Seasons, Forecasts, the Weather and Change

In this section we explore the notion and experience of change, efforts to predict or forecast changing circumstances, and that very English preoccupation with the weather.

Forecasts and seasons

The industries of hospitality, leisure, tourism and events are intimately tied up with change – changing seasons, changes in the weather, changing staff and product, the variability of experiences and fluctuating business fortunes.

This has never been so clearly demonstrated as during the current (at time of writing) coronavirus pandemic, where the experience industries have been hard hit by a previously unforeseeable event. Yet to recover, and gain greater resilience, managers and service providers must learn from the past and forecast what may happen in the future. We plan for scenarios, prioritise investments, and all this is about informed processes of analysis, planning and change management.

Sport too is seasonal, and change in the performance of teams gives rise to the excitement and passionate following that sport uniquely engenders. As a business, sport must take the same steps to manage change, whether in investment and financial return, player transfers or plans for alternative use of seasonal sports facilities. Coaches and team managers employ sport scientists to help analyse, predict and support performance. Change is inherent in inevitable. The only constant, it’s said, is change.

Seasons are clearly experienced differently around the world, and the characteristic weather you can expect to experience in Southern, Central or Northern Spain at different times of year can be markedly different, but so is the variety of different words associated with our (English) use of the word ‘season’. Spring (primavera), summer (verano), autumn (otoño) and winter (invierno) are of course the four seasons (cuatro estaciones) of the year, but the word for ‘season’ in sporting terms is temporada. When food is ‘in season’ such as summer fruits, winter vegetables, this is described as en sazon. ‘Seasonal’ is estacional , so ‘seasonal variation’ in tourism terms would be la variación estacional. A sporting ‘season ticket’ is abono, and I won’t confuse things by going into ‘seasoning’ for food!

Seasonal activities and weather

Luck, Probability and Statistics

‘Good fortune’ translates in Spanish as suerte and to wish someone ‘good luck’ is ¡buena suerte!. Suerte also translates as ‘chance’ in the sense of fortune or fate, but ‘chance’ (or opportunity) is la oportunidad.  A ‘game of chance’ is un juego de azar, while ‘by chance’ is de improviso, e.g. when something occurs ‘by chance’ or ‘by accident’.

Probability is la probabilidad and the theory of probability (or probabilities) is la teoría de probabilidades, and if something is probable (or likely) it is probable.

Statistics either in general or scientific terms is estadística (a singular noun) whilst the adjective or adverb ‘statistical’ is estadístico/a.    So ‘statistical analysis’ is análisis estadística as análisis is a feminine noun;  whilst  estadística descriptive is/means‘descriptive statistics’.

An average or ‘mean’ is un promedio and ‘average’ as an adverb or adjective is medio.

In gambling terms, gambling is a game – juego; to gamble is the same as to play – jugar  and to ‘gamble away’ (e.g. an advantage or one’s money) is  jugarse. To win is ganar either in the context of a game, contest  or election, and this is also the verb ‘to earn’. To lose is perder  whilst to ‘break even’ is salir sin ganar ni perder – literally to e without either winning or losing.

Change

Changes can be described in many ways as you’ll see below, and these terms can apply to all sorts of situations, including forecasting or predicting changes whether in business, the economy or the fortunes of your favourite sports team. The general verb ‘to change’ is cambiar and a change is un cambio.

In English we talk not only of changing, increasing or decreasing, but of becoming (e.g. becoming easier) and ‘getting’ (getting easier). When we talk about a transformation, a figurative change of direction, we also use ‘turn’, e.g. in Autumn the sky might turn cloudier, leaves turn brown. Equivalents n Spanish are shown below in context:

hacerse – to become / make oneself

• nos hemos hecho amigos – we’ve become friends
• me hago al trabajo – I got used to the work (hacerse a)

llegar a ser : to become / to come to be

• llegué a ser profesora – I became a teacher
• ¿cuando llegaste a ser tan importante? – when did you come to be so important?
• quiero llegar a ser director comercial – I want to become business manager

ponerse + adj : to turn / to get

• se puso muy serio – he got very serious
• me pongo impaciente – I’m getting impatient

There are also many verbs, opftren relfelxive which might translate in English as to become something, such as:

• to become annoyed – irritarse
• to become aware of (to sense) – sentir
• to become dry (to dry) – secarse
• to become a member of (to join/affiliate with) – afiliarse a
• to get (become) well – mejorarse (que te mejores pronto! = get well soon)
• to become (to suit someone) – sentar a