An Interview with translator Harry Morales

Q... As a translator of Mexican nonfiction, you are in a unique position to characterize it, to dissect its structure and style. What, in your estimation, makes Mexican nonfiction Mexican? What makes it unique?

Morales... In strict regard to the two essays I translated for Issue #23, "Vigil in Tehuantepec," by Alberto Ruy Sanchez, and "Group Photo: 100 Million Mexicans," by Juan Villoro, I think that ultimately what makes Mexican nonfiction Mexican is the willingness to explore those easily disguised topics that are wholly germane to Mexico's cultural history, one's political allegiances notwithstanding. One element that makes Mexican nonfiction unique is the intriguing exploration of self against a varied backdrop, but most interestingly, the U.S.

Q... What are the challenges of translating such vibrant literature into English?

Morales... Jorge Luis Borges, in a note to his translator, Norman Thomas di Giovanni, wrote, "No escribas lo que digo, sino lo que quiero decir." ("Don't write what I say, but what I mean to say.") Although I don't necessarily evaluate and qualify my translation work according to this famed admonition, it does serve as a distant backdrop when I render Spanish material into English. Although Ruy Sanchez and Villoro write in quite different styles, the challenge presented by their material was rooted in understanding and accepting their approach to their respective themes and the integrity of their "I ...."

Q... You translated two very different essays. One seems more grounded in a narrative of statistics and analysis, while the other is much more impressionistic and personal. Could you speak a little about how you approached these essays? What do they share?

Morales... I approached these essays in the same manner I approach all my translating projects, namely, I purposely do not read any portion of the material in advance. I begin translating the text as I'm reading it for the first time. This method, which is also used by a number of my renown colleagues, affords me a "first impact" that I so relish. Both essays share various facets of Mexican culture and history presented in a genuine fashion.

Q... Ilan Stavans makes the claim that often in Mexican nonfiction, the substance is in the style. How do you go about faithfully translating an essay when its substance is not necessarily stated but lies in word choice, rhythm and tone?

Morales... Eventually, it's a matter of trusting the author of the text and his or her "substance" of choice. A translator is often challenged to understand if the chosen vocabulary, rhythm and tone are pieces, perhaps even numbered, meant to form a canvas. For me, it is my constantly developing—through the mental exercise that is required for actively translating—acute hearing that I place my faith in; the author of the text is the conduit. As Italo Calvino, who was masterfully translated from the Italian by William Weaver, wrote in Invisible Cities, "It is not the voice that commands The story: it is the ear."