Metáfora y metonimia en Caras Viejas y Vino Nuevo de Alejandro Morales y en sus traducciones

In my proposal I compare the two existing English translations of the Chicano novel Caras viejas y vino nuevo (Morales, 1975), carried out by Martínez (Morales, 1981) and by Lomelí (Morales, 1998). In the source text, human beings are often referred to metonymically through their body parts, whereas objects tend to be humanized through the personification conceptual metaphor. I argue that the two tropes are complementary strategies used not merely as a stylistic embellishment, but as a means to structure Morales's narrative. Building on the cognitive approach in the translation of figurative language (Lakoff & Johnson 1980; Schäffner 2004) I look at how the two existing translations render the idiosyncrasy of Morales's non-conventional style when it comes to tropes. A case in point in this sense are the translation strategies adopted for the metaphor associated to the Chicano cultural archetype of La Llorona (the Weeping Woman). Martinez often translates the metaphor for non-metaphors and in so doing he also neutralizes culture-specific connotations. Lomelí, on the other hand, seeks functional equivalence at macro-text level, even if this involves eclectic translation decisions.