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Spanish to English: Argentine 20th. Century Children's Literature. United Nations/ Argentine Government General field: Art/Literary
Source text - Spanish JOHN ENTERO, EL PIRATA BARBANADA
Martín Blasco
Pocos piratas tuvieron una carrera tan extraordinaria como John Entero. Ya desde chico se había destacado en la escuela de piratas, sacando las más altas notas en las materias Atracos, Búsqueda del Tesoro y Amaestramiento de Loros. Con sólo siete años de edad, participó en su primer abordaje y nunca más paró: a los catorce ya era un avezado marinero, a los dieciséis ganó el primer premio de un concurso de espadachines y a los diecisiete ya sabía preparar la merluza de cincuenta y cuatro formas distintas, incluida la complicadísima “merluza a la manteca negra con alcaparras” y los “calamares rellenos de acelga azul” (es obligación de todo pirata saber cocinar pescados y mariscos). A los veintiún años fue elegido pirata del año por la revista Buque negro y la guía Crustáceo de mar le dio cinco garfios por su desempeño en batalla. Ahí fue cuando empezaron los problemas para John.
Como es sabido, las batallas entre piratas son feroces. Cada vez que dos barcos se cruzan y comienzan las trifulcas, las espadas chocan y los hombres pelean con toda su fuerza. Hasta es difícil saber a qué bando pertenece cada uno de la confusión que se arma: cuando los piratas pelean, se dan con todo. Es que a ellos les gusta eso; el salvajismo es parte importante de su profesión. Por eso muestran con orgullo sus heridas de guerra: las patas de palo, los garfios y los parches de ojos son para los piratas como las medallas para los militares. Cuando una batalla entre dos tripulaciones pirata termina, el capitán revisa a sus hombres y el estado en que se encuentran. Lo hace tomando lista, y cada hombre, al escuchar su nombre, responde indicando cómo ha quedado después de la lucha.
—¿Bianco? —preguntó el capitán.
—Aquí, Capitán, con una pierna menos —respondió Bianco.
—¿Penacini?
—Aquí, Capitán, sólo perdí una oreja —respondió Penacini mientras se rascaba la otra.
Y así con cada pirata.
Cuando un pirata ha salido de la batalla sin un solo rasguño, simplemente responde: “entero”.
—¿John? —preguntó el capitán.
—Entero, Capitán —respondió John con alegría.
—Muy bien jovencito, lo felicito.
Las primeras veces, cuando al concluir una ardua batalla, John respondía “entero”, todo el mundo lo felicitaba por ser tan buen pirata. Es que John era tan hábil con la espada, tan rápido en sus movimientos, tan valiente en sus ataques, que siempre salía ileso. La escena se repetía batalla tras batalla.
—¿Olivetti?
—Aquí, Capitán, con tres muelas menos y el labio partido.
—¿Giampaolo?
—Muerto… ¡Ah, no!, me pareció nomás, disculpe —respondió Giampaolo.
—¿John?
—Entero, Capitán.
—¡Muy bien, John!
John comenzó a ser conocido como “John Entero”, apodo que lo ponía muy orgulloso, pues resaltaba su buen desempeño en la lucha. Pero cuando el tiempo fue pasando, quedar siempre “entero” se convirtió en un problema.
Es que, como dijimos antes, los piratas están muy orgullosos de sus heridas y se supone que a un buen pirata siempre le tiene que faltar algo: un ojo, un pie, ¡al menos una oreja! Otros jóvenes piratas, de la misma edad de John, ya paseaban con orgullo sus patas de palos, usaban sus garfios para asustar a las señoritas o competían entre ellos a ver quién tenía la cicatriz más grande. Y John, “entero”.
Comenzó a darle vergüenza ser un pirata “entero”, sin el menor rasguño para mostrar. Esto afectó seriamente su carrera. No ascendía. Otros piratas con menos capacidad y experiencia llegaban al puesto de capitán antes que él. Es que ninguna tripulación quería tener un capitán sin pata de palo, ni garfio ni parche en el ojo: ¿dónde se ha visto?
