Abstract This article proposes an analysis of the story “El boxeador polaco”, which forms part of the short story collection with the same title (2008) by Eduardo Halfon. In several of his books, which are usually a mixture of fiction and autobiography, Halfon deals with the question of Jewish identity. Sometimes the narrator does not recognize himself in certain Jewish traditions, but at the same time, perceives Jewish identity as something that he carries inside, which can be inferred from the respect and admiration shown for his grandfather. This grandfather is one of the two protagonists of the story “El boxeador polaco”. The subtle interplay between the two narrative voices -the grandfather’s and the grandson’s-and between the three periods -the distant past in Auschwitz, the narrator’s childhood in Guatemala and the present of the adult narrator-, seems to be a literary strategy to confront the well-known paradox of trauma: the impossibility of speaking about a trauma, on the one hand, and the strength of language as a tool to heal the traumatized on the other (Gilmore). The grandfather breaks the silence of sixty years in which he could not talk about that painful past. In this context the multilingual nature of the story, with references to Yiddish, German and Polish, will be examined. We will try to understand how Halfon handles the difficult relationship, not only between memory and fiction, but also between language and identity.

Resumen Este artículo propone analizar el cuento “El boxeador polaco”, que forma parte de la colección del mismo título (2008) de Eduardo Halfon. En varios de sus libros, que suelen ser una mezcla de lo ficticio y lo autobiográfico, Halfon desarrolla la problemática de la identidad judía. A veces hay un narrador que no se reconoce en ciertas tradiciones judías, pero que al mismo tiempo percibe lo judío como algo que lleva dentro, lo que se observa sobre todo en el respeto y la admiración por su abuelo. Este abuelo es precisamente uno de los dos protagonistas del cuento “El boxeador polaco”. Los juegos sutiles entre las dos voces narrativas -del abuelo y del nieto- y entre los tres tiempos -el pasado lejano en Auschwitz, la infancia del narrador en Guatemala y el presente del narrador adulto- parecen ser estrategias literarias para enfrentarse a la conocida paradoja del trauma: la imposibilidad de hablar sobre un trauma, por un lado, y la fuerza de la lengua como herramienta para curar al traumatizado, por otro (Gilmore). ¿Cómo pasar a la literatura lo indecible del trauma? El abuelo rompe el silencio de sesenta años en los que no podía recordar aquel pasado doloroso. Cabe examinar en este contexto el carácter multilingüe del cuento, con referencias al yiddish, al alemán y al polaco. Es nuestro objetivo tratar de entender cómo Halfon maneja la difícil relación, no solo entre memoria y ficción, sino también entre lengua e identidad.

Resumo A utilização de múltiplas línguas nos filmes envolve frequentemente a estereotipagem negativa de personagens pertencentes à uma minoria representada nesses filmes. É o caso de alguns filmes de Hollywood em que o espanhol está associado a personagens exóticos ou perigosos, confirmando de forma persistente a posição dominante da língua inglesa. No documentário 389 Miles: Living the Border (2009), o impacto linguístico e cultural da migração é visto de uma perspectiva bastante diferente. Enquanto a maioria dos documentários sobre a fronteira méxico-americana é predominantemente em inglês, possivelmente com legendas em espanhol, ou principalmente em espanhol com legendas em inglês, em 389 Miles ambas as línguas são utilizadas de forma igual. O narrador conta a história em inglês, mas utiliza ambas as línguas nas entrevistas. Há também alguns personagens que mudam do inglês para o espanhol. O objetivo deste artigo é triplo: numa primeira instância, procura examinar o documentário com o uso de alguns conceitos básicos da Teoria dos Polissistemas. O segundo objetivo é explorar a diversidade linguística. Numa terceira instância, este artigo pretende lançar mais luz sobre dois poderosos símbolos mexicanos: a Virgem de Guadalupe e a máscara do lutador. O objetivo final é descobrir como o bilinguismo nos documentários muda a nossa percepção sobre outras culturas, a travessia de fronteiras e a migração.

Abstract The use of multiple languages in movies often involves negative stereotyping of characters belonging to a minority represented in those films. This is the case with some Hollywood films in which Spanish is associated with exotic or dangerous characters, confirming persistently the dominant position of the English language. In the documentary 389 Miles: Living the Border (2009) the linguistic and cultural impact of migration is seen from quite a different perspective. Whereas most of the documentaries dealing with the Mexican-American border are predominantly in English, possibly with Spanish subtitles, or mainly in Spanish with English subtitles, in 389 Miles both languages are used equally. The narrator tells the story in English, but he uses both languages in the interviews. There are also a few characters who switch from English to Spanish. The aim of this article is threefold: in a first instance, it seeks to examine the documentary with the use of some basic concepts of Polysystem Theory. The second objective is to explore language diversity. In a third instance, this article aims to shed more light on two powerful Mexican symbols: viz. the Virgin of Guadalupe and the wrestler mask. The final objective is to find out how bilingualism in documentaries changes our perception on other cultures, border crossing and migration.

Abstract This article analyzes the translation poetics and the translation context of Guatemalan author Alaíde Foppa (1914) who lived in exile in Mexico. In 1980 she was kidnapped in Guatemala and the resting place of her remains is still unknown. Foppa was a woman of many talents: she was a poet, activist, feminist, art critic, editor, academic and translator. The focus is on three of the available poetry translations, from French, Italian and English: Paul Éluard, Michelangelo and Mary Oxlie of Morpet. The analysis of paratexts such as prologues and essays will help reveal Foppa’s vision on poetry translation and translation strategies. The analysis shows a tendency towards “recreative translation” (Jones 2011) and “translation as a personal oeuvre” (Campos 1996). At the same time, the paper aims at exploring to what extent Foppa’s situation as an exile as well as her multilingualism had an impact on her work as a translator.

Resumen: Este artículo analiza la poética de traducción de la autora guatemalteca Alaíde Foppa (1914) y el contexto en el que tradujo como exiliada en México. En 1980 fue secuestrada en Guatemala y hasta ahora se desconoce el paradero de sus restos. Foppa era una mujer polifacética: poetisa, activista, feminista, crítica de arte, editora, académica y traductora. El análisis se centra en tres traducciones, del francés, del italiano y del inglés: la poesía de Paul Éluard, Miguel Ángel y Mary Oxlie de Morpet. También se examinan los paratextos como prólogos y ensayos con el fin de entender la visión de Foppa sobre la traducción de poesía y sus estrategias de traducción. El análisis apunta hacia una tendencia a la “traducción recreativa” (Jones 2011) y la “traducción como obra personal” (Campos 1996). Al mismo tiempo se investiga hasta qué punto su exilio y su multilingüismo tuvieron un impacto sobre su trabajo como traductora.