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English to Spanish: Fragment of Flaubert's Parrot by Julian Barnes (permission granted through Master's Degree tasks) Detailed field: Poetry & Literature
Source text - English Perhaps the foundry’s assurances can be believed; perhaps this second-impression statue will last. But I see no particular grounds of confidence. Nothing much else to do with Flaubert has ever lasted. He died little more than a hundred years ago, and all that remains of him is paper. Paper, ideas, phrases, metaphors, structured prose which turns into sound. This, as it happens, is precisely what he would have wanted; it is only his admirers who sentimentally complain. The writer’s house at Croisset was knocked down shortly after his death and replaced by a factory for extracted alcohol from damaged wheat. It wouldn’t take much to get rid of his effigy either: if one statue-loving Mayor can put it up, another perhaps a bookish party –liner who has half-read Sartre on Flaubert might zealously take it down. I begin with the statue, because that’s where I began the whole project. Why does the writing make us chase the writer? Why can’t we leave well alone? Why aren’t the books enough? Flaubert wanted them to be: few writers believe more in the objectivity of the written text and the insignificance of the writer’s personality; yet, still we disobediently pursue. The image, the face, the signature: the 93 per cent copper statue and he Nadar photograph. The scrap of clothing and the lock of hair. What makes us randy for relics? Don’t we believe the words enough? Do we think the leavings of a life contain some ancillary truth?
Translation - Spanish Quizá se pueda creer en las garantías de la fundición; quizá esta segunda versión de la estatua perdure. Pero no encuentro ningún motivo que me inspire confianza. Nada relacionado con Flaubert ha durado jamás. Murió hace poco más de cien años y todo lo que queda de él es papel. Papel, ideas, frases, metáforas y prosa estructurada que se convierte en sonido. Esto es, precisamente, lo que él hubiera querido; solo sus admiradores se quejan sentimentalmente. La casa del escritor en Croisset fue derribada poco después de su muerte y reemplazada por una fábrica de alcohol obtenido a partir de trigo estropeado. Tampoco sería difícil deshacerse de su efigie: si un alcalde amante de las estatuas puede levantarla, otro, quizá un fanático de los libros que ha leído por encima lo que Sartre dice de Flaubert, puede destruirla celosamente. Empiezo por la estatua, pues ahí empecé con todo el proyecto. ¿Por qué la escritura nos hace perseguir al escritor? ¿Por qué no podemos dejarlo en paz? ¿Por qué no nos basta con los libros? Flaubert quería que así fuera: pocos escritores creen más en la objetividad del texto escrito y en la insignificancia de la personalidad del escritor; sin embargo, seguimos persiguiéndolos con desobediencia. La imagen, el rostro, la firma, la estatua de un 93% de cobre, la fotografía de Nadar, el retal de ropa y el mechón de pelo. ¿Por qué nos vuelven locos las reliquias? ¿No creemos lo suficiente en las palabras? ¿Acaso pensamos que los restos de una vida contienen cierta verdad auxiliar?
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Translation education
Master's degree - ISTRAD
Experience
Years of experience: 2. Registered at ProZ.com: Sep 2023. Became a member: Jun 2024.
English to Spanish (Instituto Superior de Estudios Lingüísticos y Traducción, verified) Spanish to English (Instituto Superior de Estudios Lingüísticos y Traducción, verified)
Memberships
N/A
Software
memoQ, Microsoft Office Pro, Microsoft Word, Trados Studio, Wordfast
I was born in Spain with a strong interest in learning languages and experiencing different cultures. To pursue my passion, I chose to study Translation. Currently, I reside in Istanbul, working as a freelance translator for English-to-Spanish and Spanish-to-English translations. My education includes a Master's degree in Translation Studies from ISTRAD (Instituto Superior de Estudios Lingüísticos y Traducción) and a Bachelor's degree in Media from Universitat Politécnica de València.
As my expertise lies in literature, I translated and proofread an entire short novel and a non-fiction book during my internship at a Spanish publishing house. In addition to my specialization, I have experience in general translation. Ultimately, I aim to establish myself as a full-time remote freelance translator and turn my passion into my profession.