AlanIbanez

English102
IntroToLiterature
ChesapeakeCollege
Spring2015
ProfessorHarper

I.Poetry
MigueldeCervantes
LaGalatea
PoemfoundinBookone
Spanish
Amorosopensamiento,
sitepreciasdesermo,
caminacontanbuentiento
quenitehumilleeldesvo
niensoberbezcaelcontento.
Tenunmediosiseacierta
atenerseentalporfa:
nohuyaselalegra,
nimenoscierreslapuerta
alllantoqueamorenva.

Siquieresquedemivida
noseacabelacarrera,
nolallevestancorrida
nisubasdonoseespera
sinomuerteenlacada.
Esavanapresumpcin

endoscosasparar:
launa,entuperdicin
laotra,enquepagar
tusdeudaselcorazn.

Dlnaciste,yennaciendo,
pecaste,ypgalol
huyesdl,ysipretendo
recogerteunpocoenl,

nitealcanzoniteentiendo.
Esevuelopeligroso
conquetesubesalcielo,
sinofueresventuroso,

hadeponerporelsuelo
midescansoytureposo.

Dirsquequienbienseemplea
yseofrecealaventura,
quenoesposiblequesea
deltaljuzgadoalocura

elbrodequesearrea.
Yque,entanaltaocasin,
esgloriaqueparnotiene
tenertantapresumpcin,
cuantomssileconviene
alalmayalcorazn.

Yolotengoasentendido,
masquierodesengaarte
queessealseratrevido

tenerdeamormenosparte
qu'elhumildeyencogido.
Subestrasunabeldad
quenopuedesermayor:
noentiendotucalidad,
quepuedasteneramor
contantadesigualdad.

Quesielpensamientomira
unsubjetolevantado,
contmplaloyseretira,
pornosercasoacertado

ponertanaltalamira,
Cuantoms,queelamornasce
juntoconlaconfianza,
yenella[se]cebaypace
y,enfaltandolaesperanza,
comonieblasedeshace.

Puest,queveestandistante
elmediodelfinquequieres,
sinesperanzayconstante,
sienelcaminomurieres,
morirscomoignorante.
Peronosetednada,

queenestaempresaamorosa,
dolacausaessublimada,
elmoriresvidahonrosa,
lapena,gloriaestremada.

English
Amorousthought
Ifyouappreciateyourselfasmine,

Movewithsuchanair
Thatnocoynesshumbleyou
Orcontentmentmakeyouproud.
Secureamean,ifyoufindyourself
Capableofsuchconstancy
Flynotjoy,
Muchlessclosethegate
Tothegriefwhichloveimparts

Ifyouwishthatofmylife
Thecareerfinishnot,
Removeitnotsoashamed.
Orraiseitwhereithopesnot,
Lettherebedeathinthefall.
Thisvainpresumption

Intwothingsitwillstop
Oneinthydestruction,
Theotherthatyourheart
Willpayforthesedoubts.

Fromitwertthouborn,andinbirth

Thousinnest,anditpaiditself
Thoufliestit,andifIpretend

Togatheryouupinitevenalittle,
Idonotreachyou,orunderstand
Thisdangerousflight
Wherebyyoumounttoheaven
Unlessthouartfortunate
Therewillbelodgedonthesoil
Myeaseandthyrepose.

Thatitisnotpossiblehe
Ofsuchanopinionbemadlyjudged
Fromthesprightlinessinwhichitisarrayed
Inthatloftyoccasion

Thereisaglorywithoutequal,
Inholdingsuchpresumption
Andthemoresoifitagree
Withthesoulandtheheart.

SoIunderstandit,

ButIwouldundeceiveyou,
Whichisasignofboldness,
Tohavelesspartinlove
Thanthehumbleandbashful,
Yourisebehindabeauty
Whichcannotbegreater
Iunderstandnotyourcapacity
WhichcanholdloveWithsomuchinequality.

Butifathoughtverges
Towardsanexaltedsubject,
Contemplateit,anditwithdrawsitself,
Notbeingassured

Astoitstouchingapointsohigh
Muchmoreisloveborn
Joinedwithconfidence,
Andinitfeedsandbanquets.
WhenhopefailsItvanisheslikeacloud.

