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English to Spanish: TRUTH - HECTOR MACDONALD - EXCERPT (translation published y RHM Spain) General field: Social Sciences Detailed field: Social Science, Sociology, Ethics, etc.
Source text - English The Andean dilemma
For vegetarians and coeliacs, the discovery of quinoa was a kind of miracle. Here was a gluten-free seed, rich in magnesium and iron, that contained more protein than any grain, including all the essential amino acids our bodies cannot produce for themselves. NASA declared quinoa to be one of the most perfectly balanced nutrients on Earth and considered it ideal for astronauts. ‘Quinoa tastes great, has a satisfying, “bouncy” texture and is one of the healthiest foodstuffs going,’ raved Yotam Ottolenghi in 2007.1 Grown in the Andes, quinoa had a story that charmed Western consumers: the Incas prized the seed so highly they deemed it sacred and named it ‘the mother of all grains’; their emperor would sow the first seeds of the season with tools made of gold. The so-called ‘superfood’ was even celebrated by the United Na¬tions, which declared 2013 the ‘International Year of Quinoa’.
But quinoa fans were in for a disturbing revelation. Between 2006 and 2013, quinoa prices in Bolivia and Peru tripled. At first, the price rise was celebrated for raising the living standards of poor Andean farmers. Then came rumours that local people could no longer afford to eat their traditional food because of the insatiable demand from North America and Europe. The Independent warned in 2011 that quinoa consumption in Bolivia had ‘slumped by 34 per cent over five years, with local families no longer able to afford a staple that has become a luxury’.2 The New York Times cited studies showing that malnutrition in children was on the rise in quinoa-growing areas.3 The Guardian raised the stakes in 2013 with a provocative headline: ‘Can vegans stomach the unpalatable truth about quinoa?’ It was now cheaper for poor Peruvians and Bolivians to eat ‘imported junk food’, the newspaper reported.4 ‘Quinoa: good for you – bad for Bolivians,’ ran a 2013 Independent headline.5
The story echoed around the world, causing healthy eaters a crisis of conscience. ‘The more you love quinoa, the more you hurt Peruvians and Bolivians,’ claimed a headline in Canada’s Globe and Mail.6 On social media, vegan blogs and healthy-eating forums, people asked whether it was still OK to eat the Andean miracle seed. ‘I intend to stop eating quinoa,’ declared one woman:
It’s a matter of principle . . . the people for which quinoa has been a dietary staple for untold generations can no longer afford to eat it because people like me have created such a demand for its export and driven the price up . . . We will survive without it. I will survive without it.
Translation - Spanish El dilema andino
Para los vegetarianos y los celíacos, el descubrimiento de la quinua fue una especie de milagro. De pronto disponíamos de una semilla sin gluten, rica en magnesio y hierro, con más proteínas que cualquier otro grano, incluyendo todos los aminoácidos esenciales que nuestro cuerpo no puede producir por sí mismo. La NASA declaró que la quinua era uno de los nutrientes más perfectamente equilibrados de la Tierra y lo consideró ideal para astronautas. «La quinua tiene un gran sabor, una textura satisfactoria y “elástica” y es uno de los alimentos más saludables que pueden encontrarse», se entusiasmó Yotam Ottolenghi en 2007 . La quinua, que se cultiva en los Andes, tenía una historia que encantaba a los consumidores occidentales: los incas la valoraban tanto que la consideraban sagrada y la nombraron «la madre de todos los granos»; el emperador sembraba las primeras semillas de la temporada con herramientas de oro. Incluso la Organización de Naciones Unidas celebró este superalimento y declaró que el 2013 sería el «Año Internacional de la Quinua».
Pero a los aficionados a la quinua les esperaba una revelación inquietante. Entre 2006 y 2013, el precio de la quinua en Bolivia y Perú se triplicó. Al principio, ese aumento fue considerado positivo puesto que elevaba el nivel de vida de los campesinos pobres de los Andes. Luego surgieron rumores de que los pueblos locales ya no podían permitirse consumir su propia comida tradicional debido a la demanda insaciable de Norteamérica y Europa. En 2011, el Independent advirtió de que el consumo de quinua en Bolivia había «caído un 34 por ciento en cinco años y las familias locales ya no podían pagar un alimento básico que se había convertido en un lujo» . El New York Times citaba estudios según los cuales la desnutrición infantil estaba aumentando en las zonas de cultivo de quinua . En 2013 el Guardian subió la apuesta con un titular provocativo: «¿Pueden los veganos tolerar la desagradable verdad sobre la quinua?». Según el periódico, para los peruanos y bolivianos se había vuelto más barato consumir «comida basura importada» . «Quinua: buena para usted; mala para los bolivianos», sostenía un titular del 2013 del Independent .
Este relato se difundió por todo el mundo y causó ataques de crisis de conciencia en los consumidores de alimentos saludables. «Cuanto más se adora la quinua, más se perjudica a los peruanos y bolivianos», sostenía un titular del Globe and Mail de Canadá . En las redes sociales, en blogs de veganos y en foros de dietas saludables, la gente se preguntaba si seguía siendo correcto consumir la milagrosa semilla andina. «Intentaré dejar de comer quinua», declaró una mujer:
«Es cuestión de principios […] la gente para la que la quinua ha sido un alimento básico durante un número incalculable de generaciones ya no puede consumirla gracias a que personas como yo hemos generado una enorme demanda para su exportación y hemos hecho que su precio aumentara […] Sobreviviremos sin ella. Yo sobreviviré sin ella.»
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Graduate diploma - Instituto Nacional Superior del Profesorado en Lenguas Vivas Juan Ramón Fernández
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Over 30 years of experience translating books and general documents, including works by Nobel Prize authors such as Saul Bellow and John Coetzee. Prized writer. Journalist. Book publisher and editor. Back translations in the field of market research.
Keywords: English Spanish translation, English Spanish interpretation, marketing translation, literary translation, literature, simultaneous and consecutive interpretation, writing
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