{"id":837,"date":"2018-06-04T20:52:13","date_gmt":"2018-06-05T00:52:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/dremadeoraich\/?p=837"},"modified":"2018-06-04T20:59:26","modified_gmt":"2018-06-05T00:59:26","slug":"rejection-continued","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/index.php\/2018\/06\/04\/rejection-continued\/","title":{"rendered":"Rejection, Continued"},"content":{"rendered":"

Now I\u2019m telling you that this short story seems to be a lesson without end.<\/p>\n

I finally got the requested translations from a native speaker of Ixil, working through Maya Translators, LLC<\/a>, in Florida. The woman faithfully provided conversions for all 45-50 English\/Spanish words in my list, in proper context for my story. I was so excited, I put everything else aside and plugged the Ixil into my draft right away, then read it through.<\/p>\n

What a surprise! The new version turned out choppy, difficult to read, much less understand. Why? The reason seems so obvious\u2014in hindsight. I had failed to consider that some English or Spanish words don\u2019t convert one-for-one into another language; some of the terms on my list required a multi-word \u201cexplanation\u201d in Ixil to convey the proper meaning. From the translator\u2019s explanation, I gathered that words like \u201ctinamou\u201d might change into \u201csmall bird who walks,\u201d while \u201cpozol\u201d might be expressed \u201cfermented corn drink.\u201d The translator didn\u2019t offer Ixil conversions for these, so I\u2019m guessing here. But she did suggest I leave them as-is, whether in English or Spanish. For the same reason, even some of the translations she did provide proved too distracting in the text of my story, like \u201ck\u2019alol qul q\u2019ab\u2019\u201d for the word \u201cbracelet\u201d or \u201cunq\u2019a kulog\u2019o\u2019m\u201d for \u201cpurchases.\u201d To leave them in would make comprehension of the story too difficult for the reader.<\/p>\n

Other terms did translate, yet I chose not to use them. The daughters in \u201cUpshot\u201d refer to the protagonist as \u201cMam\u00e1,\u201d a label recognizable to most of my intended readership. The Ixil equivalent, \u201cTxutx,\u201d might look to English-speaking readers like a name, instead of a title. Its meaning, its impact, would be lost. For the same reason, I did not convert the more familiar word \u201cquetzal\u201d into \u201cq\u2019uuq\u2019,\u201d lest the reader miss the story\u2019s ecological impact.<\/p>\n

In the end, I made several passes through the draft, revising, substituting, and tweaking to find a combination of English, Spanish and Ixil words that would maximize the story\u2019s impact. One friend who is familiar with the Ixil region in Guatemala told me that using a combination like this adds more authenticity, since some Spanish terms have been \u201cseeded\u201d into the native populations, even as some Mayan phrases intermingled with the wider Spanish usage. Other resources I\u2019d queried admitted that their Mayan friends had been reluctant to make suggestions because of these context issues.<\/p>\n

When I originally wrote this story a year ago, I had no idea how it would broaden my understanding. Not only did it raise my awareness of endangered languages and the violent history of this beautiful country, it also made me think in much more specific terms about location for a story, including all the details that dictates. Now that it is almost completed, I plan to enter it into a contest, see how far it will go. I\u2019m quite proud of the final result. All those who read it in their efforts to assist found it moving, so we\u2019ll see what happens.<\/p>\n

\u201cUpshot\u201d has proven to be a journey for me, touched me in a way most of my other short stories have not. I\u2019ve developed a deeper connection to what little I\u2019ve learned of Guatemala\u2019s culture and history and feel drawn to experience it up close. One of my contacts visits Lake Atitl\u00e1n almost every year. Perhaps I can accompany her on her next trip.<\/p>\n

UPDATE<\/strong><\/span>: If you\u2019ve been watching the news at all, you\u2019ve heard about Sunday\u2019s eruption of Volcan de Fuego, near Antigua in Guatemala. I\u2019ve checked with my contacts, who say all their local connections are safe and accounted for. The same cannot be said for many others. The New York Times said more than two million people have been affected. The current death toll stands at 62, but that is likely to rise. Thoughts and prayers cannot build the evacuees new houses or heal their burns or find their lost loved ones, but I will offer them anyway from here in this moment. I\u2019ll be watching in the days and weeks to come to learn what more I can do.<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"