Let's Compare "Untranslatable" Phrases from La Sombra del Viento
English

Let's Compare "Untranslatable" Phrases from La Sombra del Viento

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reading
literature
language learning
linguistics
multilingual book club 01

Hi, multilingual book club members! I'm writing this post in English, my native language, because I figured I could reach more of you that way. I'm sure it will be read by many more people than all my posts in Galego combined, LOL. But thank you very much to those of you who do read my Galego posts even if you don't speak Galego!

Anyway, I thought it would be fun to compare the translations into different languages of passages from the book that appear to be "untranslatable". I'm a professional translator myself, so I find these things fascinating. So far, I've worked mostly with legal and governmental documents, but my goal is to transition into literary translation this year.

That being the case, I've had translation in the back of my mind while reading La Sombra del Viento, and several times I've come across passages that made me think, "How on Earth would I translate that?!". Carlos Ruiz Zafón's writing is very poetic, and he often plays with the words in a way that just wouldn't carry over into another language. Here's an example:

[Spoiler alert: The quote below is from chapter 6 of part 1 of the book. It introduces a new character, but I don't think the quote in isolation gives away anything about the plot.]

"No seas malicioso, Daniel. Seguro que Adrián te cae divinamente."
Como un piano de cola desde un séptimo piso, pensé.

In Spanish, the verb "caer" means "to fall", but when used in relation to a person it doesn't mean that the person falls on top of you. Rather, it means that you like them, that they make a good impression on you and you get along well with them.

So the meaning of the first line, spoken by Clara is, "Don't be mean, Daniel. You're sure to get along great with Adrián."

And, running with this image of Adrián "falling" on him, Daniel thinks to himself, "Like a grand piano from a seventh-floor apartment".

If I were translating La Sombra del Viento, I really don't know how I would tackle this passage, and I'm very curious to see what other translators have done. If you're reading the book in a language other than Spanish, please leave the translation of this passage in the comments below!

If you find this kind of analysis interesting, maybe this can be the first in a series of posts on "untranslatables". I have a couple more I've collected so far.

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