UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL SISTEMA DE ESTUDIOS DE POSGRADO FACULTAD DE FILOSOFÍA Y LETRAS ESCUELA DE LITERATURA Y CIENCIAS DEL LENGUAJE MAESTRÍA PROFESIONAL EN TRADUCCIÓN (INGLÉS-ESPAÑOL) Selling the Book: The Functional Translation of Editorial Costa Rica Book Blurbs into English Trabajo de investigación para aspirar al grado de Magíster en Traducción Inglés-Español presentado por Lucy Amelia Toner Toner Cédula No. 8-0107-0292 2017 Nómina de participantes en la actividad final del Trabajo de Graduación Selling the Book: The Functional Translation of Editorial Costa Rica Book Blurbs into English presentado por la sustentante LUCY AMELIA TONER TONER el día 30 de setiembre del 2017 Personal académico calificador: M.A. Meritxell Serrano Tristán _______________________________ Profesora encargada Seminario de Traductología III M.A. Mónica Gómez Hendriks _______________________________ Profesora tutora M.A. Allan Pineda Rodríguez _______________________________ Coordinador Plan de Maestría en Traducción Sustentante: Lucy Amelia Toner Toner ______________________________ ii Explanatory Note The translation presented in this volume has been performed in partial fulfilment of the curricular requirements of the academic degree of Master in English-Spanish Translation at the Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica. Neither the School of Literature and Language Sciences at the Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica nor the translator shall bear any responsibility for any subsequent use of the translation, including its publication. It shall be the responsibility of the person wishing to publish this translation to obtain authorization from the relevant entities for its use and commercialization, without prejudice to the intellectual property rights accorded the translator. In all cases, any use of the text and its translation shall comply with the provisions made in the Copyright and Related Rights Act currently in force in Costa Rica. Nota aclaratoria La traducción que se presenta en este tomo se ha realizado para cumplir con el requisito curricular de obtener el grado académico de Maestría en Traducción Inglés– Español, de la Universidad Nacional. Ni la Escuela de Literatura y Ciencias del Lenguaje de la Universidad Nacional, ni el traductor, tendrá ninguna responsabilidad en el uso posterior que de la versión traducida se haga, incluida su publicación. Corresponderá a quien desee publicar esa versión gestionar ante las entidades pertinentes la autorización para su uso y comercialización, sin perjuicio del derecho de propiedad intelectual del que es depositario el traductor. En cualquiera de los casos, todo uso que se haga del texto y de su traducción deberá atenerse a los alcances de la Ley de Derechos de Autor y Derechos Conexos, vigente en Costa Rica. iii Acknowledgments My sincerest thanks to Francisco Vargas Gómez, Carlos Francisco Monge, Sherry Gapper Morrow, Allan Pineda Rodríguez and Meritxell Serrano Tristán, the academic staff who have helped me with this project at the Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica. I was incredibly lucky to have so much support and encouragement from so many talented, dedicated people. My deep gratitude to Mónica Gómez Hendriks, who has assisted me throughout this entire project—and many others—with friendship, encouragement and advice, and has always been there to supply just the right word when it has eluded me. Finally, my thanks to my family, who have supported and motivated me every step of the way. iv Table of Contents Selling the Book: The Functional Translation of Editorial Costa Rica Book Blurbs into English Nómina de participantes ........................................................................................................... ii Explanatory Note ...................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgments .................................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents ...................................................................................................................... v List of Tables ........................................................................................................................... viii Abstract ..................................................................................................................................... ix Resumen ..................................................................................................................................... x Translation ................................................................................................................................. 1 Translation Research Report ............................................................................................... 153 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 154 Theoretical Framework ................................................................................... 164 1.1 Functionalism............................................................................................................... 164 1.2 The Text Function: Appellative Texts ....................................................................... 165 1.3 Adapting Texts for the Appellative Function: The Specialist Copywriting Translator ............................................................................................................................ 167 1.4 Taking Genre into Account......................................................................................... 168 1.5 The Genre in Question: Common Features of Book Blurbs .................................. 170 1.5.1 Rhetorical Moves Typically Made in Book Blurbs .................................................. 171 v 1.5.2 Common Linguistic Realizations Made in English Blurbs: How Things Are Said . 180 1.6 Book Blurb Corpora Differences and the Crafting of a Unique Structure ............ 184 Methodology .................................................................................................... 187 2.1 The Translation Project Source Text ......................................................................... 187 2.2 The Corpus under Study for This Project ................................................................. 190 2.3 Characteristics of the Source Text ............................................................................ 190 2.4 The Target Text ............................................................................................................ 192 2.5 The Translation Process ............................................................................................. 194 2.6 The Selection of Texts to Be Analyzed ..................................................................... 197 2.7 The Samples ................................................................................................................. 199 2.8 The Techniques Employed for the Analysis ............................................................ 200 Identification of the Target Text Profile ........................................................ 205 3.1 Characteristics of the Ideal Target Text: The Ideal Rhetoric Structure ................ 205 3.2 Characteristics of the Ideal Target Text: Desirable Linguistic Realizations ........ 210 Analysis of Samples........................................................................................ 215 4.1 Samples Requiring No Significant Adaptation of Rhetorical Moves or Linguistic Realizations ........................................................................................................................ 216 4.1.1 Sample 1: Title 63 – Flyaway Wings by Julián Marchena ...................................... 216 4.1.2 Sample 2: Title 79 – The Glorious Scar: The Costa Rican Filibuster War of 1856- 1857 by Iván Molina Jiménez .......................................................................................... 219 4.2 Adaptations Not Requiring External Sources .......................................................... 222 vi 4.2.1 Sample 3: Title 86 – Firefly Tales by Ani Brenes ................................................... 223 4.2.2 Sample 4: Title 61 – Selected Poetry by Ana Istarú............................................... 224 4.2.3 Sample 5: Title 58 – Transatlantic by David Cruz .................................................. 226 4.3 Adaptations Using External Sources ........................................................................ 229 4.3.1 Sample 6: Title 28 – Carmen Lyra: Selected Short Stories by Carmen Lyra ........ 230 4.3.2 Sample 7: Title 7 – The Evil Genie by Rafael Ángel Herra .................................... 232 4.3.3 Sample 8: Title 44 – The Afro-Caribbeans of Costa Rica by Quince Duncan and Carlos Meléndez .............................................................................................................. 235 4.4 Translation as Writing Copy ....................................................................................... 239 4.4.1 Sample 9: Title 82 – The Path to the Sea by José Fernando Álvarez ................... 239 4.4.2 Sample 10: Title 38 – Down All the Farm Paths by María Mayela Padilla ............ 242 4.4.3 Sample 11: Title 102 – Pedro and his Magical Puppet Show by Carlos Rubio ..... 245 4.4.4 Sample 12: Title 15 – The Executioner’s Labyrinth by Jorge Méndez Limbrick .... 247 4.4.5 Sample 13: Title 74 – In the Seventh