Ante cada nuevo abordaje, John se lanzaba al ataque con valentía, dispuesto a cambiar su situación. Era un luchador feroz, el que más hombres enfrentaba en batalla. Pero el resultado era siempre el mismo.
—¿Peralta?
—No puede responder, Capitán. Perdió la lengua.
—¿Giordano?
—Aquí, Capitán, sin el meñique… igual mucho no lo usaba.
—¿Giampaolo?
—Muerto. ¡Ah no!… me equivoqué de nuevo.
—¿John?
—Entero —respondía John con tristeza.
Cansado de permanecer “entero”, John buscaba por todos los medios cambiar su condición. Un tiempo usó un parche en el ojo izquierdo con la excusa de que se le cansaba la vista. Pero lo mandaron al oculista y, al comprobarse que no tenía nada, lo obligaron a sacárselo. Probó con usar zapatos ortopédicos y aparatos en los dientes, pero eso no contaba, seguía siendo “entero”.
En cada nueva lucha, se esforzaba por cambiar su estado.
—¿John?
—Resfriado, Capitán.
—Eso no cuenta…
—¡Ah!… entero entonces.
O:
—¿John?
—Deprimido, Capitán.
—Tampoco cuenta.
—¡Ufa! Entero…
¿Y a qué se debía esta extraordinaria cualidad de John de salir siempre “entero”? En realidad lo que pasaba era que ponía tanto esfuerzo en la batalla que ningún enemigo se animaba a atacarlo. Era cuestión de verlo llegar con la espada en la mano, para que quien lo tuviese enfrente fuera presa del terror y no juntara coraje suficiente para devolverle el golpe. Con sólo entrar a la pelea más relajado, le hubiese bastado para que le sacaran un ojo o al menos para perder algunos dientes.
Sin embargo, la suerte de John Entero cambió repentinamente cuando cumplió veinticinco años y se hizo notorio algo que venía pasando desde hacía mucho tiempo: no le crecía la barba. Nada. Ni un pelito. Tenía, sí, una hermosa melena de rulos rubios; pero barba, nada. En realidad, su padre ya se lo había advertido: todos los hombres de su familia carecían de barba.
Esa tarde, al terminar la batalla del día y mientras el capitán tomaba lista…
—¿Bianchi?
—Aquí, Capitán, con una ceja prendida fuego.
—¿Tambelini?
—Creo que perdí el sentido del olfato…
—Bien, ya no tendrá que bañarse. ¿John?
—No me crece la barba.
Los piratas presentes observaron con cuidado a John y descubrieron que lo que decía era cierto: de todos ellos, John era el único que no tenía barba. Nada, ni un solo pelito. En seguida corrió la voz de la terrible desgracia que golpeaba a John. Piratas sin brazos y sin piernas se lamentaron por él. Para ellos, no tener barba era la peor de las heridas.
—¿López?
—Perdí los tres ojos, Capitán.
—¡¿Cómo que tres ojos?!
—Es que tenía uno de vidrio en el bolsillo de repuesto…
—¡Ah! ¿Manino? ¿Manino? ¡Responda, Manino! ¡No se me quede mirando con esa cara de dormido!
—Me parece que se quedó sordo —le aclaró Peralta al capitán.
—Disculpe, Manino. ¿John? ¿Alguna novedad? ¿Aunque sea un par de pelitos en la pera?
—Nada, Capitán. De barba, nada.
Y así fue como John Entero pasó a llamarse John Barbanada. Logró convertirse en capitán y sus aventuras fueron tan conocidas como las de Barbarroja o Barbanegra, piratas no más valientes que él, pero de tupidas barbas. Y desde ese día, los piratas del mundo temieron y respetaron a John por lo que, para ellos, era una hazaña sin igual: haber sobrevivido a la terrible desgracia de que no le creciera la barba.
