DoubleSpeak Staff; Andrea Conde; Chardonnay Needler; Ziang (Arthur) Wei; Ryan Hardy; Daniel Shevchenko
on translating Roberto Bolaño
A problem faced by nearly all of our translators when translating the text was the difference between the degrees of formality of certain words (or even entire word forms, per the individual language’s grammar) and the relative informality of the original Spanish text. In general, we chose an informal approach to the translations; however, individual cases (such as 探访 for visitaba el sueño in the Chinese version, or изваяние as estatua in the Russian) are more formal, prioritizing connotational nuances and the overall melody of the work. The inclusion of the Spanish word y (“and”), which is used as a connector and as a particle expressing continuous flow of thought, was also a point of contention: while in most languages this word could be translated literally with roughly the same connotation, Japanese in particular lacks a sufficiently short and informal word to match the original, and it was instead conveyed through the usage of short verb tenses. The phrase amor desbocado also posed considerable difficulties, as it was necessary to convey the feelings of both “breaking away” and “becoming free” in translation; in the English version, this was translated as “runaway love”; in French and Russian, this love is débridé and необузданная, respectively (in both cases “unbridled”); in Chinese, the word 逃亡 was used to preserve the meaning of self-liberation while also remaining consonant with 脱缰的爱
about the author
Roberto Bolaño (1953–2003) was a Chilean writer and poet. He moved with his family to Mexico City when he was fifteen and actively participated in journalism and leftist movements after dropping out of school. He returned to Chile in 1973 to support the democratic socialist movement. After the government was overthrown by the right-wing Augusto Pinochet’s forces in a military coup, Bolaño was arrested but fortunately rescued by prison guards who were his former classmates. However, his presence in Chile during this period is contested.
about the translators
DoubleSpeak’s staff is a group of poetry lovers and language aficionados. We hail from Baltimore, MD, Plesanton, CA, Georgetown, TX, and Cortlandt Manor, NY; Nanticoke, PA, Brooklyn, NY, Sacramento, CA, as well as Hangzhou and Nanjing, China. On Thursday nights, you can find us in the Kelly Writers House reading through beautiful poetry submissions. Whether we’re playing multilingual Scramble or commenting on submissions in rhymed couplets, we’re drawn together by our shared passion for language and translation.
photo by Quinn Gruber
