Translating “Irmina” (2014), by Barbara Yelin, from German into Spanish

Hernández Rodilla, Itziar 2022. Translating “Irmina” (2014), by Barbara Yelin, from German into Spanish. New Readings 18 , pp. 30-51. 10.18573/newreadings.120

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Abstract

Irmina, by Barbara Yelin — a graphic novel about the life of a woman in Nazi times, first in England, then in Germany, and, decades after the Second World War, in Barbados — is a very personal story, but also one deeply ingrained in European History. The translation of this graphic novel travels across space and cultural boundaries — from Germany to Spain — but also across time, since the story begins in 1933, finishes in 1983, and is translated into Spanish in 2018. This requires not only the translator’s historical knowledge, but also a reframing of the story so that the Spanish reader can understand it with as few difficulties as possible. All this has to be done while paying attention to Yelin’s drawings, which cannot be easily modified. To further complicate things, the translation is bound by the comic medium’s specific constraints: unlike literature, comics do not generally tolerate the use of long paraphrases in the way of explanations. The article will discuss specific problems encountered and solutions found in translating this graphic novel for a Spanish-speaking audience.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	Published
Subjects:	N Fine Arts > NC Drawing Design Illustration N Fine Arts > NE Print media P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) P Language and Literature > PQ Romance literatures P Language and Literature > PT Germanic literature Z Bibliography. Library Science. Information Resources > Z004 Books. Writing. Paleography
Publisher:	Cardiff University Press
ISSN:	2634-6850
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	9 June 2022
Date of Acceptance:	30 November 2021
Last Modified:	11 May 2023 17:32
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/150315

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