Thenthouwhoseestsofar
Intothecoreofwhatthoudesirest,

Hopeless,yetconstant
Ifinthiscareeryoudie
Youwilldrainignorance,
Butnothingcomesofit
Inthisamorousenterprise
Whencethecauseissublimated,
Deathisanhonourablelife,
Andsufferingextremejoy.
ManuelJoseQuintana
AlaSeoradoaPilarSinusyNavarroquehabahechounosversosamicoronacin
Spanish
Tpusisteunaflorpuraygraciosa
Enlacoronaqueadornmifrente,
Yamesmuygratoenlaocasinpresente
Ceirtussienesdeflamanterosa.
Vas,amablePilar,aseresposa,
ConsagrandoenlasarasdeHimeneo
Tulibertadygraciasjuveniles.
Dichosoaquienseguardaestetrofeo!
Yo,aunqueagobiadoconochentaabriles,
Tomo,cualdebo,parteentualegra
yendbil,s,perosinceroacento,

Tunombredoyparaaplaudirlealviento,
Yacompaotutriunfoeneseda.

EnglishTranslation1

Youplaceapureandgracefulflower
Inthecrownthatdecoratesmyforehead,
Andthattomeisapleasurethatonthisoccasion
Igirdyourbrowswithapinkflaming.
Youwill,FriendlyPilar,becomeawife,
Consecrating,inthearrowsofHymen,
Yourfreedomandyounggrace.
Happy,he,whokeepsthistrophy!
AlthoughIamburdenedwitheightyAprils,
I,must,takepartofyourjoy
andweak,Iam,butwithasincerevoice,
YournameIgivetoapplaudthewinds,
AndIaccompanyyourtriumphonthatday.

EnglishTranslation2
Youhaveplacedavirtuousandelegantflower
Inthecrownthatsprucesupmyforehead,

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Ifeelthankfulforthepresentoccasion
asIfeelyourhair,
LovelyPilar,Youareabouttobecomeawife,
ConsecratingyourfreedomandyounggraceinthearrowsofHymen,
Worthy,Hewhosavesthistrophyashisown,
AndeventhoughIamdisheartenbythis,
withadolefulyetsincerevoice,
Ileteveryoneknow,

AndIllbepresentbyyoursideonthatday

http://www.poesi.as/mjq360110.htm
1stPoemAnalysis
MigueldeCervantessLaGalatea,isanovelaboutromancetellingthestoryoftwo
friendswhohappenedtobeinlovewiththesamegirl.Writtenininthelate1500s,thenovelis
oneofCervantessfirstmajorworksandratherfamousuntilthepublishingofDonQuixote
whichmadehimoneofthegreatestauthorsofalltime.Thenovelcontainsanumberofsonnets,
whichshowcasesCervantesspoetryskills.
Thesecondsonnetshowcasesfondnessandhowsuchthingleadsintotwodifferent
outcomes.Cervantesemploystheuseofimagerythroughoutmanyofthesonnets.
Siquieresquedemivida
noseacabelacarrera,
nolallevestancorrida

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Thisverseliterallymeans(ifyoudonotwantmylifetofinishitsrace,donotrunfast).These
linesalonebringtomindthatlifemustbelivedwithcareandenjoyeverythingthatithasto
offer.Donotfinishtherace(life)fasterthatitneedstobeandappreciatethesights.Someofthe
magicthatmakesthissonnetpoeticislostduringtranslation.
Ifyouwishthatofmylife
Thecareerfinishnot,
Removeitnotsoashamed.
First,theimageryisstirredupalittle.thesymbolismoftheraceissomewhattherebutmostly
gone.ThewordsthatmadethesonnetspecialandmeaningfulinSpanisharehardtoreplicatein
Englishasthewordsarenotsimilar
Inspanishthesonnetalsodemonstratesrhymeandrhythmwithlinesthatrhymeending
notonlyinverysimilarsoundsbutalsointheirlasttwoletters.Othertechniquessuchas
anaphoraarepresentinthesonnetwithsomebacktobacklinesstartingwiththesameword.
However,therebitsandpiecesthatgetduringtranslation.Forexample,rhymingisalmost
completelygoneasmostofthewordsdonotrhymeevenbysound.
Inconclusion,itisextremelyhardtoreplicateandevokethesamefeelingsfromacertain
workintoanotherlanguage.Thedifferenceinsentencestructure,translationandevencultural
referencescontributetothisascultureandlanguagevariesfromonenationtoanother.
2ndPoemAnalysis
ManuelJoseQuintanawasapoetandplaywrightwhoseworkwaspartoftheeraknown
astheRomanticism.Thefollowingpoemwaswrittentoadearestfriendofhim,awriternamed
PilarSinuesNavarro.

