Bush Vet Translation

[snarf]

snarf wrote:

Somebody living in a farm, earning his living out of his kid's
> catching crawfish may be called "a jungle veteran", meaning both living in
> the woods and making his living by regretable means, and, for this reason,
> socially marginal.

Terrance wrote: 

>Thanks. A very odd phrase.  Where is the phrase used in this sense? By
>whom? Can you give me an example? And, why, if the phrase would be
>understood in this sense was the 
>translator obliged to use the the words "negotiate marginal" to 
>reinforces the idea of the socially marginal means of living? 


La jungla, in spanish, is used metaphorically for any place where you struggle to survive. It may be either a big city where nobody helps anybody, a distant place where you have to be rather wild to survive in, and even it also may be jail. It's not difficult to understand. If you are called a jungle veteran is because you are suppossed to be able to survive by any means, anywhere. In any of this contexts, everybody will understand what you mean if you say that somebody is a jungle veteran. You can call "a jungle veteran" either an oucast living in a big city out of digging in the rubbish, somebody living in the woods with no comfort at all and making his living hunting or fishing, or somebody who has spent a long time in jail.  The "jungle" is any place where "the enviroment" is against you. A "jungle veteran" is somebody that is fit to survive against all odds. The understanding of the phrase, is given by the context. P. gave little information, but every bit is meaningful: 1) RC lives in a farm, out of his kids catching crawfish and 2) he has changed his name and erased his past "since the war" 3) he may have been in jail. If you take contexts 1) and 3) "veterano de la jungla" mean that he is able to survive by any means, anywhere. If you take context 2) you understand that he is a vietnam veteran. All these readings are supported by the text. The multiple meaning is intentional as the information given by P. about RC is assorted but converge at one point: RC is a "survivor".


If "veteran" is taken in its military meaning is rather
> clear that "jungle veteran" may mean "vietnam veteran" (and you can fairly
> take this military reading since P. mentions the name changing "since the
> war").

Well, it wasn't clear to a few of us (not immediately anyway) reading it
in English. 

It isn't immediately clear in spanish, either. But I can swear it is rather clear after a close reading of the information about RC Pynchon decided to give. Nobody change his name and erase his past "since the war" if he has nothing to do with this war.


> And no, the word "Bush" hasn't made its way into spanish and since George
> Sr. has only meant "dangerous moron" up today. 

I've been told that it has. Might be worth looking in to.  And the word
hippie too. 

If bush is literally translated into spanish it would be "matorral" or "arbusto", that is, a small tree, with no trunk at all. We don't need an australian bush to know what a "matorral" is. Several native trees in Uruguay are bushes. 
But I still think the translator was very wise translating bush vet as "veterano de la jungla" and not "veterano de los matorrales" o "veterinario de los matorrales". Those phrases has no meaning, and the chosen by the translator is full of implications.  I think it was the right decision to make. And yes, the word "hippie" (written hippy) has made its way into spanish, but it's used by old people. It's an old fashioned word and any youngster will ever use it. Maybe is still used by youngsters but slightly lowered. Somebody may still be called "rather hippy" to give an idea about the clothes, the hairstyle or the music that he listens to.


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