To: Paulo Horta
Date: Feb 6, 2008 4:21 PM
Subject: Answers
Hi Paulo,
Interesting questions! Here's some of what I have to say... If you want
anything expanded on further, just let me know. It might take me a few days
as I'm pretty busy, but I'll gladly get back to you as soon as I can.
Abrazos,
Lisa
> What character perspective was the most difficult to write/translate?
> Sonya
Cardona was most the difficult for me to translate. At first I found his
thoughts very scattered, unfocused, and had a hard time figuring him out,
getting into his head. This is sort of related to Melissa's question,
because I personally feel I have to get right into the character in order to
find his or her voice.
Overall, though, what was most difficult for me in the translation was the
fact that there were seven very distinct perspectives and voices! I had to
keep all of them separate, make each chapter sound like and reflect each one
of them, without letting any of the other voices filter in.
> To what extent, if any, does a translator have to 'feel' or identify with
> the characters in a book in order for them to translate 'faithfully' to
> the
> original? What impact do you think this may have had on the translation
> of
> the novel? Melissa
As I mentioned in the answer to Sonya's question, as a translator I
personally have to feel for the character in order to accurately translate
his or her voice. This doesn't necessarily mean that I identify with them or
agree with them, however. It's sort of like putting on a cloak, the cloak of
their personality, and I can then peer out through their eyes. That way I
have a better sense of what sort of words they'd use, what fits their
personality or doesn't.
I'm hoping this has a positive impact on the translation in that I can more
faithfully represent each character. But translation is always an
"interpretation." Edmundo can write the characters one way and yet because
of my own personal background, history, culture, life experience, and so on,
I can interpret or feel a particular way about that character and his or her
actions, and it may not be what he intended. I'm lucky enough to be able to
consult with Edmundo, but many translators don't have that opportunity.
> During the translation process, were there certain characters or events
> that were particularly challenging to adapt to the English version? Morgan
There's a variety of things that come up during translation. Sometimes I can
resolve them to my satisfaction, but sometimes the result is not quite as
good as I'd like. Off the top of my head, one challenging but enjoyable
puzzle was when Turing looks around and sees everything in code, even the
billboard as he's parking to go and visit Carla. I had to come up with a
suitable ad, a well-known slogan I could then twist and find anagrams in. I
went through sheets of paper writing out advertising slogans and then
finding all of the words contained in those letters, trying to choose words
that would be suitably ominous sounding in Turing's mind. There's usually at
least a few instances of wordplay in Edmundo's novels and they certain
challenge me!
I also had quite a time deciding how to approach the "cyberspeak." I felt I
had to find a nice balance between shortening words the way they can be in
online chatrooms and yet not make it so obscure that those who weren't
familiar with it wouldn't be completely lost when reading those passages.
> I also wanted to ask LisaCarter about if and why she felt that the
> Spanish version was better than the English version? Sherry, Heather
I think arguments can be made on both sides. When substantial changes were
being made to the English version, I found it quite unfortunate that a part
of Turing's character was removed. In the Spanish, there's a passage in
which Turing goes into Flavia's room when she's little, sits behind her,
stroking her hair, and supposedly masturbates as he watches her play. It's
creepy and disturbing, but adds a whole other dimension to his character, as
well as Flavia's. With that one passage, Turing's obsession with his
daughter and his love for Carla, who looks like Flavia, becomes much more
significant and not so innocent. I understand the motivation behind why this
was removed, but still feel it makes Turing's character a little less
powerful in the English.
Overall, though, I think the novel in English is more cohesive as a result
of the changes.
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