Martín Blasco, Vidas Piratas. Buenos Aires, Sigmar
Translation - English JOHN UNHARMED, NOBEARD THE PIRATE
Martín Blasco
Few pirates had such an extraordinary career as John Unharmed. Since he was a child, he stood out in pirate school, getting the highest grades in Thefts, Treasure Hunting and Parrot Training. Just at the age of seven, he participated in his first pirate boarding and never stopped since then: at fourteen he was already a skilled sailor, at seventeen he won the first award in a swordsmanship competition, and at seventeen he already knew how to prepare hake fish in fifty four different ways, even "hake with black butter and capers” and “squid stuffed with blue chard" (it is an obligation for every true pirate to know how to cook fish and seafood). When he was twenty one he was chosen Pirate of the Year by the magazine Black Ship, and the Sea Crustacean Guide gave him five hooks for his performance in battle. It was then that John’s problems started.
As it is widely known, pirate battles are fierce. Whenever two ships get side by side, there are clashes and sword fights, and men put all their strength into that. It is even difficult to know what side they belong to because of the confusion: when pirates fight, they beat each other up wildly. This is because they like it; the savage touch is an important part of their profession. That is why they proudly show their war wounds: stick-legs, hooks and eye patches are to pirates like medals to the military. At the end of a battle between two crews, the captain checks his men and their condition. To do that he calls the roll, and each man, on hearing his name, reports about his state after the fight.
-Bianco? –asked the captain.
-Here, Captain, one leg lost –answered Bianco
-Penacini?
-Here, Captain, just an ear lost –answered Penacini scratching his other ear.
And he went on asking every pirate.
When a pirate comes out of battle without a single bruise, he just answers: "unharmed".
-John? –asked the captain.
-Unharmed, Captain –answered John joyfully.
-Very good, young man, congratulations.
The first few times, when a battle was over and John answered "unharmed”, everybody congratulated him for being such a good pirate. The fact is that John was so skilled with the sword, so quick in his movements, so brave in his attacks, that he always came out unhurt. This scene was repeated battle after battle.
-Olivetti?
-Here, Captain, three molars lost and one lip cut open.
-Giampaolo?
-Dead… Oh, no!, I just thought I was, sorry –answered Giampaolo.
-John?
-Unharmed, Captain.
-Very good, John!
John began to be known as “John Unharmed”, a nickname that made him very proud, because it showed his good performance in fight. But as time went by, being always "unharmed" became a problem.
Because, as we already said, pirates are very proud of their wounds and are always supposed to have something missing: an eye, a foot, at least an ear! Other young pirates, the same age as John, strolled proudly around with their stick-legs, used their hooks to scare young ladies or competed to check who had the biggest scar. And John was always "unharmed”.
He began to feel ashamed of being an “unharmed” pirate, without a single bruise to show. This damaged his career very seriously. He did not get a promotion. Other less skilled and less experienced pirates climbed up to captain before him. No crew wanted to have a captain without a stick-leg, or a hook or an eye patch: how come?
On each new boarding, John charged bravely, ready to change his situation. He was a fierce fighter, and also attacked the most men in battle. But the result was always the same.
-Peralta?
-He can’t answer, Captain. He lost his tongue.
-Giordano?
-Here, Captain, I lost one of my little fingers… anyway I didn’t use it very much.
-Giampaolo?
-Dead. Oh, no! Wrong again.
-John?
-Unharmed –answered John sadly.
Tired of staying “unharmed”, John tried to change his condition by all possible means. For some time he wore a patch on his left eye, pretending he had tired eyes. But he was sent to an eye-doctor who realized that there was nothing wrong with his eyes, so he was made to take it off. He tried wearing orthopedic shoes and teeth braces, but that did not count, he was still “unharmed”.
After each new fight, he tried hard to change his report.
-John?
-I have a cold, Captain.
-It doesn’t count…
-Oh! Unharmed, then.
Or:
-John?
-Depressed, Captain.
-It doesn’t count either.
-Goodness! Unharmed…
And what was John’s extraordinary ability for being “unharmed” due to? Actually, the thing is that he put so much effort in the battle that no enemy dared to attack him. Whoever was in front of him just panicked seeing him come forward with the sword in his hand, and could not gather enough courage to strike back. If only he had gone into fight more relaxed, he would have got an eye pulled out or at least would have lost some teeth.
