Friday, November 2, 2007
Spangmanglelish
Check this note out. I picked it up from one of my students this week. She was supposed to be annotating James Hurst's "The Scarlet Ibis" as we read it in class but instead was writing this carefully crafted masterpiece. I asked her to put it away once; she did, but then took it out again in time for my next roll by so I carried it off. I deciphered it but, like Dante, or Homer, there are many ways one could shade a translation of this piece. I'd like to see how you, dear readers, might translate it.
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5 comments:
That was fun (and challenging)! How old is this girl? She doesn't seem quite old enough to be doing some of this stuff... anyway, my rough translation:
"Ay babygirl how are you little gringo love (?) … well anyway here I am in my class. Oh, so I see you don’t like Joe now. (?) You don’t look at him with little eyes of love now. Aww.. I’m really tired. Errrr… oh my god what are you going to be for Halloween? I’m going to be a white trash girl from north town pure south 13. Duh. Let that blue flag fly high! I’m going to go trick or treating, and you? At 8:30 I’m going to go to a Halloween party! Guess what baby girl, I did something very bad with a boy on Thursday… I didn’t even know him! Jessica was there it was a good cuddle ahh (scream) and he said he loved me aww but I know that he doesn’t really love me and Jessica was like you know… but anyway, did you notice I died my pubes! Haha I got fucked up in Jenny’s 15 A lot of people from school went. I don’t know how to spell school in Spanish (colegio)… (I’m stupid). I think I like a boy again but I have two boyfriends already. Robert (from juvi?) and Andrew and Alex already."
Hey Lindsey, thanks for the scholarly input. This little chicana is coming up on her quinceanera this year. I agree with your assessment of things she probably shouldn't be doing.
Based on my informal observations, her social and academic performance points to a life spent shuffling between crappy jobs and abusive men.
I represent an alien lifestyle and have little hope of convincing her that although almost everyone in her social and familial circle devalues education doesn't mean they are right.
That must be frustrating... but I imagine there are a few that will listen to you, and that makes trying worthwhile.
I've been volunteering at a writing workshop (826CHI), getting the opportunity to meet all kinds of cute little kids from around the city, trying to convey an appreciation for writing and creativity. It's fantastic, and they love it, but I know that a lot of them go home to unengaged parents and not-so-nice neighborhoods and there's not much I can do to change who they will, most likely, become. But I keep going back, because their innocence is refreshing and hopeful.
I showed that note to my Spanish roommate. She was as baffled as the rest of us, but I made a couple errors in my translation. The cuddle part should be "he was cute (spelled kute). And 15 should be Quinceanera.
Working with little kids is something I thought about but rejected after I subbed for a 4th grade class. I'll take them in small groups and in short doses.
Also, I believe your translation of "pubes" comes from a misread due to the handwriting style. I think she actually wrote "pelos" which makes it a rather less interesting, but more understandable translation, given the context. I'm not sure she and her gringo friend are really THAT close.
She talks about gang colors and gang afiliations in her note...
You should sent the note home to her parents.
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