In English my occupation is

[Chris]

I'm a lineman. I work on powerlines. I climb poles, set poles, string wire and cut over lines hot. I hold 7200 volts in my hands daily. Sometimes 14000 volts. I'm pretty good at it too. Except for climbing, we don't have to do that often. So what do they call this occupation in Spanish speaking countries?

[JPablo]

My Oxford bilingual gives,

b) Técnico encargado del tendido y mantenimiento de cables telefónicos o eléctricos.
(Technician in charge of the wires and maintenance of phone or electrical cables.)

(Besides definition 'a', which applies to football...)

I believe we commonly say (to be briefer) "electricista" as in "electrician" and/or "perito electricista" or "ingeniero electricista" (expert electrician or electrical engineer)

I had a friend in Barcelona who used to do the same but instead of electrical cable, he worked with phone cable... but he would just say, "soy técnico de Telefónica" (I am Telefónica technician).

If there is another specific name, I don't know.

[Chris]

Maybe using distribution electrician? Just saying electrician to me would mean a guy who wires the walls of your house. But even more technically that is a residential or commercial electrician. I'm an electrician that works from the substation to the customers meter.

¿El electricista distribución?

[Rusty]

Originally Posted by JPablo

I believe we commonly say (to be briefer) "electricista" as in "electrician" and/or "perito electricista" or "ingeniero electricista" (expert electrician or electrical engineer)

"Electricista" gets my vote, too, although this also means "electrician," as JPablo pointed out.
http://www.dictometer.com/electricista
http://dictionary.sensagent.com/electricista/es-en/

electricista de distribución

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

It's right that the word "electricista" without any clarification is usually the one you hire at home.

"Electricista en distribución" doesn't sound very clear to me, but I've heard here "electricista en alto voltaje", "electricista en subestación eléctrica", "electricista en red aérea". They often have the same kind of job you do (sometimes also "electricista industrial", when they work in factories), but I don't know if there are specific differences about each of them.


Edit: Oh, Rusty beat me to reply, but I think a second opinion won't harm.

[Chris]

Well here, an industrial electrician would be the same as a commercial electrician. Typically work with some type of 3 phase motors and then simple wall outlets as a regular electrician would. Though a residential or regular electrician wouldn't have a working knowledge of wiring a 3 phase motor.

[JPablo]

Well, thanks to Rusty and Angélica... it looks like "electricista de distribución" would be the best. I have also found the title, "técnico electricista de distribución de media/alta tensión" which would be more "descriptive", but by saying "electricista de distribución" in Spanish, you immediately get the idea that this is not your "run-of-the-mill" electrician that comes to repair a couple of outlets at home.

At any rate, sounds like an exciting job, just researching and learning about it, I got truly electrified... (well, maybe I am exaggerating a bit, for the sake of the play on words...)

[Chris]

It's only exciting if something goes wrong. We try not to let the exciting bits happen lol. You can view some videos on youtube to see what happens when we mess up. It's a very rewarding job. Have you ever been without electricity for a few days? Imagine the feeling you get when it's 10:00 at night and the whole place is dark and quiet except for a few diesel truck engines. They shut off and it's just silence in the neighborhood. One guy throws the switch in and lights come on all over and people come out of homes cheering. Even though we get paid for doing it, that part makes us feel especially good.

[CrOtALiTo]

I can say if you are in the trains business I can tell you Ferrocarilero.

Do you know something about the phrase I told you?

[Rusty]

A lineman has several meanings, Crotalito. Chris is not a lineman on the railways. Nor is he a lineman in American football.
Es electricista de distrubución, como ya se explicó.

[CrOtALiTo]

But he works with trains right?
If you work in a store, then you could be a (Anaquelero).

Then if you works in train station could be denominated ferrocarilero.

I have heard before with many person, they work in a train station with different works, but they are named ferrocarileros, I asked that in Sonora three months ago.

[Rusty]

The first post says nothing about trains.

[CrOtALiTo]

Right.

I'm sorry for the said.
I misunderstand the word Lineman as Ferrocarilero.

Because I did a search about the mean and I found this.

operario de mantenimiento de la línea ferrocarilera.

[sosia]

I would use "electricista de alta tensión" (power line electrician).
I think it's the most usual for a lineman.
The more accurate is "técnico especialista en líneas de distribución" or "Técnico en Mantenimiento de lineas alta tensión"
Saludos

[JPablo]

Good point, Sosia. It is definitely a good option (I would use that in Spain too, now that you mention it.)

[Chris]

Right, no trains.

[CrOtALiTo]

Yes I got it.

Not trains.
Then you work is give maintenance to the high power lines.

Lineas de alta de tención as a user already said before.

It's some dangerous your work.
Then I guess you have to up some many towers.

[Chris]

Yes it's dangerous but we try to make it as safe as possible. I don't work on the really high ones. The ones that go into the substations. I work from the substation to the home. A 70 foot pole is the highest I've ever worked on.

[Elaina]

Wow! It's still high though.

So after all the discussions, did you get a final answer as to what your occupation is in Spanish?

Just curious.

[irmamar]

70 pies son más de 21 m.

Un poquito alto sí es el postecito.