However, John Unharmed’s luck changed suddenly when he turned twenty five and it became evident that something had been going wrong for a long while: his beard was not growing. Nothing at all. Not a single hair. He did have beautiful blonde hair, but as to a beard... none. Actually, his father had already warned him: the men in their family did not grow a beard.
That afternoon, when the daily battle was over and the captain was calling the roll…
-Bianchi?
-Here, Captain, with an eyebrow on fire.
-Tambelini?
-I think I lost the sense of smell…
-Well, you won’t need to take a bath any more. John?
-My beard isn't growing.
The pirates watched John carefully and found that what he said was true: John was the only one among them who did not have a beard. None; not a single hair. Soon word went around about the terrible tragedy that was hitting John. Armless and legless pirates were sorry for him. To them, not having a beard was the worst possible wound.
-López?
-I lost my three eyes, Captain.
-How come your three eyes?!
-That’s because… I had a spare glass one in my pocket…
-Oh! Manino? Manino? Answer, Manino! Don't stare at me with that dumb face!
-I think he’s become deaf –explained Peralta to the captain.
-Sorry, Manino. John? Any news? A couple of thin hairs on your chin at least?
-None, Captain. No beard at all.
And this is how John Unharmed started to be called John Nobeard. He managed to become captain and his adventures were as famous as Redbeard’s or Blackbeard’s, two pirates who had not been less brave than he was, but who had had hairy beards. From that day on, the world’s pirates feared and respected John for what was an unmatchable prowess: having survived the terrible tragedy of not having a beard.
Martín Blasco, Vidas Piratas. Buenos Aires, Sigmar
Spanish to English: Children's literature, from Spanish into English, publised by Ed. Abran Cancha, Argentina General field: Art/Literary
Source text - Spanish Casabe, un regalo de los dioses
Casabe, a Gift from the Gods
Carmen Martínez
Ilustraciones de María Delia Lozupone.
Buenos Aires, Ediciones Abran Cancha, 2007. Colección Caballo Bayo Bilingüe.
Traducción de Delia Maunás. Edición en español/inglés.
"La cadencia, la poesía y el sabor de las historias del Caribe se conjugan en esta leyenda acerca del pan hecho con la yuca, también conocida como mandioca. La puertorriqueña Carmen Martínez ofrece una divertida y profunda historia donde la amistad entre Caonabo y Guaitiao te atrapará."
(Texto extraído de la contratapa del libro.)
Además del cuento, el libro incluye actividades y juegos.
Translation - English A gift from the Gods.
Translation by Delia Maunás
(transcript of the first page of the book)
Once again Caonabo fell asleep in the shade of the yucca plantation. The sun had beaten him so hard that the shade served both as a parasol and a mute accomplice. Guaitiao, his friend and servant, had found some jaiba caves and wanted to start fishing before the jaibas were scared away. He liked competition, and competing with the son of the tribe chief was like eating a sweet for him.
These two boys had grown up together. Guaitiao was the youngest son of the most hard-working naboria from the conuco, and Caonabo was the son of the great chief Guarionex. Guaitiao was in a hurry to start fishing because the areyto was drawing near and he needed some time to get ready for the occasion.
-Caonabo! Are you dreaming again? –shouted Guaitiao in astonishment as he saw the chief’s son shake restlessly while asleep-. You should be looking for crab caves and here you are lying like a jicotea about to lay an egg.
It took Caonabú some effort to get over his drowsiness. The boy had been haunted by strange images in his sleep. He had seen boys and girls dressed up in clothes he had never seen before in his yucayeque.
-Take it easy, Guaitiao, it was only a few minutes. The sun was burning my head and I looked for shelter in the shade. Can you tell me why you’re in such a hurry?
Guaitiao knew very well that it was better to let him be. Anyway, he did not know how long his friend had been asleep and did not want to waste any time arguing.
-It’s about the caves, I’ve found them and it’s not long before the areyto. So, now you get up and let’s get going.
The boys set off on their way. Caonabo started to tell his friend what he had dreamt about during his short rest.
-Guaitiao, you can’t imagine. They wear clothes from head to foot and drink from glasses as glittering as cuabas in daytime.
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