A TRANSLATION BIOPSY OF CORMAC McCARTHY’S THE SUNSET LIMITED IN SPANISH: SHADOWING THE RE-CREATIVE PROCESS

Abstract

Previous analyses of Luis Murillo Fort’s translations of Cormac McCarthy’s fiction into Spanish sought to map the translator’s methods in retrospect, after the fact, via translation autopsies. In this instance, however, the Spanish translator allowed a shadowing of his work in progress, more similar to performing a biopsy in which at-the-time living samples of early- to late-stage drafts were examined with threaded commentary from the translator. This article uses the shadowing methodology as a unique and intimate diagnostic tool for exploring illustrative translation challenges. The purpose is to provide insights into an accomplished translator’s thought processes and solutions while in the very moment of translating a challenging genre-blended work of fiction by an American literary icon.