Variation in translations of Huckleberry Finn into Spanish Fernando Romeu – fromeu@tinet.org

Variation in translations of Huckleberry Finn into Spanish

Fernando Romeu – fromeu@tinet.org

Variation in translations of Huckleberry Finn into Spanish

Fernando Romeu – fromeu@tinet.org

Different audiences

CLASSIC FOR ADULTS ADVENTURE BOOK FOR CHILDREN

Fernando Romeu – fromeu@tinet.org

The same problem

•The Missouri negro dialect

•The extremest form of the backwoods Southwestern dialect;

• The ordinary "Pike County" dialect

•Four modified varieties of this last.

Variation in translations of Huckleberry Finn into Spanish

Fernando Romeu – fromeu@tinet.org

The same problem

David Carkeet, believes “Clemens’s recall was imperfect; his attempt at consistency, at least in Huck’s dialect, falls short.” Carkeet attributes this“imperfect recollection” to the fact that Twain wrote three−fifths of the novel after he had put the book aside for two years. This led to several pronunciation changes, particularly in the speech of Huck, in the last three−fifths of the novel.

Variation in translations of Huckleberry Finn into Spanish

Fernando Romeu – fromeu@tinet.org

The same problemMissouri Negro: Jim (and four other minor characters)Southwestern: Arkansas Gossips (Sister Hotchkiss et al.)Ordinary “Pike County”: Huck, Tom, Aunt Polly, Ben Rogers, Pap, Judith LoftusModified “Pike County”: Thieves on the Sir Walter ScottModified “Pike County”: KingModified “Pike County”: Bricksville LoafersModified “Pike County”: Aunt Sally and Uncle Silas Phelps

Variation in translations of Huckleberry Finn into Spanish

Fernando Romeu – fromeu@tinet.org

Facing the challenge

• Explaining translation decisions in introductions.

• Footnotes. •Translating just the note. •Attempting to establish equivalence through TL dialects.

Variation in translations of Huckleberry Finn into Spanish

Variation in translations of Huckleberry Finn into Spanish

Fernando Romeu – fromeu@tinet.org

Translated varieties

• Obsession with geographical varieties.

• Social varieties not always translated.

• Age and gender varieties.

• Varieties and power relationships.

Variation in translations of Huckleberry Finn into Spanish

Fernando Romeu – fromeu@tinet.org

What translators sayConviene finalmente añadir que, pese a haberse conservado el tono coloquial y la libertad expresiva de la novela en la versión castellana, se pierden, sin que podamos evitarlo, las varias formas dialectales del habla local a las que Mark Twain hace referencia en la “explicación” inicial del libro.

Doris Rolfe

Variation in translations of Huckleberry Finn into Spanish

Fernando Romeu – fromeu@tinet.org

What translators sayUna vez más las rígidas normas editoriales impiden al traductor reflejar - de suponer que hubiera sido capaz de ello – la riquísima variedad de formas dialectales empleadas por el autor y comentadas por éste en su Nota Explicativa al principio del texto.

Fernando Santos Fontenla

Variation in translations of Huckleberry Finn into Spanish

Fernando Romeu – fromeu@tinet.org

What translators sayMuchos de estos matices se pierden, indefectiblemente, al traducirlos. Tampoco es posible ensayar, lo que algunos a veces ensayan, de trasladar al castellano esas diferencias dialectales y estos matices del original.

Juan José Coy (editor).

The translation is Rolfe’s one!

Variation in translations of Huckleberry Finn into Spanish

Fernando Romeu – fromeu@tinet.org

Are translations really different?

"Hello, Jim! And skipped out. […]He bounced up and stared at me wild. Then he drops down on his knees, and puts his hands

together and says:“Doan’ hurt me –don’t! I hain’t ever done no harm to a ghos’. I awluz liked dead people, en done all I could for ‘em. You go an git in de river agin, whah you b’longs, en doan’ do nuffn to Ole Jim, ‘at ‘uz

awluz yo fren’.”(Twain, 1985:94)

Variation in translations of Huckleberry Finn into Spanish

Fernando Romeu – fromeu@tinet.org

Are translations really different?

- ¡Hola, Jim! – y salí de un brinco.El se puso de pie de un salto y me miró con ojos de loco. Luego cayó de rodillas y juntó las manos y dijo:-¡No me hagas daño, no! Nunca he hecho daño a un fantasma. Siempre me gustaban los muertos, y les he hecho todo el bien que pude. Vete y métete en el río otra vez, donde debes estar, y no le hagas nada al viejo Jim, que siempre fue amigo.

-(Twain, 1989:54)

Variation in translations of Huckleberry Finn into Spanish

Fernando Romeu – fromeu@tinet.org

Are translations really different?

- ¡Hola, Jim! – y salí de un brinco.El se levantó de golpe y me miró con ojos desorbitados. Después se dejó caer de rodillas, juntó las manos y dijo:-¡No me hagas daño, ¡por favor! Yo nunca le he hecho daño a un fantasma. Siempre he sido amigo de los muertos, y he hecho lo que podía por ellos. Vuélvete al río otra vez, que es tu sitio, y no le hagas nada al viejo Jim, que siempre fue amigo tuyo.

-(Twain, 1998:72)

Variation in translations of

Huckleberry Finn into Spanish

Fernando Romeu – fromeu@tinet.org

Research questions

•Role of paratext.

•Are translators consistent and decision-conscious?

•Are translations only used for parody?

•What role does the audience have as far as translation is concerned?

Variation in translations of

Huckleberry Finn into Spanish

Fernando Romeu – fromeu@tinet.org

Hypotheses …• The explanatory note singles this work out from other works which present the challenge of translated varieties.

• Geographical varieties in the TT do not have a one-to-one correspondence with the ST.

• Some varieties are not translated and / or attempted at all.

• Varieties are used for parody effects.