rural translations

Single-word translations for the words used to describe people who work on cattle stations (ranches) can’t be precise, primarily because there are such substantial differences between the cattle grazing businesses in one country compared to another (size, operation, economics, social organisation, racial differences).

To complicate matters there are also regional differences in the precise meaning of words so some words that are understood to be a straight-up-and-down employment term in a rural region may be understood to be something quite different or even have connotations of derision or racial overtones in a nearby urban area or in a different country.

For example ‘cowboy’ has not had an agricultural meaning in Australia until recent years. It is commonly used today to describe someone who is viewed as incompetent or a dodgy operator, and is sometimes used by city dwellers to mean 'stockman', but is not used in rural areas.

Other examples are the word ‘vaquero’ and ‘gaucho’ that are usually translated as meaning ‘cowboy’ in many Spanish-speaking countries. But ‘vaquero’ and ‘gaucho’ are often used when referring to ‘cowboys’ of a particular race in South America, so it can have a more complicated meaning than just ‘cowboy’.

Experienced rural employees have a wealth of knowledge and skills but this is learnt on the job rather than in colleges or universities so this ability goes unrecognised in some circles. Such work is commonly referred to as ‘unskilled’ (particularly by urban academics).

Stockwork has always been a relatively low paid job so it is unfortunately common for some words for stockmen to have insulting connotations. A classic example of this is the word ‘peon’ (common in many South American countries) which doesn’t just mean labourer, it has social class implications. A ‘peon’ is on a par with ‘peasant’ or ‘serf’ and it usually has racial overtones as well – referring to the native Indian population.

In addition, some words are disappearing from everyday use because rapid rural changes worldwide over the last few decades. This means the nature of the job and/or the type of people doing the job has changed so much that the original word is no longer an ideal fit where it was once commonly used. Classic examples of this are the words ‘gaucho’ (Argentina), ‘vaquero’ (Southern U.S.) and ‘ringer’ (northern Australia).

So it is essential to bear in mind the equivalents in different languages are approximate, only, and some of the terms are becoming uncommon or altered in meaning.

I have included terms from the Camargue because although these properties are small in area they have a particularly historic tradition of horsemanship and cattle rearing that continues on today and does have a lot in common with younger traditions in Australia and the Americas.

Station (ranch) owners:

• Australia – no specific term, other than just ‘the boss’
• U.S. – ‘ranches’ are owned by ‘ranchers’
• Brazil – ‘fazendas’ are owned by ‘fazendeiros’
• Mexico & northern South America – ‘haciendas’ are owned by ‘hacendados’
• Mexico & northern South America – ‘latifundios’ are owned by ‘latifundista’
• Camarague (South of France) – ‘manades’ are owned by ‘manadiers’
• Argentina – ‘patron’ (boss or owner)

People who are in positions of authority on cattle stations (ranches):

• Australia – ‘headstockmen’ and ‘overseers’
• U.S. – ‘foremen’ and ‘leading hands’
• Mexico & northern South America (eg Ecuador) – ‘mayordomos’ (overseers)
• Argentina – ‘capataz’

People who are really just apprentices:

• Australia – ‘jackeroo’ and ‘jilleroo’ (or ‘jillaroo’, ‘jackaroo’)
• U.S. – ‘greenhorn’, ‘tenderfoot’

Words for more traditional/historic terms for very experienced specialists who work with the cattle (blokes who usually don’t like farming at all, they want to be working on a horse):

• Australia – ‘ringers’
• U.S. (southern) – ‘vaquero’
• Argentina & other South American countries – ‘gaucho’

Experienced people who work with the cattle:

• Australia – ‘stockmen’
• U.S. – ‘cowboys’ and ‘cowgirls’, ‘cowpokes’, ‘cowhands’, ‘cowpunchers’, ‘buckaroos’ (Canada also). Visit the Western Frontier Forum for some interesting comments on the origin of the word ‘cowboy’.
• Spain – ‘vaquero’
• Argentina – ‘vaqueros’, ‘gauchos’ and ‘paisanos’
• Guyana – ‘vacqueros’
• Chile – ‘huasos’
• Mexico – ‘charro’
• Brazil – ‘gaùcho’
• Paraguay & Uruguay – ‘gaucho’
• Ecuador (Andean region) – ‘chagra’
• Venezuela & Colombia – ‘llaneros’ (which means ‘plainsmen’)
• Camargue (South of France) – ‘gardians’
• Hawaii – ‘paniolo’

People who look after the station (ranch) horses:

Refer to ‘Translations for horse’.

People who do general work on the station (ranch):

• Australia – stationhand (required to do a variety of duties, not just stockwork)
• U.S. – ‘hired hand’

Southern U.S., Mexico & other Spanish speaking South American countries – ‘peon’ and some words similarly spelt such as ‘peòn’ (Argentina) and ‘peoes’ (Brazil - Portugese) - mean a low-skilled labourer (in rural employment or otherwise); a ‘peasant’ with no assets, right down the bottom of the ‘social scale’. A derogatory word.

‘Peonage’ was akin to a feudal ‘serf’ or slavery system in which the peons were indebted to their employers and these debts could be inherited. Made illegal in the Mexico and South American countries where ‘peonage’ was common practice however apparently it continued in some places until relatively recently.

There always seems to be someone down the bottom of the pecking order in societies, rural regions included. In South America it has been the South American Indians. In America it has been people of Spanish descent.

Aboriginal Stockmen

In Australia aboriginal people used to make up the majority of the workforce on remote stations, however since the introduction of laws regarding equal wages and alcohol consumption several decades ago numbers have reduced to the extent that aboriginal stockmen are now the exception rather than the norm.

It should also be mentioned that prior to the introduction of laws regarding equal wages, substantial payments ‘in kind’ were usually made to the employees and large extended families from the youngest to the oldest. This usually included a degree of healthcare and education.

This in-kind payment system was of course abused by some unscrupulous employers as will unfortunately be found in any walk of life, but in most cases circumstances were much better than what has followed.

There is no doubt the leap from the old system to the new has been a health disaster and in many respects a social disaster for many station-dwelling aboriginal people. It may have been more successful if changes had been introduced gradually and with more thought and care.

These days quite a few cattle stations are owned and run by aboriginal people however as a whole the situation is still working through massive changes that may take many more generations to sort out.

Further Reading

The University of Texas Press has many interesting articles discussing the meaning of words, culture and history in southern America, Mexico and South America.

For example this article which discusses the meaning of words such as ‘criollo’, ‘mestizo’, ‘Indian’ and ‘cholo’. An interesting article by Marc Becker of Truman University, discusses rural uprisings in South America and the accurate translations of different words including the Spanish ‘campesino’ (roughly translated as ‘peasant’).