Translating Experiences: The Role of the Translator in Nonfiction Fiction Stories

• In Event: Equity Across the Border: Reimagining Mexican Teacher Preparation to Meet the Needs of Transnational Students

Abstract

As social researchers we might not think of ourselves as translators, but our work entails translating the information and data we gather in our field work into published research. As part of a transnational research team, we often switch back and forth between English and Spanish to be able to communicate among ourselves. Therefore, for our team, translating has become a necessity in most of our interactions. Not only do we use both languages in meetings, writing, and conferences, but also, we have developed a system of helping each other when we need to speak or write in our weaker language. We sometimes still struggle with misunderstandings, mistakes, and/or lack of words to express an idea clearly. The same can be true for transnational children who move between the U.S. and Mexico as they try to communicate and interact in both languages. Consequently, we have observed that language is not just about literal words, but also it involves socio-cultural contexts.

When we have interviewed transnational students in their communities, schools and homes, they frequently tell us that teachers misunderstand their ideas, emotions, and use of the Spanish language, and that they cannot comprehend how someone who “looks Mexican and has a Mexican last name” is not able to adapt and learn at the same pace as other students (authors, 2016). Lulú, one of the students we’ve followed for over eight years, told us several times that her history teacher expected her to know important Mexican traditions, holidays, and names of presidents, “I mean, if she had asked me for the American presidents I would have answered correctly, but I never learned the Mexican ones, I’m not from here, even though I look from here.” For teachers, it is difficult to understand the migratory and educational trajectories of transnational students who arrive from the United States to Mexico (authors, 2017). Most Mexican teachers have never been to the United States, and most just have a vague idea of what it is to “do school” (Roy & Roxas, 2011) in another country. It is a challenge for them to imagine how the social interactions, the language, and the school infrastructure intertwine; so they cannot readily empathize with transnational students who have never been in a Mexican school before.

By translating the nonfiction fiction stories in the book ‘What Mexican Teachers Need to Know About Elementary and Secondary Education in the United States’ we wanted Mexican teachers to have a better glimpse of what everyday interactions and schooling look like in the United States. Therefore, translating took a new meaning and combined value in these narrations. For the nonfiction fiction stories, we did not want translations to be literal, just conversions word for word to Spanish. We wanted these translations to convey meaning and emotion to Mexican pre-service and practicing teachers, while also being clear and relatable. To do that, we used everyday language and expressions and our own cultural and professional backgrounds.

Authors

• Betsabé Román González, University College London

• Eduardo Carrillo, Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey