Thinking Spanish Translation: A Course in Translation Method: Spanish to English (Thinking Translation) by Louise Haywood & Michael Thompson & Sándor Hervey

Author:Louise Haywood & Michael Thompson & Sándor Hervey [Haywood, Louise]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
ISBN: 9781134070176
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Published: 2013-01-31T16:00:00+00:00

21 ‘Ser’ and ‘estar’

If the correct use of ‘ser’ and ‘estar’ constitutes one of the trickiest conceptual problems faced by learners of Spanish, the problem largely disappears when translating into English, since both verbs can in many cases be translated simply as ‘to be’. Nevertheless, the translator needs to be aware of the essential differences between them and to be alert to opportunities for bringing out those differences or making them explicit. Since ‘ser’ is the verb that means ‘to be’ in the purest, most straightforward sense of essence, existence or identity, it is the more likely of the two to be translated simply as ‘to be’. This essential, defining function may be underlined in translation by turning a ‘ser’ + adjective construction into ‘ser’ + noun phrase: ‘Es bueno tu hijo’ — ‘He's a good boy, your son.’

‘Estar’, on the other hand, has a more complex function, meaning literally ‘to stand’ or ‘to be located’ and figuratively ‘to have arrived at a state, situation or condition’ (it implies perfective aspect, expressing the result of an action having taken place). Consequently, the translation of ‘estar’, especially when explicitly contrasted with ‘ser’, may at times require a verb other than ‘to be’ (‘look, feel, taste’), or adaptation of the following adjective:

Este vino es muy bueno > This wine is very good/a very good wine [An observation based on looking at the label].

Este vino está muy bueno > This wine tastes very good/is very tasty/is in very good condition [An observation based on taking a sip].

¿Ves aquellas chicas? Qué buenas están, ¿no? > See those girls? Hot, aren't they?

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