In the City of Cusco, on the way to Saylla, in the district of San Jeronimo is found an ancient, colonial home. You will see that it has no windows intact and needs repair. The stories kept within the home are terrifying for many people and leave much to be thought about.
Its neighbors say that on many nights you can her strange sounds, like chains clinking. Things fall all by themselves. Something hits the walls and sometime people hear shouts and screams. They are terrifying. No one will buy the house because people say it is cursed and haunted. They say the walls were seeded with the servants who worked in the house.
The story begins like this. Many years ago some students went to carry out research on the lake of Huacarpay. As they were returning to Cusco night fell and they decided to get out of the cold and stay in this house for the night.
They made a fire with some wood they found in the house in order to keep themselves warm. Then they all huddled together to keep that warmth with them as the night passed. Suddenly they heard steps and dragging chains. Without making any noise they hid themselves to see what was coming towards them.
They saw a shocking zombie, what we call a condenado, carrying a baby in its arms. By the fire it sat down and began to eat the child. They had to keep quiet despite the horror of what they saw right before them. They did nto want to be discovered and eaten like the baby.
They next morning they saw a lot of blood and the finger of the baby. Everything they had seen happened and was real. Frightened and in shock they left the house and told other people. It was almost unbelievable but true.
People also tell that many years ago a family tried to live in the house but was bothered constantly by supernatural things that are easily intelligible. As a result, that house continues to stand and is known as a haunted house.
No es lo mismo un Condenado que un zombie, lo correcto sería Damned, que equivale a maldito,ya que el condenado es por algún pecado cometido
Claro que no es lo mismo, pero tampoco lo es “damned” ya que eso no significa nada para la mayoría de los angloparlantes, cuando “zombie” sí. Ese es el problema de traducir o establecer equivalencias entre un idioma y/ o cultura y otro(a). Es como dicen, traducir es, por naturaleza, traicionar. No encuentro ninguna equivalencia en inglés para condenado y normalmente lo dejo así, pero esta vez puse zombie para establecer un puente con algo reconocible al anglo parlante. El problema luego viene que el peruano hispanohablante (o un hispanohablante que no sea peruano) también conoce “zombies” por su consumo mediático y se da cuenta de inmediato de las diferencias. No sé cual es la solución y tal vez no hay ninguna. Gracias Mikel por tu comentario y crítica. Abriste la caja de pandora.
In English, Mikel states, correctly, that “zombie” is not a good translation of “condenado”. I argue that there is no good translation and that, at least, “zombie” establishes a connection between a known cultural domain in the Anglo-speaking world with the Peruvian, Catholic, Indigenous one. Mikel is right that a more literal translation of “condenado” would be “damned” i.e. someone undergoing a kind of purgatory on earth because of his sins before he can pass to the next world. But that idea does not mean the same to an English speaker. So I chose “zombie” this time. next time who knows what I will change since the two worlds are not commensurable here. Thank you, Mikel.