Loucas ‘Transcreates’ Piedra de Sol
This past fall, Undergraduate Lindsey Loucas re-entered a very familiar world to her: the world of translation. Under the direction of Prof. David Colmenares, her directed study began by discussing the theory of translation and then used these ideas to focus on some poetry – particularly the poetry of Octavio Paz. She wrote weekly blog posts about her experience. For her final project, she did a “transcreation” of Octavio Paz’s Piedra de Sol – taking her literal translation from earlier in the semester, shortening it with an eye to maintaining meaning but creating something “fresh and new”.
Translating is nothing new to Lindsey: on the first day of kindergarten, she found herself thrust into a Spanish-speaking classroom. Immediately she had to figure out how to ask for what she needed in a different language. What was the word for bathroom? Rug? Snack? Though a tough transition, it prepared her for her for the difficult job of translating ancient Latin in high school. Her senior year, she wrote a paper about the translation of poetry and how something is always lost – no translation can ever re-create the original piece, “What I have found doing this work with Prof Colmenares is that something is always gained in translation, too: the ability for a wider audience to enjoy the work a writer has created.”
Lindsey Loucas is a junior at Boston University double majoring in Spanish and Psychology.