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Old 13th December 2008, 08:44 PM   #1
gastephen
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Default Translation exercise - Chamalú (Part I)

A Mexican friend asked me translate the following words of the Bolivian shaman Chamalú from Spanish into English. I'd welcome any suggestions for improvements.

Also, can anyone provide an elegant phrase for instancia inmunológica? I've a feeling instancia is being used here in a figurative sense related to the three psychological instancias (superyo, yo y ello). Is there a word that we use in English as a generic term for these three elements of the personality (superego, ego, id) ? Anyway, search below for the context (in Part II).

================================================== ========

Me declaro Vivo
por Chamalú, Indio Quechua
I’m Alive!
By Chamalú, Quechua Indian




Saboreo cada acto.
I savour every act.

Antes cuidaba que los demás no hablaran mal de mí, entonces me portaba como los demás querían y mi conciencia me censuraba.
Before, I used to care if others spoke ill of me, so I’d behave as they wanted me to and my conscience would censor me.

Menos mal que a pesar de mi esforzada buena educación siempre había alguien difamándome.
At least in spite of my forced good manners there was always someone slandering me.

¡Cuánto agradezco a esa gente que me enseñó que la vida no es un escenario!
I am so grateful to those who taught me that life is no stage.

Desde entonces me atreví a ser como soy!
Since then I have dared to be as I am!

He viajado por todo el mundo, tengo amigos de todas las religiones; conozco gente extraña: vegetarianos que devoran al prójimo con su intolerancia, personas que caminan con un cartel que dicen:
I have travelled all over the world, I have friends of all religions; I know strange people: vegetarians who devour their neighbours with their intolerance, people who go about with a sign saying:

"Yo se más que tu"; médicos que están peor que sus pacientes, gente millonaria pero infeliz, seres que se pasan el día quejándose, que se reúnen los domingos para quejarse por turnos, gente que ha hecho de la estupidez su manera de vivir.
“I know more than you”; doctors more ill than their patients, unhappy millionaires, souls who spend the day complaining, who get together on Sundays to take turns complaining, people who have made a nonsense of their of life.

El árbol anciano me enseñó que todos somos lo mismo.
The ancient tree taught me that we are all the same.

La montaña es mi punto de referencia:
The mountain is my point of reference:

Ser invulnerable, que cada uno diga lo que quiera, yo sigo caminando indetenible, soy guerrero: mi espada es el amor, mi escudo el humor, mi hogar la coherencia, mi texto la libertad, y si mi felicidad resulta insoportable, discúlpenme, no hice de la cordura mi opción, prefiero la imaginación a lo indio, es decir inocencia incluida.
Being invulnerable, let every one say what they will, I carry on unstoppable, I am a warrior: my sword is love, my shield humour, my home consistency, my book freedom, and if my happiness becomes unbearable, forgive me, I didn’t make my choice out of good sense, I prefer Indian-style imagination, that is to say with innocence.

Quizás solamente teníamos que ser humanos.
Perhaps we only had to be humans.

El que tú no veas los átomos, no significa que no existan.
Just because you can’t see the atoms, doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

Por eso es muy importante que sea el Amor lo único que inspire tus actos.
It is therefore very important that Love be the only thing to inspire your actions.

Sin Amor nada tiene sentido, sin Amor estamos perdidos, sin Amor corremos el riesgo de estar de nuevo transitando de espaldas a la luz.
Without Love nothing makes sense, without Love we are lost, without Love we run the risk of turning our backs to the light.

En realidad, sólo hablo para recordarte la importancia del silencio.
The truth is I’m only talking to remind you of the importance of silence.

Anhelo que descubras el mensaje que se encuentra detrás de las palabras; no soy un sabio, sólo un enamorado de la vida.
My greatest wish is that you discover the message behind the words; I’m no wise man, only a lover of life.

El silencio es la clave, la simplicidad es la puerta que deja fuera a los imbéciles.
Silence is the key, simplicity the door that keeps out the stupid.

