One of the most special things about translation is that there’s no an ideal version of a translated text. If ten people translate the same text, there will be ten different versions, and they can be all great versions. You may prefer one over the others, but it doesn’t mean the others are incorrect. Or maybe you can combine parts of each of them to make the “best version”. That’s why I like comparing my versions with others, and the other versions among them, because it’s enlightening observing how another person solved a translation problem and found a solution you didn't see. For me, it’s a great way to learn and to improve our skills as translators.
One example of this is Let it Go , the famous song from Frozen ( called "Frozen: el reino del hielo" for the European audience and "Frozen: una aventura congelada" for the Latin American audience). The European version keeps the English title and translate it as "suéltalo", while in the Latin American version, the title expresses the consequence of "let it go" -Elsa declares "I am Free" ("Libre soy")-.
Let it go (original version) Ver video
Let it go, let it go
Can't hold it back anymore
Let it go, let it go
Turn away and slam the door!
I don't care
What they're going to say
Let the storm rage on,
The cold never bothered me anyway!
Suéltalo (European version) Ver video
Suéltalo, suéltalo
no lo puedo ya retener
Suéltalo, suéltalo,
ya no hay nada que perder
Qué más da,
ya se descubrió
Déjalo escapar,
el frío a mí nunca me molestó
Libre soy (Latin American version) Ver video
Libre soy, libre soy,
no puedo ocultarlo más
libre soy, libre soy
libertad sin vuelta atrás
Qué más da,
no me importa ya
Gran tormenta habrá
El frío es parte también de mi
If you love Disney and can sing every song since The Lion King, try to do this exercise, and you’ll be surprised of how different your favourite childhood songs sound. Would you like this new version better? Or you will totally hate it? Challenge yourself and Be prepared!