Annotated translation of Graciliano Ramos’ short story “Baleia” into English

Marcelino, João Gabriel Carvalho

doi:10.5007/2175-7968.2025.e102757

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Artigo • Cad. Trad. 45 • 2025 • https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-7968.2025.e102757 linkcopy

Annotated translation of Graciliano Ramos’ short story “Baleia” into English

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

The aim of this study was to present an annotated translation of the short story “Baleia”, by Graciliano Ramos, into English. To this end, the annotated translation is guided by the description and discussion of the choices made to deal with elements of the Northeastern hinterland described in the work, which demarcates the Caatinga biome, exclusive to Brazilian territory. The theoretical basis is built on research by Torres (2017), on annotated translation; Berman (2013), exploring the systematics of deformation; Venuti (2019, 2021), on domestication and foreignization; Daghoughi and Hashemian (2016) and Franco Aixelá (2013), in reflections on cultural-specific items and cultural markers; and Gambier (2010), on translation strategies, among other researchers in Translation studies. The translation process described in the comments also draws on studies from other areas of knowledge, denoting the multidisciplinary interface of Translation studies, evidenced in this study by research related to the field of Biology, specifically Botany, Zoology and Phylogenetic Systematics to locate genera and species mentioned in the narrative and understand the distribution and translation possibilities of these elements through the relationship between vernacular name and scientific name. The reflection on the choices presented in the translation commentary makes explicit and theorizes the decisions made and the deliberate choice to conserve, where possible, the elements of the biome in order to finally present the translated short story.

Keywords
literary translation; annotated translation; Graciliano Ramos; caatinga

Ramos (2009)	Marcelino (2024) ⁷
Baleia	Whale
A cachorra Baleia estava para morrer. Tinha emagrecido, o pelo caíra-lhe em vários pontos, as costelas avultavam num fundo róseo, onde manchas escuras supuravam e sangravam, cobertas de moscas. As chagas da boca e a inchação dos beiços dificultavam-lhe a comida e a bebida.	The dog named Whale was about to die. She got thinner, her fur fell off in many spots, her ribs grew under her pink skin, where dark spots suppurated and bled, covered in flies. The wounds in mouth and the swelling of lips made it hard to eat and drink.

Ramos (2009)	Marcelino (2024)
Fabiano percorreu o alpendre, olhando a baraúna e as porteiras, açulando um cão invisível contra animais invisíveis:	Fabiano walked around the porch, looking at the barauna tree and the gates, pitting an invisible dog against invisible animals:

Ramos (2009)

Marcelino (2024)

Em seguida entrou na sala, atravessou o corredor e chegou à janela baixa da cozinha. Examinou o terreiro, viu Baleia coçando-se a esfregar as peladuras no pé de turco, levou a espingarda ao rosto. A cachorra espiou o dono desconfiada, enroscou-se no tronco e foi-se desviando, até ficar no outro lado da árvore, agachada e arisca, mostrando apenas as pupilas negras. Aborrecido com esta manobra, Fabiano saltou a janela, esgueirou-se ao longo da cerca do curral, deteve-se no mourão do canto e levou de novo a arma ao rosto. Como o animal estivesse de frente e não apresentasse bom alvo, adiantou-se mais alguns passos. Ao chegar às catingueiras, modificou a pontaria e puxou o gatilho. A carga alcançou os quartos traseiros e inutilizou uma perna de Baleia, que se pôs a latir desesperadamente.

He then entered the living room, crossed the corridor and arrived at the low kitchen window. He examined the yard, and saw Whale scratching her fur on the Jerusalem thorn and brought the rifle up to his face. The dog peeked on her owner suspiciously, curled up against the tree trunk and wandered off until she was on the other side of the tree, crouched and skittish, showing only her black pupils. Annoyed with this maneuver, Fabiano jumped out of the window, snuck along the corral fence, stopped at the corner post and brought the gun up to his face again. As the animal was facing him and didn’t have a good aim, he took a few more steps forward. When he reached the catingueira trees, he changed his aim and pulled the trigger. The charge reached the hindquarters and disabled one of Whale’s legs, which began to bark desperately.

Ramos (2009)	Marcelino (2024)
Encaminhou-se aos juazeiros. Sob a raiz de um deles havia uma barroca macia e funda. Gostava de espojar-se ali: cobria-se de poeira, evitava as moscas e os mosquitos, e quando se levantava, tinha folhas secas e gravetos colados às feridas, era um bicho diferente dos outros.	She went over to the juazeiro trees. Under the root of one of them there was a soft, deep clay pit. She liked to lie there: she covered herself in dust, avoided the flies and mosquitoes, and when she got up, there were dry leaves and sticks stuck to her wounds, she was an animal different from the others.

Ramos (2009)

Marcelino (2024)

Sentiu o cheiro bom dos preás que desciam do morro, mas o cheiro vinha fraco e havia nele partículas de outros viventes. Parecia que o morro se tinha distanciado muito. Arregaçou o focinho, aspirou o ar lentamente, com vontade de subir a ladeira e perseguir os preás, que pulavam e corriam em liberdade.

She smelled the good scent of the cavies coming down from the hill, but it was faint and had particles of other living things in it. It seemed as if the hill had moved too far away. She rolled up her snout and sucked in the air slowly, wanting to go up the hill and chase the cavies, which were jumping and running freely.

Não se lembrava de Fabiano. Tinha havido um desastre, mas Baleia não atribuía a esse desastre a impotência em que se achava nem percebia que estava livre de responsabilidades. Uma angústia apertou-lhe o pequeno coração. Precisava vigiar as cabras: àquela hora cheiros de suçuarana deviam andar pelas ribanceiras, rondar as moitas afastadas. Felizmente os meninos dormiam na esteira, por baixo do caritó onde Sinhá Vitória guardava o cachimbo.

She didn’t remember Fabiano. There had been a disaster, but Whale didn’t attribute her helplessness to that disaster, nor did she realize that she was free of responsibility. Anguish squeezed her little heart. She needed to keep an eye on the goats: at that hour, the scent of pumas must have been wafting through the streams, circling the far-off bushes. Fortunately, the children were sleeping on the mat under the hut where Sinha Vitória kept her pipe.

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[1] Fonte: Autor (2025)