Translation Problems - Tumblr Posts

From Spanish to English: Translating fics

I love Spanish, I love my native language. It's simply magnificent.

I also like English; it's an interesting language, and I like that it has many words for expressions where in Spanish you would have to use more than two words. However, it also frustrates me a bit, especially when I translate my fics.

Obviously, I write in Spanish and think about how it will sound in Spanish, so when I translate, some words lose their strength when replaced with their English versions. I suppose it's also my lack of English vocabulary; I won't deny that.

But there are some things that are simply limitations of the language. For example, "Usted."

I love the use of "Usted" in Spanish. It's a way of showing respect that doesn't exist in English, at least not in the same way and with the same intention.

And I really like it when I write conversations between Sofia and other characters, like Cedric, because even though (at least in my country) children are not usually addressed with "Usted," Cedric and other adults use it with her out of respect for her title (princess, royalty).

So, when Cedric doesn't use that tone with Sofia in my stories, it feels like there's a level of closeness and friendship just in the way they can talk to each other. And that's something that gets lost in English. I don't know, I just really like the use of "Usted," and it makes me sad that it gets lost.