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Casa Tomada written by Julio Cortázar
Julio Cortazar was an Argentine novelist and short-story writer. Julio Cortázar was celebrated for his unique and innovative writing style, which often defies traditional narrative structures.
"La Casa Tomada" is a short story that follows the lives of a brother and sister, Irene, and the unnamed narrator, who live together in a large, old family home in Buenos Aires. The story begins with a nostalgic tone as the siblings describe their quiet, comfortable life, filled with memories of their parents and ancestors.
La Casa Tomada
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Nos gustaba la casa porque aparte de espaciosa y antigua (hoy que las casas antiguas sucumben a la más ventajosa liquidación de sus materiales) guardaba los recuerdos de nuestros bisabuelos, el abuelo paterno, nuestros padres y toda la infancia. Nos habituamos Irene y yo a persistir solos en ella, lo que era una locura pues en esa casa podían vivir ocho personas sin estorbarse. Hacíamos la limpieza por la mañana, levantándonos a la siete, y a eso de las once yo le dejaba a Irene las últimas habitaciones por repasar y me iba a la cocina. Almorzábamos a mediodía, siempre puntuales; ya no quedaba nada por hacer fuera de unos pocos platos sucios. Nos resultaba grato almorzar pensando en la casa profunda y silenciosa y cómo nos bastábamos para mantenerla limpia. A veces llegamos a creer que era ella la que no nos dejó casarnos.
Irene rechazó dos pretendientes sin mayor motivo, a mí se me murió María Esther antes que llegáramos a comprometernos. Entramos en los cuarenta años con la inexpresada idea de que el nuestro, simple y silencioso matrimonio de hermanos, era necesaria clausura de la genealogía asentada por los bisabuelos en nuestra casa.
Nos moriríamos allí algún día, vagos y esquivos primos se quedarían con la casa y la echarían al suelo para enriquecerse con el terreno y los ladrillos; o mejor, nosotros mismos la voltearíamos justicieramente antes de que fuese demasiado tarde.
Irene era una chica nacida para no molestar a nadie. Aparte de su actividad matinal se pasaba el resto del día tejiendo en el sofá de su dormitorio. No sé por qué tejía tanto, yo pienso que las mujeres tejen cuando han encontrado en esa labor el gran pretexto para no hacer nada.
The Taken House
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We liked the house because, apart from being spacious and old (nowadays when old houses succumb to the more profitable liquidation of their materials), it held the memories of our great-grandparents, our paternal grandfather, our parents, and our childhood. "Irene and I got used to persisting alone in it, which was crazy because eight people could live in that house without getting in each other’s way. We cleaned in the morning, getting up at seven, and around eleven, I would leave the last rooms for Irene to go over and head to the kitchen. We had lunch at noon, always on time; nothing was left to do but a few dirty dishes. It was pleasant to have lunch thinking about the deep, silent house and how we managed to keep it clean. Sometimes we even came to believe that it was the house that didn’t let us get married."
"Irene rejected two suitors without much reason; Maria Esther died on me before we could get engaged. We entered our forties with the unexpressed idea that our simple and silent marriage as siblings was a necessary closure to the genealogy established by our great-grandparents in our house."
"We would die there someday; lazy and evasive cousins would take over the house and tear it down to get rich off the land and the bricks; or better yet, we would justly turn it upside down before it was too late."
Irene was a girl born not to bother anyone. Aside from her morning activities, she spent the rest of the day knitting on the couch in her bedroom. I don’t know why she knitted so much. I believe women knit when they’ve found the perfect excuse to do nothing in that task.
Techniques Used in the Translation:
Literal Translation
"Nos gustaba la casa porque aparte de espaciosa y antigua..." becomes "We liked the house because.
“Nos habituamos” → “We got used to”
“Irene rechazó dos pretendientes” → “Irene rejected two suitors”
“Nos moriríamos allí” → “We would die there”
Cultural Equivalence
“liquidación de sus materiales” was translated as “liquidation of their materials,”
Transposition:
The phrase "Aparte de su actividad matinal" was translated as "Aside from her morning activities," where "Aparte" (meaning "apart from") was reworded as "aside".
Modulation:
The phrase "yo pieso" is translated as "I believe" rather than "I think,"
The overall structure of sentences was kept similar to the original Spanish, allowing the natural flow of ideas to be retained.
These techniques worked together to ensure that the translation not only conveyed the literal meaning but also retained cultural references present in the original text.
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