland) rivers that don't flow to the sea."


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## cirrus

To my ears inland river sounds awful and not particular useful as a translation. Any river is inland until it gets to the sea. Whilst I can't say I am an expert in Mexican geography I am struggling to think which rivers there don't eventually link up with the sea.


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## k-in-sc

cirrus said:


> Any river is inland until it gets to the sea.


Yeah, that's how it struck me too. If you just called it that, I wouldn't really get what you meant. 

Rivers in endorheic basins

New River flows to Salton Sea.
Endorheic basin in northern Chihuahua:

Casas Grandes River
Santa Maria River
Carmen River (Santa Clara River)
Endorheic basin of Bolsón de Mapimí:

Aguanaval River
Trujillo River

Nazas River (Río del Oro)
Sextín River
Ramos River (Santiago River)
Tepehuanes River


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## Breadstick

OK, maybe you're right, and because I'm trying to translate a concept I understand in Spanish, I might well be trying to read something into the English translation that might not actually be there. Of course all rivers start off inland, but in large land-based countries (not like the UK then) some don't flow out into a sea or ocean. In Mexico (the publication I'm translating is Statistics on Water in Mexico 2011) the two "ríos de la vertiente interior" are Lerma and Navas-Aguanaval. Anyway, as for translating this, I've been looking for a more communicative term, but since "inland rivers" doesn't do it for you guys, maybe I should just use the term "endorheic basins" that k-in-sc mentions, possible with a footnote explaining that they are rivers that don't flow out into a sea or ocean. That would at least be clear for everyone. 

Cheers

Breadstick


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## k-in-sc

Hmm, "endorheic" is kind of technical. Depending on your readership, you also could say "the Pacific/Gulf of California watershed, the Gulf of Mexico/Caribbean watershed and the inland watershed(s), which don't/doesn't drain to any sea" or something like that.


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## cirrus

I think some of the problem is that there is a difference in how the word watershed is used between American and British English. Here watershed is the division between different catchment basins whereas in American English it means the basin itself.


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## Breadstick

Agreed, and as a UK national living in Mexico, where the form of English I'm told to use is American English, I'd like to avoid the confusion around the term "watershed" as much as possible (although it's not entirely possible). Hmmm, this is far from simple. The readership of the publication is supposed to be fairly international and fairly well-informed about water issues in general. "Inland watersheds" might work. 

Cheers

Breadstick



cirrus said:


> I think some of the problem is that there is a difference in how the word watershed is used between American and British English. Here watershed is the division between different catchment basins whereas in American English it means the basin itself.


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## cirrus

This thread appeals to my internal crossword solver! I was wondering if _landlocked_ might be helpful? I know it normally refers to countries, but it trips off the tongue a sight more readily than endorheic.

This source gives closed drainage basin.


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## Breadstick

Thanks cirrus! That's certainly the idea, although I've never heard "landlocked" used in that context before. Sorry for all thus umming and arring, I'm sure we're getting closer now. 

Cheers

Breadstick


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