Monday, August 18, 2008

Translation... slowing down to smell the "rosas"

Translations can be tedious. Translations can be challenging. But translations can also be beneficial and, in time, can yield joy.

I love to translate texts that really move me, because when I slow down to think about each word, savor it, and select a word in another language as it's "equivalent", I have taken the time to enjoy the text and meditate on it.

I encourage my students to write essays between classes, as optional homework, and to try translating something from Spanish into English from time to time. Pick a text you love, or ask for a text that your teacher thinks you will learn to love...and then get to work!

Benefits include:
*A tired brain, to help you sleep well.
*New vocabulary words you didn't even know you didn't know.
*An opportunity to meditate on a text that you want to understand better.
*The finished product: a text you love, translated, that you can share with others.
*An alternative to watching TV.
*A job... if you get good at translation, you can charge people for your services.

Find something that you want to turn into English, or into Spanish, and get to work!

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