I just recently started reading Cormac McCarthy's novels. I like his style, but was frustrated by one aspect of his writing. Many of his books are set on the Mexico/Texas border. They contain a lot of conversations in Spanish that I can't read. The short ones seem easy to figure out based on the context, but some are longer passages were vexing and I felt like I was missing out on crucial information.

Well I just found out that the Cormac McCarthy Foundation posts PDF files that translate all the Spanish sections of his novels. If you don't know Spanish and start to read one of his westerns I suggest you print out the sheets. They have page numbers for each passage, but it seems like different printings would have different page numbers. Either way all you have to do is fold them up an use them as a bookmark. Then when you come to a Spanish section you will have he translation.

I have ran into this before with other authors and different languages. From now on I am going to search for translations whenever I get into a book that has passages in another language.

(01-29-2019, 04:08 PM)fredtoast Wrote: I just recently started reading Cormac McCarthy's novels.  I like his style, but was frustrated by one aspect of his writing.  Many of his books are set on the Mexico/Texas border.  They contain a lot of conversations in Spanish that I can't read.  The short ones seem easy to figure out based on the context, but some are longer passages were vexing and I felt like I was missing out on crucial information.

Well I just found out that the Cormac McCarthy Foundation posts PDF files that translate all the Spanish sections of his novels.  If you don't know Spanish and start to read one of his westerns I suggest you print out the sheets.  They have page numbers for each passage, but it seems like different printings would have different page numbers.  Either way all you have to do is fold them up an use them as a bookmark.  Then when you come to a Spanish section you will have he translation.

I have ran into this before with other authors and different languages.  From now on I am going to search for translations whenever I get into a book that has passages in another language.

My Kindle comes in handy with translations too long for me to get the gist of.  Definitions and wiki entries are also very helpful.  

Mi casa, su casa.

Dos cervasas, por favor.

el bano?

Remember the Alamo!!!!




That's about all the Spanish I learned before going down to visit Cancun.  I got by alright for a week. 

I used to be fairly fluent in Spanish, but have forgotten most of it, but I can damned sure tell when a woman is cussing me out in Spanish having lived 22 years with a woman of Mexican heritage.. I've forgotten the words, but some things you just never forget especially when given the stink eye.. lol If you ever hear the word parro spat at you by a Mexican woman nothing good will come of it..