What the heck are ghouls and goblins anyway and how in the world would I translate that?
Translating tricky Halloween terms and spooky fantastical Mexican creatures
by Yvette Citizen, FCCI
As consummate word detectives that we are, this time of year we look around at all the Halloween art that surrounds us and wonder how to translate the names of those creatures into our other language(s)? Particularly the fantastical beings that are culture specific. For example, if you do a cursory search for goblin, leprechaun, or elf in Spanish, you’ll find each one is translated as duende. But we know these creatures are very distinct and duende is the standard translation for elf, although elfo has entered mainstream usage. It’s these moments where our translation skills are put the test, and we must find adjectives or workarounds – or wish we had majored in music. We challenged our Confident Interpreter team with these terms, and these were the most agreed upon renditions: duende irlandés (Irish elf) for Leprechaun; duende grotesco for goblin; and espectro macabro for ghoul.
One version of a chaneque
But what about the culture-specific terms for fantastical and often scary creatures in your other languages? We would love to hear about them. In southern Mexico, we have chaneques that are most often translated into standard Spanish as… you guessed it, duendes. Chaneques are small mythological creatures that protect certain parts of nature, like a spring for example. It said that every house has chaneques guarding it and if you’re going to leave for an extended period you need to ask them to please protect the house while you’re away and then thank them when you return. Otherwise, you may come home to a broken water pipe or a tree branch through your window. Apparently, they are mischievous and get their feelings hurt easily. There are many myths and legends about chaneques, some of them lighthearted and others pretty scary.
Catrina
In the late ‘80’s and ‘90’s, the fear of the chupacabras was rampant in northern Mexico, although this myth may have originated in Puerto Rico. It’s a vampire type creature that allegedly looked like a mix between a reptile and a vicious wolf, though descriptions differ. It would come around at night and suck the blood of sheep and goats.
La Llorona, the crying woman, the wailing woman, the wailer, is a famous ghostly figure in Latin America. There are many creepy stories about the ghost of a woman who cries and wails for her lost children. Some versions say she killed them herself and others that they drowned in a river. Many children are told to stay away from the river’s edge or La Llorona will take them.
And of course, Alebrijes. The fantastical creatures that are very common in Day of the Dead celebrations and rituals. Each one is different and depends on the imagination of the artist. The story goes that in 1936, the artist Pedro Linares had a feverish dream where he saw colorful, mystical creatures. Each one had the combined characteristics of different animals, and he heard a repeated word that sounded like alebrije. Here’s a short, animated video that explains the story; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I03xQAiEX7g
Oh, I almost forgot about Catrina! Pretty much everyone is familiar with Catrina but not all know her name. Above is one of many, many depictions of her.
We would love to hear any stories you have about mythical creatures and translating or interpreting Halloween and other spooky terminology.
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