The Catcher in the Rye y la escritura terapéutica: análisis de dos traducciones al español (Carmen Criado, 1978; 2006)

Abstract

The Catcher in the Rye (1951) by J.D. Salinger is a classic of both Northamerican and universal literature. The only two translations into Spanish published in Spain are those by Carmen Criado in 1978 and 2006. Taking into account the fact that one of the most studied aspects of the novel is the plausible idea that Holden tells the story as therapy, the aim of the present paper is, therefore, to analyse the extent to which the original novel seems to have a therapeutic nature and how this possible therapeutic nature has been expressed in both translations into Spanish. The comparative analysis of both translations shows that, while the translation of 2006 manages to capture the colloquial style of the novel faithfully, it maintains the translation of the appellative “you” as “usted,” which diminishes the possible therapeutic purpose which can be found in the original novel.