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Thenarratorofthepoem,presumablyQuintanahimself,issaddenedbytheevents
howeverheexpressesjoyforherassheisabouttoembarkononeofthegreatestjourneysofher
life.Hedescribesthejoyandexcitementthatshemustbefeelingtowardshermarriage,he
furtheremphasizesbyalludingtoHymen,theGreekGodofmarriage.
Thepoemhasarhymingpatternthatisdividedintothreeparts(abbaa,cdcd,effe).
Quintanausesthisrhythmicpatterntohisadvantage,thepatternisnotrepetitiveandadds
rhythmtothepoem.ThispatterngetscompletelyscrappedwhentranslatedintoEnglish.Thisis
becausethewordsofthepoemdonottranslateexactlyastheirEnglishcounterparts,thiscauses
therhythmicaspectofittodisappear.Thereasonwhyadirecttranslationdoesnotworkis
becausebothcultureshaveadifferentwayofspeakingandgettingtheirthoughtsacross.
Thetranslationinthispoemismoreforgivingwhenitcomestoimageryandsymbolism
asmostofitremainsintact.OnethefirsttranslationofthepoemIkepttheimageryandstructure
ofthepoemasitis,howeverthemeaningbehindsaidimageryandsymbolismdisappearsoris
hardtounderstand.Differentcultureshaveadifferentwayofexpressingcertainthings,for
examplethephrase
getyourheadoutofthegutter
wouldnotworkifoneweretosayasitisin
itsSpanishtranslation.Otheridiomsperfectlywork,suchas,
feelingbutterfliesinyourstomach,
youdonotreallyhavebutterfliesinyourstomachbut,thephraseisusedasawaytoexpress
fallinginlove,thisworksperfectlyinSpanish.
Onthesecondtranslation,Iignoredthestructureandtheimageryasawholeandinstead
aimedatwritingthemeaningbehindthesymbolism.Understandingthepoembecomeseasier,it
ismorestraightforwardandclearerthanitwasontheprevioustranslation.

II.PoetryinTranslation

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MiSecreto
AmadoNervo
Misecreto?Estantriste!Estoyperdido
deamoresporunserdesaparecido,
porunalmaliberta,
quediezaosfuema,yquesehaido...
Misecreto?Telodiralodo:
Estoyenamoradodeunamuerta!

Comprendestquebuscaslosvisibles
transportes,lasreales,lastangibles
cariciasdelahembra,queseplasma
atodostusdeseosinvencibles
eseimposibledelosimposibles
deadoraraunfantasma?

Puestalmividaesytalhasido
yser!
Sipormslohalatido
sunoblecorazn,hoymudoyyerto,
hedemostrarmedesagradecido
yolvidarla,nomsporquehapartido

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ydejarla,nomsporquesehamuerto?

English(nearlywordforword)
Mysecret?Itissosad!I'mlost
outofloveforagonebeing,
forafreesoul,
Tenyearsitwasmine,anditisnowgone...
Mysecret?I'lltelltoyourear:
I'minlovewithadeadone!

Doyouunderstandyou,whosearchesforvisible
transports,therealones,thetangible
femalecaresses,theonethatsticks
toyoureveryinvinciblewishes
theimpossibleofimpossible
toworshipaghost?

Assuchmylifeisandhasbeen
andwillbe!
Itwasformethathernobleheart
beat,nowsilentandstiff,
DoIhavetobeungrateful

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andforgether,notjustbecauseshehasdeparted
andleaveher,notjustbecauseshehasdied?

English(linebylinetranslation)
Mysecret?Issosad,I'mataloss
forloveofsomeonemissing,
forafreesoul,
thatwasminefortenyears,andnowisgone
Mysecret?I'lltellyou
Iaminlovewithalifelesswoman!

Doyouunderstandyousearchforthevisible,
real,andtangibletouchofawoman,thatstaysin
allofyourmostuttermostdesires...
thatisimpossibletoadoreaghost?

