Balancing Power in English Translations from Judeo-Spanish and Spanglish
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Translation in the Borderlands of Spanish: Balancing Power in English Translations from Judeo-Spanish and Spanglish Remy Attig Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the PhD degree in Spanish. Department of Modern Languages and Literatures Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies University of Ottawa © Remy Attig, Ottawa, Canada, 2018. Table of Contents Table of Contents ........................................................................................................ii Abstract ......................................................................................................................iv Acknowledgement ...................................................................................................... v Introduction ................................................................................................................ 1 Chapter 1 Judeo-Spanish Context and Corpus ....................................................... 13 The Author ............................................................................................................ 35 The Corpus ........................................................................................................... 40 Chapter 2 Spanglish Context and Corpus ................................................................ 44 The Author ............................................................................................................ 57 Corpus .................................................................................................................. 59 Chapter 3 Translating Nonstandardized Varieties: Common Challenges ................ 65 Power in Translation ............................................................................................. 66 If to Translate and Why......................................................................................... 74 How to Translate .................................................................................................. 81 Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 91 Chapter 4 Translation Approach to Judeo-Spanish Source Texts ........................... 93 El Pishkado de Oro ............................................................................................. 117 La kadena de arena ............................................................................................ 121 El mazal i el lavoro ............................................................................................. 121 ii Chapter 5 Translation Approach to Spanglish Source Texts ................................. 127 Tecolote Crónica ................................................................................................ 138 On the Road Crónica .......................................................................................... 140 Mini Barrio Norte Crónica ................................................................................... 142 Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 148 Appendix A Judeo-Spanish Source Texts and Translations .................................. 156 El Pishkado de Oro ............................................................................................. 156 La Kadena de Arena ........................................................................................... 166 El Mazal i el Lavoro ............................................................................................ 171 Appendix B Spanglish Source Texts and Translations .......................................... 177 Tecolote Crónica ................................................................................................ 177 On the Road Crónica .......................................................................................... 186 Mini Barrio Norte Crónica ................................................................................... 197 Bibliography ........................................................................................................... 202 iii Abstract Literature emerging from borderland, transnational or diaspora contexts doesn’t always fit the mould of the dominant national culture where the author resides. Usually this literature is published in the language of the larger society, but sometimes authors prefer to use the language variety in which they write as one of many tools to resist assimilation and highlight their independent or hybrid identity; such is the case with Matilda Koén-Sarano's Judeo-Spanish folktales and Susana Chávez-Silverman’s Spanglish crónicas. When this is the case, translation from these varieties must be done in a way that preserves the resistance to assimilation in a different linguistic context. In this thesis I begin by defining Judeo-Spanish and Spanglish as language varieties, consider who uses them, who writes in them, and the political or personal motivations of the authors. I then problematize the broad issue of translating texts written in nonstandard language varieties. I consider power in translation generally and into English more specifically. I nuance the binary between rejecting translation completely, and embracing it wholeheartedly as essential. In the final two chapters I turn my attention to specific challenges that presented themselves in translations from Judeo-Spanish and Spanglish and explain how these challenges informed my approaches and strategies. No single translation approach or strategy emerges as a monolithic solution to all problems. Nevertheless, my original contribution to knowledge lies in the nuanced discussion and creative application of varying degrees of ethnolects (or literary dialects), writing based in phonetics, and intralinguistic translation that are explained and that are evidenced in the original translations found in the appendices. iv Acknowledgement “Lanzing” myself on a Ph.D. has been, by far, the largest undertaking in my life to date. As I celebrate the completion of this piece of research, I must acknowledge that while the degree is mine, the work is the product of the collaboration and support of many, without whom I would have given up more times than I did. It is a monumental task to properly express in a few pages my gratitude to all those deserving; any oversight or omission is purely the result of my thesis-brain, for which I am truly sorry. I’d like to thank the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, y a todos los profes por enseñarme a cuestionar mis prejuicios, tanto acerca de los demás como acerca de mí mismo. J’aimerais aussi remercier Manon, Harry et Philippe pour le soutien qu’ils ont fourni au fil des années pour assurer que tout avance comme il faut. I’d also like to thank the School of Translation and Interpretation and the many faculty members qui ont pris le temps to talk me through theories that began as tangential to my work only to become, des années plus tard, des éléments essentiels pour ma recherche. You’ve accepted me as one of your own. Merci. Quisiera también agradecer a mi director de maestría y el primer director de tesis, José María Ruano de la Haza que me enseñó, durante años, la importancia del arte de escribir; un arte del cual soy todavía aprendiz. Nuestras charlas me empujaron a estudiar por el placer de aprender y siempre recordaré aquellos intercambios como momentos de gran crecimiento intelectual. A mi comité, les agradezco por haber embarcado conmigo en este proyecto tan multidisciplinario, creo que todos hemos aprendido mucho. v A James, mi director, tus consejos, tu disponibilidad, y tu paciencia han ayudado a desmitificar este proceso. Hablar de la carrera, las opciones que me quedan por delante, y charlar de mis inquietudes me han calmado en momentos de estrés. Sé que dirigir una tesis tan multidisciplinaria es un reto. A Clara, mi otra directora, has estado conmigo desde el principio. Nuestro curso dirigido en el primer año del doctorado cambió totalmente mi perspectiva acerca de la traducción y desvió totalmente la dirección de mi investigación, y me encanta el resultado. He encontrado en vos y en nuestras charlas una tranquilidad inspirante que me ha permitido desarrollar ideas con el apoyo necesario para a veces equivocarme y así crecer. Ryan, you joined officially quite near the end, but you’ve been there since I first started dipping my toes into the pool of Translation Studies, and some of our early chats have provided inspiration and have fueled my curiosity and creativity from the beginning. A Elena, todavía recuerdo que una de nuestras first chats was about Ricky Martin, no sé si te acordás. Sabía que working together sería a match made in heaven... even if you are a linguist. En aquel entonces who would have imagined que terminaría escribiendo la tesis, at least in part, sobre Spanglish. Gracias por creer en mí, even when I didn’t. Cometería un gran error if I didn’t thank someone from my childhood. Los maestros de la secundaria are so impactful on the person we become later in life, pero solemos olvidarnos de ellos. I’ll never forget Carmen González. Aunque nunca lea esta tesis, she was the teacher who believed in me y me animaba a seguir estudiando, in my vi nerdy way. Sembró las semillas de esta pasión que, mediante esta tesis, hoy día rinde fruto. Elana, our study sessions broken up with mini dance parties kept me sane while wading through dense theory texts.