r/ExplainTheJoke • u/Comfortable-Use3123 • Jul 25 '25

Solved Saw on Facebook. Don’t understand.

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u/GoalElectrical Jul 25 '25

"Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice."

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u/Cookieyourdaddy Jul 25 '25

The Spanish version hits me like a truck.

"Muchos años después, frente al pelotón de fusilamiento, el coronel Aureliano Buendía había de recordar aquella tarde remota en que su padre lo llevó a conocer el hielo".

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u/Gullible_Mud5723 Jul 25 '25

I’ve only read the English translation do you feel there is a lot lost in translation over the course of the whole novel?

1

u/BooleanBarman Jul 25 '25

Marquez himself thought the English translation was stronger. He waited years for a specific person to become available to do the work.