Well,mylifeis,hasbeen,
andwillbejustlikethat!
Itisformethatitbeats
hernobleheart,nowspeechlessandstill
DoIhavetoshowmyselfungrateful
andforgetherjustbecauseshehasdeparted

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andleaveherjustbecauseshehasvanished?

FigurativeInterpretation
Thissecrethasmelostinlovelysorrow,
dotingonasinfulmaiden.
DespiteEros'smagicarrow,
theyearsofintimacyhavefallen.
MysecretIwillunearth.
Inlovewithadesolatesoul,Ihavebeen

Doyourealize
itisimpossibletoworshipanimpression?
Weseekfortangibleaffection
Thatholdstoourmostabsolutedesire.

Thisismyexistence
Itisforhervirtuouspastthatmyheartstillbeats.
Now,
shouldIforgetherbecauseshehasmovedon
and
Leaveherbecausesheisherenomore?

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Thepoemreferstothenarratorbeinginlovewithawoman,onewhomhelovedvery
dearly.Thenarratorimpliesthatshediesandthenrefusestoforgether.Inthelastlineofthefirst
stanzahesays
Estoyenamoradodeunamuerta!
whichtranslatesdirectlyto
Iminlovewitha
deadwoman.
Thisshowcaseshisloveforhereventhoughsheisdead,exposingthepainhehas
sufferedduetohisloss.Evenifsheisnotaroundanymore,heisincapableofcomingupwith
validreasonstoforgether.Therearemanyreferencestothedeathofthenarratorsloveinthe
Spanishversionsuchas:
deadoraraunfantasma?Toloveaghost
ydejarla,nomsporquesehamuerto?Andtoleaveherjustbecauseshehas
died?
Butisshereallydead?Maybehisloverstoppedbeingthepersonheoncefellinlovewith,she
mighthavechangedenough,throughoutthosetenyearsmentionedinthepoem,thatsheisnot
thesamepersonanymore.Thismeaningbehindthepoemishardtogetacrossinthefirst
translationinwhichIkeeptheformandessenceofthepoemasitis.Thewordforword
translationsuggestsdeathwithoutinterpretationthereaderwouldfinditdifficulttocomprehend
thesameemotionstheauthorintendedintheoriginallanguage.However,theSpanishleaves
roomforinterpretationonthispoint,sobetterEnglishtranslationdoesnotfollowwordforword
butinsteadgeneratesspaceforthatambiguity.Translatingthewordsliterallyastheycome
acrosswouldmakethereaderbelievehisloverisdead.InthesecondtranslationItriedto

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conveyedandemphasizedthismeaningbyignoringdeath,wordssuchasagone,vanished,
anddepartedwereusedtokeepthesenseofvaguenessthatSpanishversionhasinit.
Translationisnotaneasytask.Youhavetomakechoicesthataffectthepoemasa
whole.InthispoemIchosetoleavetheimageryofdeathbehindinthelinebylinetranslationin
ordertocommunicatetheambiguityofthepoem.Aliteraltranslationleavesemotionbehind.
Poemsareaboutemotionsandhowtheauthorcanmakethosefeelingscomealive.Afigurative
translationismoreaccurateeventhoughyoulosetheessenceandstructureofthepoem.There
willalwaysbetradeoffsintranslationbuttheyarenecessaryinordertomaketheworkfunction
inanotherlanguage.
III.ShortStory
BlueBouquet(ElRamoAzul)
ThefollowingshortstoryistheBlueBouquetandwaswrittenbyOctavioPazawell
knownMexicanwriterwhowontheNobelPrizeawardforLiteraturein1990.Ireadthestoryin
bothEnglishandSpanishandanalyzedthedifferencesandthesimilaritiesinit.Unlikepoems,
shortstoriesareeasiertoreadacrossbothlanguagesastheydonotdiffermuchintranslation.
Thisisbecauserhymingorrhythmarenotimportantpiecesofashortstory.Poemsarehardto
translatewithaccuracybecauseoftherhyme,rhythm,andfigurativelanguage.Unlikeshort
stories,thesetoolsdonotplaypartinstorysstructure.Overall,theBlueBouquetconveysthe
samemeaninginbothlanguages.
ThestoryiscalledtheBlueBouquetironicallythereisnobluebouquetthatisrelevantto
thestory.Thestoryitselfisaboutawandererwhohappenstobestayingatanunnamedvillage,
presumablylocatedinMexico.Thesettingisdepictedasmurky.Theauthor,writinginboth

