Stories from Puerto Rico
by Adela Martinez-Santiago, Robert Muckley
List Price:
Our Price: $12.94
You Save: $0.01 (0%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $4.45 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Adela Martinez-Santiago, Robert MuckleyEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); Spanish (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1999-06-11
ISBN: 0844204021
Number of pages: 192
Publisher: McGraw-Hill
Book Reviews of Stories from Puerto Rico
Book Review: Translation is too loose
Summary: 3 Stars
This is the second "Side-by-Side" book I have read.
I prefer the first, "Stories from Latin America,"
because the editors of that volume better understood
their purpose -- which is to present side-by-side versions
of the same story, such that a reader conversant in one
language but not the other, may learn new vocabulary, verify
verb tense, etc. If one looks at the back cover of "Stories
from Puerto Rico," one sees that it says there that "we've
placed the Spanish and English stories side by side -- lado a
lado -- so you can practice and improve your reading skills in your
new language while enjoying the support of your native language.
That way, you'll avoid the inconvenience of constantly having to
look up unfamiliar words and expressions in a dictionary."
Well, you had better have a dictionary handy if you plan to
learn from this book. I have been exasperated time and again by
English translations that are too loose to be useful. If one is
translating for the purpose of conveying the sense and spirit of
a story, then a precise word-for-word translation is unnecessary.
However, this book is designed for language students who are trying
to learn a foreign language. A precise translation is just what's
needed, and I think it's what was promised on that back cover. Yet,
this is not what the book delivers. Let me give an example. There
are many to choose from. This one appears on page 117. Here's the
Spanish version:
"No sabemos si existió, ni dónde, ni cuándo, pero sus desventuras
han hecho reír a generaciones de puertoriquenos. A continuación
encontrará una versión de una historia de Juan Bobo." [I've omitted
the diacritical mark on the "n" in puertoriquenos, but it's there in
the text.]
Now here's the English version of the same sentences:
"We don't know if he really existed, or where, or when, but his
misadventures have entertained generations of Puerto Ricans. The
following is one version of a story about Foolish Jack."
Here now is my problem with the English translation. First, the
word "entertained." The Spanish word translated is "reír." The
Spanish word means "to laugh." Why didn't the translator give us
the precise translation? The clause should read, "his adventures have made generations of
Puerto Ricans laugh." What's wrong with this more precise translation?
Had I not recognized that the Spanish verb is similar to the French
for "laugh" (which I know already), then I might not have bothered
to look the word up. I might have assumed that "reír" means "to
entertain." It does not. My second problem with the English translation
has to do with the last sentence. The Spanish verb "encontrará" is
simply not translated. As though that weren't bad enough, the tense
has been changed from future to present. As a person trying to learn
Spanish (that's why I bought this book), I want to know the meaning and
tense of "encontrará." The Spanish sentence should have been translated
as follows: "Following, you will find a version of one story about Juan
Bobo." Is that so hard? What did the translator think he was doing?
What did he think his purpose was?
This book still has value, and that's why I give it three stars. The
English translation helps convey the general sense of a sentence, and
that is usually enough to help the reader fill in the gaps. However,
a dictionary is still required -- especially since some of the Spanish
vocabulary in not included in the glossary.
A very sloppy job of editing. "Stories from Latin America" is better
done.
Summary of Stories from Puerto Rico
Dive into the tales of Puerto Rico--in Spanish and in English!
In Stories from Spain/Historias de Puerto Rico, we've placed the Spanish and English stories side by side--lado a lado--so you can practice and improve your reading skills in your new language while enjoying the support of your native language. This way, you'll avoid the inconvenience of constantly having to look up unfamiliar words and expressions in a dictionary. Read as much as you can understand, and then look to the facing page for help. As you read, you can check your comprehension by comparing the two versions of the story. You'll also find a bilingual vocabulary list at the end of the book, so you'll have a handy reference for new words.
Stories from Spain/Historias de Puerto Rico allows you to explore the island's rich history. It includes 18 well-known Puerto Rican legends that stretch from the dawn of creation to the twentieth century. These tales will introduce you to an array of characters as dynamic and colorful as the country that gave birth to them. Animals, indigenous peoples, conquistadors, spiritual beings, and extraterrestrials are among those who will make these pages come alive for you! As you read these stories side by side, you will be not only fine-tuning your language skills but also gaining insight into the rich cultural heritage of the Puerto Rican people.
Literature & Fiction Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Literature & Fiction Books
Little Womenby Louisa May Alcott
Scribner; Published: 1986-06-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.49
Price in other shops:
The Killing Groundby JACK HIGGINS
HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS LTD; Published: 2007; Hardcover; Book
Saving Fish from Drowningby Amy Tan
4th Estate; Published: 2005; Paperback; Book
Life Expectancyby Dean Koontz
Harpercollins Pb; Published: 2005-08-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.00
Constant Princessby Philippa Gregory
Touchstone/Simon & Schuster; Published: 2005; Hardcover; Book
Wolf of the Plains (Conqueror, Book 1)by Conn Iggulden
Harper; Published: 2007; Paperback; Book
Saharaby Clive Cussler
Harper Collins Pb; Published: 2005-03-21; Paperback; Book
Perelandra (Cosmic Trilogy)by C. S. Lewis
Voyager; Published: 2005-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.70
Price in other shops:
The Lord Of The Rings: Part 2 The Two Towersby J. R. R. Tolkien
Harper Collins Publishers; Published: 2001; Paperback; Book
Red Marsby Kim Stanley Robinson
Trafalgar Square; Published: 2001-06; Paperback; Book
Similar Books and other products
Puerto Rican Cookeryby Carmen Aboy Valldejuli
Pelican Publishing; Published: 1983-03-31; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $15.80
Price in other shops:
The Legend of the Hummingbird: A Tale from Puerto Rico (Mondo Folktales)Mondo Publishing; Published: 1998-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.11
Price in other shops:
Stories from Mexico/ Historias de Mexicoby Genevieve Barlow, William N. Stivers
Passport Books; Published: 1995-01-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.90
Price in other shops:
From Colonia to Community: The History of Puerto Ricans in New York City (Latinos in American Society & Culture)by Virginia E. Sánchez Korrol
University of California Press; Published: 1994-11-18; Paperback; Book
Best price: $17.28
Price in other shops:
Boricuas: Influential Puerto Rican Writings - An Anthologyby Roberto Santiago
One World/Ballantine; Published: 1995-09-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.95
Price in other shops:
Stories from Latin America : Historias de Latinoamericaby Genevieve Barlow
McGraw-Hill; Published: 1995-01-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.00
Price in other shops:
Stories from Spain / Historias de España (Side by Side Bilingual Books) (English and Spanish Edition)by Genevieve Barlow, William Stivers
McGraw-Hill; Published: 1999-06-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $55.00
Shake It, Morena!: And Other Folklore from Puerto Ricoby Carmen T. Bernier-Grand
Millbrook Press; Published: 2007-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.81
Price in other shops:
The Tainos: Rise and Decline of the People Who Greeted Columbusby Irving Rouse
Yale University Press; Published: 1993-07-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.97
Price in other shops:
Puerto Rico Then and Now (Then & Now Thunder Bay)by Jorge Rigau
Thunder Bay Press; Published: 2009-05-19; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $12.56
Price in other shops: