GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW) | ||||||
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08:34 Jun 15, 2013 |
Spanish to English translations [PRO] Art/Literary - History | |||||||
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| Selected response from: Charles Davis Spain Local time: 04:43 | ||||||
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Summary of answers provided | ||||
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4 +3 | Tolkien's Spanish Connection / The Spanish Connection of J. R. R. Tolkien. |
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la conexión española Tolkien's Spanish Connection / The Spanish Connection of J. R. R. Tolkien. Explanation: In everyday speech it would be more idiomatic to say "J. R. R. Tolkien's Spanish Connection" rather than "The Spanish Connection of J. R. R. Tolkien". In a title, however, the issue is not so clearcut, and the latter is an option worth considering. If I were a publisher bringing out an English version of this book, I would simply call it "Tolkien's Spanish Connection", without the initials. Tolkien is a well known name in Spanish, but much more so in English, of course, and it seems natural to me to omit the initials in English, since the author is usually referred to simply as "Tolkien", and the title is more "punchy" without the initials. Undoubtedly, if you do that, "Tolkien's Spanish Connection" sounds much better than "The Spanish Connection of Tolkien". If the initials are retained, however, the issue is different. Including the initials makes it more formal, and I think "The Spanish Connection of J. R. R. Tolkien" is suitable, even though English references to this book on the Internet call it "J. R. R. Tolkien's Spanish Connection". Really either could be justified, but with the initials I think I would opt for "The Spanish Connection of J. R. R. Tolkien. One small point of presentation, if I may: if the initials are included there should be spaces between them. This rule is often not observed in English, but style manuals insist on it. -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 1 hr (2013-06-15 09:36:52 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- I have been saying this to myself in both versions since I posted my answer, and I've come to the conclusion that even with the initials it's better to use the so-called "English genitive": "J. R. R. Tolkien's Spanish connection". It's very hard to say why. You get titles like "The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien" or "The Poetry of J. R. R. Tolkien" or "The Fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien", but with "Spanish connection" I think it's different, perhaps because it refers to an aspect of his personal life. So I would cancel what I first said and opt for "J. R. R. Tolkien's Spanish Connection". The more I say it to myself the more natural it sounds like that and the less convincing the alternative seems (because the formality seems less appropriate to the subject). |
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