As part of the Praxis II Spanish translation course being taught by Assistant Professor Martín Gaspar, Tri-Co students have created Spanish editions of two newspapers produced by the non-profit Healthy NewsWorks.
Originally produced by middle and elementary school students, the new Spanish editions can be found on the Healthy NewsWorks website. Printed versions will be distributed in Norristown and Philadelphia by Bryn Mawr College’s Civic Engagement Program.
From the NewsWorks website:
Getting the translations just right was challenging, Dr. Gaspar said. “Certain expressions like ‘making a comeback’ sound common enough, but a rendition in Spanish takes quite a bit of rephrasing,” he explained.
Fitting the translations into a newspaper format was also a demanding task. “A newspaper has limited space,” Dr. Gaspar said. “Spanish translations are 20 percent longer than their English originals, so it’s crucial to be economical when translating.
“Newspapers also require catchy headlines which was another difficulty,” he added. “‘Heart health’ can easily become five or more words in Spanish, unless the translator takes time to keep the crispness required in a headline.”
Gaspar and his students have two more translation projects lined up. They’ll be working with Casa Materna (Nicaragua) and ACLAMO Family Centers (Norristown).