The influence of English in 'Tiempo de silencio' by Luis Martin-Santos: Problems of translation

This paper examines the translatability issues raised by the influence of English on Tiempo de silencio by Luis Martin-Santos, a novel that criticises. Spanish identity at the height of Franco's dictatorship. Censorship could not stop those who were able to read between the lines from grasping the author's scathing attack on the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War. Material, cultural and spiritual poverty, as a theme, is set against the higher levels of development and prosperity of other countries. This novel is narrated from an ironic perspective. The criticism of the social and political status quo is underscored by the utilisation of foreignizing formal elements and the imitation of foreign styles and authors disapproved of or even banned, by the regime. This mirroring of form and content emphasises cultural differences, in particular those regarding English-speaking countries. An analysis at the phonetic, graphical, lexical and grammatical levels reveals that what is obvious from the source text becomes lost in its translation into English, as the original impact of anglicised prose cannot be reproduced in English. Thus it can be argued that the presentation of culturally autochthonous concepts in a foreign key leads to relative untranslatability.