Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Spanish term or phrase:
yunta
English translation:
a yoke of oxen
Added to glossary by
Lorena Zuniga
May 18, 2017 09:08
7 yrs ago
2 viewers *
Spanish term
Costa Rica
yunta
Spanish to English
Art/Literary
Poetry & Literature
No eran exactamente marido y mujer, ni es que fueran socios en todo el sentido de la palabra, porque aunque iban mitad y mitad, de vez en cuando las demasías de alguno de los dos daban al traste con las ganancias de un día o más. Lo que sí eran era una yunta, es decir, una junta.
Proposed translations
(English)
| 3 | like a yoke of oxen |
Marie Wilson
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| 4 | pair/duo |
Cecilia Gowar
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| 3 | they were joined at the hip, he or she was his or her sidekick |
Rocio Barrientos
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| 3 | the closest of friends, best friends |
12316323 (X)
|
Proposed translations
15 mins
Selected
like a yoke of oxen
To fit in with the rest of the sentence, I would use this.
The whole sentence would be;
"They were like a yoke of oxen, that's to say, they were joined together/worked as a team."
The whole sentence would be;
"They were like a yoke of oxen, that's to say, they were joined together/worked as a team."
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
12316323 (X)
: I'm not sure about this; it could be, but I'm wondering about Cecilia's comment. However, I would say "yoked together." That's the standard term, in my experience, and a yoke can be for various animals.
2 hrs
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It can be for other animals, but usually oxen, when in pairs. There are always many different ways of interpreting literary contexts, and also the nationality of the writer hasn't been specified.
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thanks, Marie! You are right about both Costa Rican meanings. Both (the oxen and friends) definitions work for the story, "
1 hr
Rocio Barrientos
Bolivia
Bolivia
Native in Spanish
Works in field
Bolivia
Social Scientist, MBA - Ph.D.(c)
Native in: Spanish 
Works in: English to Spanish, Spanish to English, Spanish
they were joined at the hip, he or she was his or her sidekick
Cuando en mi país se dice es mi yunta, se quiere decir es mi amigo o amiga inseparable.
2 hrs
Cecilia Gowar
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Native in Spanish
Specializes in field
United Kingdom
I read the Alethiometer
Native in: Spanish 
Works in: English to Spanish, Spanish to English, French to Spanish, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
227
pair/duo
No oxen here. "Yunta" here is used with this meaning:
yunta.
I.
1. f. Ni, Cu, Bo:E, Ch, Py, Ar, Ur. Pareja de personas unidas por una gran amistad. pop + cult → espon.
2. m-f. Cu, Pe, Bo, Ch, Py; Ec. p.u. | juv. Amigo íntimo, inseparable.
And if the wider context justifies it, even "pair to be reckoned with". "Yunta" is often used in the above countries that connotation.
yunta.
I.
1. f. Ni, Cu, Bo:E, Ch, Py, Ar, Ur. Pareja de personas unidas por una gran amistad. pop + cult → espon.
2. m-f. Cu, Pe, Bo, Ch, Py; Ec. p.u. | juv. Amigo íntimo, inseparable.
And if the wider context justifies it, even "pair to be reckoned with". "Yunta" is often used in the above countries that connotation.
3 hrs
the closest of friends, best friends
I was doubtful at first, but Cecilia's definition seems to be spot-on. The text is found at the link below, and the blogger says that the writer is Costa Rican. She then uses the word herself: "Hoy nos juntamos, vimos una peli y caminamos, como lo yuntas que somos."
https://unagranchica.wordpress.com/2007/09/06/fragil-como-un...
Yunta in Costa Rica, a very close friend: http://www.tubabel.com/definicion/11217-yunta
Latin America, a close and trusted friend (I can confirm that it's not used everywhere, though, perhaps not even widely): https://es.oxforddictionaries.com/definicion/yunta
For me, pair/duo just means two people and doesn't convey the closeness between them. Joined at the hip refers to two people who are inseparable and go everywhere together. Sidekick: a person who helps and spends a lot of time with someone who is usually more important, powerful, etc. I.e., dominant friend and a subordinate.
https://unagranchica.wordpress.com/2007/09/06/fragil-como-un...
Yunta in Costa Rica, a very close friend: http://www.tubabel.com/definicion/11217-yunta
Latin America, a close and trusted friend (I can confirm that it's not used everywhere, though, perhaps not even widely): https://es.oxforddictionaries.com/definicion/yunta
For me, pair/duo just means two people and doesn't convey the closeness between them. Joined at the hip refers to two people who are inseparable and go everywhere together. Sidekick: a person who helps and spends a lot of time with someone who is usually more important, powerful, etc. I.e., dominant friend and a subordinate.
Discussion
Yes, yoke is usually understood as referring to oxen; in my experience, though, it isn't explicitly stated. Agree on the different interpretations, of course, and "yoked together" is how I, like you, intuitively understand it, even now. Maybe our answers would be more helpful if the question was about the entire "yunta...una junta" phrase. "Junta," I understand as a partnership, which only seems to confirm "yoked together." Hard to be sure.