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languages,givesenoughdetailsthatenhancetheexperienceofthereadinginthefirstparagraph,
theauthordescribestheplacesovividlythatreaderscanfeelpartofthestory.Detailssuchas
(vaporcaliente)hotsteam,,(elfresco)freshair,and(larespiraciondelanoche)
breathingofthenightevokeasenseofgloaming.Smalldetailslikethisallowforamore
immersiveandrealisticexperienceaboutthesetting.
Thenarrator,andmainprotagonistofthestory,likestowanderaroundandenjoythe
beautifulyetgloomysightsaroundhim.Heisanadventurerandlikestofollowhisinstincts.For
example,inonescene,whenhewantstogoforawalk,aboardinghouseownertellshimnotto
leavebecausethereisnothingtodoandnothingtosee:
Hum,todoestyacerrado.Ynohayalumbradoaqu.Mslevalieraquedarse.
Hmmmeverythingsclosed.Andnostreetlightsaroundhere.Youdbetterstayput.
Thiswarningalsoforeshadowstheeventsthatfollow.
Themainconflictofthestoryiswhenthetravellerisassaultedwithaknife.Asmalland
fragilemanholdingamachetedemandsfortheblueeyesofourtraveler,threateningtoripthem
outofhiseyesockets,However,ourtravelerdoesnotexactlyhaveblueeyes.Thesmallman
affirmsthetravelerthatheisnotgoingtokillhimaslongasthetravelergiveshimhisblueeyes.
Hesaysthateyeslikehisaroundherearehardtofind.Whenheseesthathiseyesarenot
reallyblue,hethenmakesarunforitleavingthetravelerfrightened.
Blueeyesinthecontextofthestorydonotreferthecolorofoureyesinsteaditrefersto
thoseeyesthatcanappreciateabouquetofblueflowers.Theprotagonistenjoyslookingatthe
skyandadmiringthestarsatnightinawaythatnotmanypeopledonowadays.Theeyesarea
representationofwhatthesoulcanseeandadmire,somethingthattheinhabitantsofthelittle

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villagefailtodo.Ourtravelerisnotfromaroundthere,soallthesesightingsandvibrantcolors
stickouttohimmorethananything.Localswouldnotappreciatethisasmuchastheyare
accustomedtothisandtheirsurroundingsdonotseemimpressiveasthelocalshaveforgotten
thebeautyoftheirownbackyard.
ThereareafewidiomsthatdonottranslatewellintoEnglish.However,theydonot
affectthemeaningofthestory.Forexample

thereisaphrasethatonlyworksinSpanishNose
hagaelremilgosoissubstitutedforDontplaysaintwithme,inEnglish.Allthewordsdiffer.
ThisisbecausethephrasewouldnotmakesenseintheEnglishlanguagesystemandthesame
goesfortheEnglishphrase.Thetranslationisnotliteralbutinsteadfigurativetoconveythe
samemeaning.Anotherexample,Esuncaprichodeminovia,issubstitutedforMygirlfriend
hasthiswhim.Again,mostofthewordsaresubstitutedeventhestructureofthesentenceis
changed.Employingtheuseofdifferentphrasesthatmeanthesamebutdonottranslatethe
sameisawaytohelptheintendedmeaningjumpfromoneculturetoanother.Thesephrases
workonlyintheSpanishsystemandtheauthorusesphrasesthatworkbestinthenewsystem.
Thereareculturaldifferencesinthestorythataffectthemood.Therearehintsinthe
storythatimplythevillageisnotsafeatnight.Culturally,Mexicoisacountrythathasbeen
knownforthehighratesofcrimeandviolenceforalongtime.Thisisnotascommoninthe
UnitedStates.ReadersfromMexicowouldunderstandthesuggesteddangersofwanderingalone
atnight,knowingthatsomethingunfortunatecouldhappenanywhereanytime.Thisissomething
thatAmericanreaderswouldnotgrasprightawayuntiltheydigdeeperintothebackgroundand
culturalcontextsofthelocation.
IV.Novel

