Handbook for translators of Spanish historical ... - University Library

PROCEDURE IN TRANSLATION
historical documents, which are usually official in character.
Idioms occur frequently. The frequency of their occurrence
progresses as one descends the scale of military, civil,
or religious rank. Sergeants, corporals, and privates make
more extensive use of idioms than do commissioned officers.
Likewise, rsmchmen and farmers generally use more idioms
than merchants or civilian officers; and parish priests make
more use of them than "bishops. The translation of idioms
involves extremely vexing problems . Three questions are
asked "by the translator: Should an idiom "be translated
"by a corresponding idiom? Should the words of the idiom
"be translated as given? Should the idea alone "be translated?
If the words of the idiom alone are given, the
resulting translation will pro"ba"bly be meaningless. For
instance, the Spanish idiom, Aquf hay gato encerrado if
translated literally, would be "Here there is a cat locked
in." If the same idiom is translated by a corresponding
idiom, "There is a nigger in the woodpile," the flavor
of the original may be altogether lost. In this case, which
is a good example of the type \inder consideration, whereas
the Spanish idiom is ixniversal, the corresponding English
idiom has a regional value. The expression, "There is a
nigger in the woodpile," is chiefly Southern; and there is
no assurance that it was used contemporaneously with the
Spanish idiom. If the idea alone is translated, the flavor
of the original is altogether lost. The translator may
decide for himself which of these three methods, or any
other, he will use in translating idioms.
It is preferable in the translation of idioms to make
use of a combination of those mentioned above. Idioms
should be divided into two general classes: universal
and provincial. Whenever an idiom is known to be universal,
or when it is so obvious that the average reader can arrive
at the correct translation without assistance, the corresponding
idiom should be given; e.g. , De pies a^ cabeza,
"From head to foot." In this idiom, as in many others of
this class, the idea is expressed differently since the
survey commences with the feet and ends with the head. In
the English idiom, the survey commences with the head and
ends with the feet. Nevertheless, neither in "Spanish nor
in English are these idioms local; and they are generally
acknowledged to be correspondents of each other. In the
translation of provincial idioms, on the other hand, it is
more accurate not to give a corresponding idiom; it is advisable,
instead, to translate the words of the original,
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