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So I& #39;m translating ... something from Colombian Spanish to English, and there& #39;s a scene where a kid is kind of caught off-guard by an adult using "tú" when addressing her (she& #39;s been using "usted" with a group of other kids).
It& #39;s nearly impossible to convey this in English.
It& #39;s nearly impossible to convey this in English.
To be palatable to a US audience, the Colombian use of "usted" even with friends & family has to be just translated with the normal "you" of American English.
The jarring shift to "tú" (especially the actual use of that word) ... ugh. Impossible.
What I did instead was ...
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The jarring shift to "tú" (especially the actual use of that word) ... ugh. Impossible.
What I did instead was ...
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... make the adult go MORE FORMAL, using "miss" and "ma& #39;am" and other strangely quaint ways of talking to a child.
That way I preserve the girl& #39;s surprise and confusion at being addressed in a markedly different way.
But I& #39;m making all those things up. They aren& #39;t there.
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That way I preserve the girl& #39;s surprise and confusion at being addressed in a markedly different way.
But I& #39;m making all those things up. They aren& #39;t there.
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It& #39;s part of the tricky magic of translation.
INVARIABLY, the translator inserts themself into the translation. NEVER are the author& #39;s words purely conveyed in the new language.
The ability, the art, the voice of the translator becomes an essential element in the alchemy.
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INVARIABLY, the translator inserts themself into the translation. NEVER are the author& #39;s words purely conveyed in the new language.
The ability, the art, the voice of the translator becomes an essential element in the alchemy.
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BTW, um, how do I say this delicately ...
I& #39;m just explaining my solution. I& #39;m certainly delighted to hear what y& #39;all might& #39;ve done, but the point of the post wasn& #39;t to elicit help. Thanks, though!
I& #39;ve been translating for a LONG time, heh. I got this.
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I& #39;m just explaining my solution. I& #39;m certainly delighted to hear what y& #39;all might& #39;ve done, but the point of the post wasn& #39;t to elicit help. Thanks, though!
I& #39;ve been translating for a LONG time, heh. I got this.
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Also, this might not have been clear to everyone: the tricky part isn& #39;t the tú / usted divide in Spanish.
It& #39;s the pervasiveness of "usted" in this region of Colombia. The children are using it with each other, & the psychologist suddenly breaks in with "tú," causing shock.
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It& #39;s the pervasiveness of "usted" in this region of Colombia. The children are using it with each other, & the psychologist suddenly breaks in with "tú," causing shock.
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The shock isn& #39;t RUDENESS, BTW. The psychologist (who is a woman, for those making different assumptions) is being nice to the girl, just unexpectedly intimate in a totally disarming way.
So less formal than kids won& #39;t work, because that would mean disrespect. There& #39;s none.
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So less formal than kids won& #39;t work, because that would mean disrespect. There& #39;s none.
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A side-bar:
My wife and I speak to each other in, hrm, Northern Mexican Spanish.
When we& #39;re particularly annoyed with each other but are trying to scold without being insulting, we switch to "usted."
"Ah, no. Usted quiso cocinar eso, y ahora se lo come. No ande llorando."
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My wife and I speak to each other in, hrm, Northern Mexican Spanish.
When we& #39;re particularly annoyed with each other but are trying to scold without being insulting, we switch to "usted."
"Ah, no. Usted quiso cocinar eso, y ahora se lo come. No ande llorando."
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Also, wwitching to "usted" is a sign that our kids are asking for trouble & need to straighten up.
"Usted póngase mejor a limpiar su cuarto y deje de resongar."
That& #39;s the last step before we switch to something decidedly less formal, like "tú, pinche pendejo."
HAHAHAHA!
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"Usted póngase mejor a limpiar su cuarto y deje de resongar."
That& #39;s the last step before we switch to something decidedly less formal, like "tú, pinche pendejo."
HAHAHAHA!
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