Chocolate, the divine drink that conquered Europe: Problems faced and Methods applied

The problems faced in regards of words or expressions that were hard to translate and the explanation about the techniques that were applied for best results.

Imagen taken from:

http://image.slidesharecdn.com/tecnicastraduccion-120430021404-phpapp02/95/tcnicas-de-traduccin-2-728.jpg?cb=1341405704

The problems faced in regards of words or expressions that were hard to translate and the explanation about the techniques that were applied for best results.

When I started reading the text of the origin of chocolate, the first thing I do It was  read it completely, to get an overall idea of it, then I started paragraph by paragraph to find the key words as verbs and words, I take these words to start write sentences.

I had difficulties in translating some phrases and words like:

Pese a los recelos iniciales.

Because the logical connector is kind of strange and it´s not easy to replace it

«el chocolate parecía más bien una bebida para cerdos que para ser consumido por la humanidad».

Because the time were is written is complex and with a more simple time changes its meaning

«Liquidum non frangit jejunum» (Expresión en latín)

Because is written in Latin, and don’t have a translation

la jícara¡Oh, divino chocolate / que arrodillado te muelen / manos plegadas te baten / y ojos al cielo te beben!

It is a native word from a specific culture without a translation or a name.

Cacao en lengua del Anahuac / es pan de dioses, o Cacahuac».

I think that make a translation of a paragraph written in prose is kind of difficult even if it written in times like simple present, past, etc, make a translation of a poem it more difficult and most of the times changes the meaning of some sentences, it could be because the times that it’s written: “pluscuanperfecto” .

Translation methods used:

·       Borrowing: is the taking of words directly from one language into another without translation.

Example:

chocolate caliente como bebida llegó a formar parte imprescindible del «agasajo», ritual.

chocolate as drink became  part of the "agasajo" this ritual had made followed by the

·         Literal Translation:  A word-for-word translation can be used in some languages and not others dependent on the sentence structure.

Example: “El chocolate, la bebida divina que conquisto Europa”

“The chocolate, divine drink that conquered Europe”

Almost all of the text was traduced with this method.

·         Adaptation:  Adaptation occurs when something specific to one language culture is expressed in a totally different way that is familiar or appropriate to another language culture.  

For example in the region's own expressions:

Oh divine chocolate / that kneel you are grinded / folded hands you are milled / and eyes to heaven drink you!"

By.

Andrea de los Angeles Escobar