La gente feliz no es rentable, con lucidez no hay necesidades innecesarias.
Happy people are not profitable, with lucidity there are no unnecessary necessities.

No es suficiente querer despertar, sino despertar.
Just wanting to wake up is not enough, you have to do it.

La mejor forma de despertar es hacerlo sin preocuparse porque nuestros actos incomoden a quienes duermen al lado.
The best way to wake up is to do it without worrying that our actions may disturb those sleeping close by.

Recuerda que el deseo de hacerlo bien será un interferencia; es más importante amar lo que hacemos y disfrutar de todo el trayecto; la meta no existe, el camino y la meta son lo mismo, no tenemos que correr hacia ninguna parte, sólo saber dar cada paso plenamente.
Remember that wanting to do it well will get in the way; it is more important to love what we do and enjoy all of the journey; there is no destination, the path and the destination are the same thing, we don’t have to run anywhere, only to completely know every step.
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Old 13th December 2008, 08:45 PM   #2
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Default Part II

No, no te resistas, ríndete a la vida, quien acepta lo que es y se habilita para hacer lo que puede, entonces se encarnan las utopías y lo imposible se pone a disposición.
No, don’t resist, surrender yourself to life, which accepts what is and is empowered to do what it can, and then utopias become real and the impossible becomes possible.

La mejor manera de ser feliz es: "ser feliz"; reconstruye tu raíz y saborea la vida; somos como peces de mares profundos, si salimos a la superficie reventamos.
The best way of being happy is: “to be happy”; rebuild your roots and savour life; we are like the fish at the bottom of the ocean, if we go up to the surface we will burst.

La frivolidad y la intrascendencia condenan la vida a la muerte.
Frivolity and insifnificance condemn life to death.

Cuando somos más grandes que lo que hacemos, nada puede desequilibrarnos, pero cuando permitimos que las cosas sean más grandes que nosotros, nuestro desequilibrio está garantizado.
When we are bigger than what we do, nothing can throw us off balance, but when we let things become larger than ourselves, our imbalanance is guaranteed.

El corazón está en emergencia por falta de amor, hay que volver a conquistar la vida, enamorarnos otra vez de ella; nuestro potencial interior aflora espontáneamente cuando nos dejamos en paz.
Our heart is in danger through lack of love, we have to retake command of life, to fall in love with it again; our inner potential spontaneously comes to the surface when we are at peace.

Quizá sólo seamos agua fluyendo; el camino nos lo tenemos que hacer nosotros, más no permitas que el cauce esclavice al río, no sea que en vez de un camino tengas una cárcel.
Perhaps we are only flowing water; we have to make the course ourselves, moreover don’t let the river bed enslave the river, you shouldn’t have a prison in place of a path.

La infelicidad no es un problema técnico, es el resultado de haber tomado el camino equivocado.
Unhappiness is not a technical problem, it is the result of having taken the wrong path.

Amo mi locura que me vacuna contra la estupidez, amo el amor que me inmuniza ante la infelicidad que pulula por doquier, infectando almas y atrofiando corazones.
I love my madness that vaccinates me against stupidity, I love the love that immunises me against the unhappiness that abounds everywhere, infecting souls and withering hearts.

El amor es, a nivel sutil, la esencia de nuestra instancia inmunológica.
Love is, at a subtle level, the essence of our immunological personality.

La gente está tan acostumbrada a complicarse, que rechaza de antemano la simplicidad; la gente está tan acostumbrada a ser infeliz, que la sensación de felicidad les resulta sospechosa; la gente está tan reprimida, que la espontánea ternura le incomoda y el amor le inspira desconfianza.
People are so accustomed to complicating things, that they reject simplicity out of hand; people are so accustomed to being unhappy, that they find the sensation of happiness suspicious; people are so repressed that spontaneous tenderness makes them uncomfortable and love provokes distrust.

Hay cosas que son muy razonables y apestan.
There are things that are reasonable and they stink.

Ya no podemos perder el tiempo en seguir aprendiendo técnicas espirituales cuando aún estamos vacíos de amor.
We can no longer waste time continuing to learn spiritual techniques while we remain void of love.

