LOST AND FOUND……IN TRANSLATION

This past summer, as I was preparing the syllabus of literary texts to include in my Hispanic Literature course at Metropolitan Community College, I decided to attach the English translation of the titles so students were aware these works were available in both languages. 

The first text I chose was an excerpt of the novel, Tu sueño imperios han sido, by the Mexican author Álvaro Enrique, a fictional representation of the encounter between Hernán Cortes and Montezuma circa 1520. 

When I went to include the English translation on the syllabus, I was struck by the title, You Dreamed of Empires. My students were also caught off guard by how different the titles were, which prompted a discussion about how in some ways the translation of a literary text is an original and that by consulting it, the reader gains something. 

A literary translator’s role is not to simply find the right words from the source language into the translated one. If that were the case, the English version of Enrique’s novel would’ve been “Your Dream Empires Have Been,” which doesn’t quite flow as well as the one chosen by Enrique’s translator, Natasha Wimmer. Rather, a literary translator must try to capture the essence of what the author, narrator, and characters are trying to convey. 

This process can lead to a deeper understanding of the nuance of language. 

Consider what the poet, José Olivarez said about trying to translate the Spanish expression, “Ojalá,” derived from the Arabic “Inshallah.” Oftentimes, it’s translated in English as I hope but really, as Olivarez points out, there’s a deeper meaning to the word than hope. It’s more spiritual. 

Therefore, it’s crucial that literary translators have a sense of the cultural and historical context of the language and text so they can collaborate with the author. It should not be forgotten that on the cover of the translated version sits the translator’s name alongside the author’s. 

As a teacher, I believe wholeheartedly in the two-way street that is teaching and learning. I continually strive to engage my students in conversation so that I, in turn, might learn from them.

A literary translator must also strive to engage in dialogue with the original text because they are two sides of the same coin. We often talk about words being lost in translation but instead of thinking about the process in terms of loss, I wonder if we can focus on what is found when we translate and read translated literature. 

It is only then that we discover parts of the language that eluded us as well as parts of ourselves that we didn’t know existed. It forces us to ponder the many linguistic possibilities at our disposal, with some alternatives fitting better than others, but all worthy of consideration. 

After all, it is the process and not the outcome of reading and translating that has the potential to transform us. An effective translation or reading of a novel may take multiple attempts. Therein lies the power and beauty of language.