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AlFilodelAgua,orTheEdgeoftheStorminEnglish,isanovelpublishedin1947and
writtenbyAgustinYanez,AMexicanauthorandcriticwhoalsowasGovernorofthestateof
Jalisco(Volek,AgustinYanez).Thesetofdramaticstoriesthatformthenoveltakeplaceina
smallvillagelocatedinthestateofJaliscoinMexico.ThetitleofthenovelreferstoaMexican
phrasethatforeshadowseventstocome.
Thenoveldelvesintowhatisrightandwhatiswrongfromareligiouspointofview,in
thiscaseCatholicism.ThenoveltakesplacebeforeandintotheMexicanRevolutionbetween
lentin1909andnovemberof1910.Thevillageisgovernedbyoldstandards,suchaspriests
beingthemaximumauthorityandisisolatedfromtherestofthecountry.Thevillageisinhabited
mostlybywomen.Priestdictatewhatmustbedoneinordertokeeptheplaceaspureasitcan
be.Catholicismandsuperstitionisveryimportantmatterasitshapesthevillageandits
inhabitants.
AsIreadthenovelItriedtofindwhothemaincharactersofthestorywere,however,
thereisnoneatallorall.Themainprotagonististhevillageanditsinhabitants.Thevillageisa
verycalmandquietplacebutitspeoplehavereallyloudmindswheresinsoverpowerthem.The
charactersinthenovelhavedifferentstoriesthatintertwinetocreatethenarrative.Dionisio,for
example,isapriestthatfollowsthewordofGodandwantsthetowntobemindfulofthings.
ThenovelinSpanishisveryradiant.Theuseoffigurativelanguageandthedepthof
charactersallowsustoimmerseinthenovelandfeelhowthecharactersfeel.Thenovelwas
translatedbyEthelBrinton,oftheUniversityofTexas.InEnglish,thenovelpaysahomageto
Mexicancultureandliterature.Itkeepstheessenceoftheoriginallanguagewithoutmaking
manysacrifices.Justlikeanyotherliterarywork,thereareidiomsthatcannotbetranslated.

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Herearetwoexamplesofhowtranslationvariesthroughoutthenovel.
Haciael23deNoviembrecomenzaronarecibirselosperidicosrelativosalos
sucesosdePuebla,resistenciadelosSerdnymuertedeAquiles.Luegolarevolucinen
elNorte!larevolucinencabezadapordonFranciscoI.Madero!
OnthetwentythirdofNovember,newspaperaccountsofthehappeningsin
Pueblabegantoarrive,tellingoftheresistanceoftheSerdanbrothersandthedeathof
AquilesSerdan
then,therevolutioninthenorthernprovinces,therevolutionheadedbyDon
FranciscoI.Madero!
Thefirstexampleshowsthesametextandthetranslationisprettystraightforward.
Hereiswherethetranslatorchosetokeepitsimple.Therearenotphrasesthatwouldonlywork
inSpanish.Thetranslationdoesnotsacrificethemeaningandintentionsoftheauthor.Likemy
appleanalogy,thiswouldbelikemakingapplesliceswithcinnamonoutofaregularapple.
Beyondtheboundsofdeath.ajoyunexampledinherdreamsorinher
experienceofintellectualandphysicalpleasures.Travel.parties,friendship,family
relationships,nothinghadeveraffordedhersuchpleasureorsufferingsufferinggreat
enoughtocauseinstantdeath.adreadofemptyspace,beyonddeath,asthough,when
thebellsbegantotoll,shehadbeguntofall,andwerefalling,fallingintothedreaded
void.beyondtheboundsofdeath.
Profundsimo.Atravsdelamuerte.Inefableplacernoimaginado.Atravsde
lamuerte.Noimaginadosiquieraensueosoenlosmuchosplaceresdelesprituydela
carne:viajes,fiestas,intimidadesno,nuncaimaginadodeleite.Ydolor.Dolorcapazde