Quienes no están preparados para escuchar tienen la recompensa de no enterarse de nada.
Those who are not ready to listen are rewarded with learning nothing.

Disfruta de lo que tienes, recibe lo que venga, crea e inventa lo que necesites, haz sólo lo que puedas, y fundamentalmente celebra lo que tengas.
Enjoy what you have, accept whatever may come, invent and create whatever you need, do only what you can, and basically be content with whatever you have.

La vida es un canto a la belleza, una convocatoria a la transparencia, cuando esto lo descubras desde la vivencia, el viento volverá a ser tu amigo, el árbol se tornará en maestro y el amanecer en ritual, la noche se vestirá de colores, las estrellas hablarán el idioma del corazón y el espíritu de la tierra reposará otra vez tranquilo.
Life is a song to beauty, a call to transparency, when you discover this from living, the wind will be your friend again, the tree will become a teacher and the dawn a ritual, night will dress in colours, the stars will speak the language of the heart and the spirit of the earth will rest once more at peace.
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Old 14th December 2008, 05:00 AM   #3
Margot
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gastephen View Post
can anyone provide an elegant phrase for instancia inmunológica? I've a feeling instancia is being used here in a figurative sense related to the three psychological instancias (superyo, yo y ello). Is there a word that we use in English as a generic term for these three elements of the personality (superego, ego, id) ? Anyway, search below for the context (in Part II).
Hey Graham...I had a go at Part 1...but I don't think I've "improved" your version...so instead of posting here..I'll email it to you tomorrow when I have time to type it...meanwhile I also had a go at your question re: Part 2:

"El amor es, a nivel sutil, la esencia de nuestra instancia inmunológica."

Love is, at a subtle level, the essence (the very core) of our (most) essential self.
Or...
".......the essence of our (most pure) purest being.

ie: I guess I might use either "self" or "being" for "instancia" and echaría en la basura "inmunológica" .
To me that ugly word turns the whole thing into a medical treatise Well that's all I can offer for now. Must fly.........

Last edited by Margot; 14th December 2008 at 05:12 AM.
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Old 14th December 2008, 10:17 AM   #4
gastephen
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Margot View Post
Hey Graham...I had a go at Part 1...but I don't think I've "improved" your version...so instead of posting here..I'll email it to you tomorrow when I have time to type it...
Thanks!

Quote:
meanwhile I also had a go at your question re: Part 2:

"El amor es, a nivel sutil, la esencia de nuestra instancia inmunológica."

Love is, at a subtle level, the essence (the very core) of our (most) essential self.
Or...
".......the essence of our (most pure) purest being.

ie: I guess I might use either "self" or "being" for "instancia" and echaría en la basura "inmunológica" .
To me that ugly word turns the whole thing into a medical treatise Well that's all I can offer for now. Must fly.........
Yes, I know - I don't much care for immunological much myself in the context. I'd have preferred something along the lines of immune system. I like your suggestion, but at the same time think it is important to continue the metaphor developed in the previous paragraph:

Amo mi locura que me vacuna contra la estupidez, amo el amor que me inmuniza ante la infelicidad que pulula por doquier, infectando almas y atrofiando corazones.

El amor es, a nivel sutil, la esencia de nuestra instancia inmunológica.


Un saludo cordial.
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Old 14th December 2008, 11:00 AM   #5
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El amor es, a nivel sutil, la esencia de nuestra instancia inmunológica.
Love is, at a subtle level, the essence of our immunological personality.

or even...

Love is the delicate essence of our self-protection. (?)

[Are you looking for "translation" or "Interpretation"?]
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Old 14th December 2008, 01:26 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by Juanjo View Post
El amor es, a nivel sutil, la esencia de nuestra instancia inmunológica.
Love is, at a subtle level, the essence of our immunological personality.

or even...

Love is the delicate essence of our self-protection. (?)
Thank you. I like that.


Quote:

[Are you looking for "translation" or "Interpretation"?]
A literal translation, preferably done by machine, would obviously be best
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