Translating Phan’s poem into my native language felt like an embrace with my homeland. “Bellybutton - Rinpoch & I” is heavy with familial and natural traits that I understood better through my role as a translator. My main concern as a translator was ensuring that I kept the packed wisdom each line of Phan’s poem produced. Not only this, but also making sure the emotional weight of nature and the body remained. With lines in the poem as questions about lineage and items lost in life, the familial aspects of this poem are powerful. By learning the difference between a grasshopper and cricket to get “broad-winged katydids” precise in translation, it allowed me to spend hours on research documents in Spanish about grasshoppers. My biggest challenge in translation was doing justice to the eloquent word “Rinpoch.” After speaking with Kevin Phan about his poem title, I chose to not change that word. “Rinpoch” became “Rinpoche” to keep the theme of spiritualism and ensure it’s consistent in the poem. Thank you to Laura Dicochea for her guidance and support through my first work in translation. Thank you to my dad for helping me make a home for the Spanish language in Phan’s poem.
About the Translator:
Carolina Quintero is an alumna of ASU with a B.A. in English (Creative Writing) and a B.A. in Justice Studies. She is an intern at Cardboard House Press and a fellow at Progress Arizona. She is passionate about poetry, writing, and social justice. (updated 2022)
Translations:
"Bellybutton - Rinpoch & I” by Kevin Phan (Spanish)
With grateful acknowledgment to Spanish translation reviewers: Laura Dicochea and Anna Flores