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matarenuninstante,dehacervenirportierralafortalezainsigne.Dolordevaco.A
travsdelamuerte.Comosialgolpedelascampanasfnebres,musicales,hubirase
comenzadoacaer,acaer,acaersintrmino,eneldolorosovaco.
Unlikethefirstexample,thisonediffersquiteabitfromtheoriginal.IfIhadnotusecontextand
proximityofthepage,Iwouldhavebeenunabletolocatethequotefromonelanguageto
another.Thedifferenceinstructure,wordchoice,andidiomsmakeitlooklikeacompletenew
text.However,themeaningisnotlostintranslation.ThephraseAtravesdelamuertecanbe
translatedliterallytoacrossthedeathortraversethedeath.Thetranslatorchoosesinsteadto
writebeyondtheboundsofdeath.Thisworksperfectlyandisnotasdullorplainassimply
acrossthedeath.ItalsosoundsmorepoeticgivingitmorepleasuretoreadinEnglish.The
Translatoralsokeepssomeoftheessencefromtheoriginal,thespanishversionsincorporates
anaphoraandtranslatorshonorsthisbydoingthesamewiththecorrespondingphrasethatmakes
useofit,inthiscaseAtravesdelamuerteBeyondtheboundsofdeath.
ThenovelisaprimeexampleofMexicanliterature.Mysistertoldmeaboutthisnovel
becauseshewasencouragedbyherteacherstoreadit.WhenIaskedherforhelpandwhatnovel
Ishouldchooseforthisprojectshementionedit.AtfirstIthoughtitwasaboutashipgettinglost
atseaorsomethingalongthoselines,shethenexplainedthemeaningofthetitleinSpanish.
Afterreadingit,IwouldencouragemorepeopletoreadandlearnaboutMexicanculture.Itisan
easyreadinEnglishduetothetranslatorsamazingtranslationandalsothesetofintertwining
storiesmakeitinterestingtoread.Thethemeofthenovelistheeffectsofreligionandhowit
holdsbackourhumannature.Inaway,theauthorcriticizesreligionthroughhiswriting,while

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alsoaddinghistoricalcontextintohisnovel.Thecharactersbecomesvictimsofreligionandtheir
naturesashumansarisecausingprobleminthevillagethroughtheeyesofthechurch.

Volek,Emil."AgustnYez."
CyclopediaOfWorldAuthors,FourthRevisedEdition
(2003):1.
LiteraryReferenceCenter
.Web.13May2015.

V.Reflection
WashingtonCollegeReflection
Ihavealwaysthoughttranslationcausedsomethingtogomissingfromtheoriginalwork,
thingssuchastheemotionstheauthorintendedoriginally.AfterlisteningtoDr.PhilipWalsh,I
realizethattheprocessoftranslationiscompletelydifferent.Everyworkofarthasmorethan
onevoice,thereistheoriginalthattheauthorintendedandthereisthetranslatorsowntakeon
thework.Translationvariesfromtranslatortotranslator.Letuslookatitthisway,ifyougive
anappletothreedifferentchefs,theywilldodifferentthingswithitonecouldmakeapplepie,
anotherapplesauce,andthelastonecouldjustmakeapplecider.Itstillisjustanappleexceptit
doesnottastethesame,andithasadifferentstructure,thatiswhattranslationisabout.
Translationisaboutchoosingwhatmakesthemostsenseinthesecondlanguage.A
languageonlyworksinonedimension,idioms,words,sentencestructure,andsound,whichare
constructedtobeeffectivewithinasingleculture.Thisdimensionorsystemdoesnotworkwhen
youtakeitoutoftheiroriginalplace.Forexample,Latin,whichwasspokeninancientRome,is
allaboutprefixesandsuffixes,theendingofthewordcantellyouthesubject,gender,number
andtime,thereforesentencestructurebecomesunimportant.However,thisdoesnotnecessarily

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workinEnglishorSpanish.Therearerulesthatyoumustfollowinordertoconstructasentence
thatmakessense.
Forexample,inSpanishwehaveasaying
layerbamalanuncamuere
.Itdoesnotmake
muchsensewhentranslatedliterallyforEnglishspeakers.Instead,theEnglishphrase
Atiger
doesntchangeitsstripes
isbettersuited.Andthatisnottheonlyone,therearemanymore.A
languageisonedimensional,however,thisdoesnotmeanthatlanguagesdonothavedifferent
waystocommunicatethesameidea.Ashumanswecommunicatetooneanother,thishappens
everywhere,thenotionisthesame.Allthatdiffersistheform.
Translationisnotabouthavingtosaythesamewordsandkeepingthesamestructureal
together,tothinkthatistobefoolish.Translationisaboutfindingwhatishiddenintheoriginal
work,findingthoseemotionsinasystemthatdiffersfromoursandmakingthejump.
Translationisnotoftenliteralinordertoconveyfullmeaningoratleastmostofit.Translation
willvaryonhoweffectivethetranslatorisandifheorshehappenstobegreatatitthenthereisa
highchancesofitbeingwellexecuted.