Translation excercise: (intermediate) Esperanza frente a la maldad (Lent's special)
This is a very nice text of religious content written by Cardenal Ricard María Carles.
Please post your translations, let's see if you like the topic, in Spain we are celebrating "La Cuaresma" today (miércoles de ceniza).
Everybody welcome to have a shot at it
Esperanza frente a la maldad
El hombre produce maldad como la abeja produce miel», dijo William Holding. Puede ser el resumen de lo que piensa acerca del hombre: que es sustancial y absolutamente malo. Cuando se constata la maldad humana –y para muchos medios de comunicación parece que sólo las malas noticias (morales) son noticias–, es fácil caer en un gran pesimismo. La sola constatación de la maldad conduce a la desesperanza. Aceptar la tensión entre el mal conocido y el bien real y posible por la fuerza de Dios constituye la esperanza cristiana. Los hijos de Dios somos hombres de fe y esperanza. No sería así si no esperáramos en el futuro y en el más allá. Quizás a muchas personas no les falta tanto la fe, como la esperanza. Es el triste «¿Para qué?»; ese descorazonador: «El hombre es como es y no lo vamos a cambiar». El pesimismo frente a que la persona pueda amar auténticamente podría ser la manifestación de la situación de una Humanidad que niega a Dios, a la fuerza del Espíritu en cada hombre para realizar el bien –y la santidad–, que son, no un sueño hermoso pero irreal, sino el plan del Padre para el mundo, al que da el mandamiento del amor –ratificado y llevado a plenitud por Jesucristo–, porque sabe que es la mejor «medicina» y la necesidad más profunda de todo hombre.
11 Answers
Hope versus Evil
William Golding said that "Man produces evil as a bee produces honey". Perhaps this is the summary of what he thinks about mankind: that it is fundamentally and absolutely evil. When human wickedness is confirmed - and for much of the mass media, it seems that only bad news (moral) is newsworthy - it is easy to fall into despair. The mere confirmation of evil leads to hopelessness.
Acceptance of the conflict between the known evil and the supreme good that is possible through the grace of God is the Christian hope. The children of God are men of faith and hope. This would not be so if we did not have hope for the future and the afterlife. Perhaps for many people it's not that they lack faith, so much as that they lack hope. It's the mournful "what's the point"; the disheartening: "Man is what he is, and we are not going to change him".
This despair compared to the ability of a person to truly love could be the sign of the status of a Humanity that denies God, and the power of the Spirit in every man to do good - and holiness - , that they are, not a beautiful but unreal dream, but the Father's plan for the world, which gives the commandment to love - confirmed and brought to fulfillment by Jesus Christ - because He knows that it is the best "medicine" and the deepest need of every man
Hola Zizoun
Regarding the minor imperfections in your text, here are a few corrections you might want to take note of which might help make your writing a bit more "fluid" in English.
Hope against the evil.
The humans ”Man produces (although, “makes” or “manufactures” might be a better word to use here) evil like the bees produce (make) honey,>>” said William Holding said. It This can be the summary (probably better said in English: “It is a likely summary…”) of what he thinks about the humans mankind: That he is substantially fundamentally and absolutely bad wicked/evil. When you note the human evilness man’s wickedness -and for many media outlets it looks seems like only the bad news (i.e. morals) are news(worthy)-, its it’s easier easy to fall into a big grand pessimism. The only note of evilness drives it to the thing learned by covering evil all the time is that it leads to hopelessness. Accepting the tension between the evil (that is) known and the true right side good that is real and possible because of the strength force/power of God makes forms the basis of /is the basis of the Christian hope. The sons As children of God we are mans people of faith and hope. It couldn’t might not be like that if we wouldn’t were not to hope in the future and in the beyond hereafter/afterlife. Maybe many people don’t lack from faith as much as they lack from hope. It is the sad**, “For what?”**; that disheartening: The Mankind is how as/what it is and we are not going to change it/that. The pessimism against the facing a person that can love trully able to truly (express) love could be the exhibition sign/manifiestation of the situation state of affairs of one a Humanity that God denies God, at the strength of the (Holy) Spirit (within) in each man to accomplish the right good -and the holyness-, that are, not a beautiful yet unreal dream but unreal, but the plan of the Father for the world, wich who gives the 'commandment' of love -ratified and carried to the fullness (or “to the fullest”) by Jesuschrist Jesus Christ- because he knows what is the best ”medicine” and the most deep deepest need of every man
A few notes:
Often the definite article is not translated if you are using it to make reference to an entire group or concept. For example: El hombre - Man/mankind/the human race; la maldad - wickedness/evil (i.e. the concept of evilness); la desesperanza - hopelessness/despair (a state of being).
When using quotation marks, all punctuation occurs within the quotation marks rather than outside. For example, “…the bee produces honey,” rather than “…the bee produces honey”,
When there are two or more adverbs used sequentially, in Spanish only the final adverb in the series will receive the –mente suffix; however, each of these should be translated into English as the appropriate adverb. For example, “es sustancial y absolutamente malo,” both sustancial and absolutamente are being used as adverbs to modify the adjective malo, so they must both be translated as such.
Mucho medios de comunicación - This can either be said “for many media outlets” or “for much of the media”
Subject pronouns (I, you, we, etc) are necessary and generally cannot be omitted if the subject is not specifically stated.
Contractions: make sure to place an apostrophe (‘) in the appropriate position when forming contractions (couldnt vs couldn’t etc.)
sólo las malas noticias (morales) son noticias This can be translated in a couple of different ways depending on whether or not you want to maintain the verb son as singular or plural, but the most faithful to the original is probably: “Only bad news (morals) are newsworthy (worth reporting)” or if going with a singular construction then possibly “Only news of evil (morals) is worth reporting.
caer en un gran pesimismo I think that this might be translated in one of the following ways: “slip/sink/fall into (a grand) despair,” “sink into a grand/magnificent/deep (state of) pessimism/cynicism.”
La sola constatación de la maldad conduce a la desesperanz This might be said more literally: “Only/constantly revealing the evil in the world leads to hopelessness” or possibly "The mere mention of evil drives/brings about/leads to hopelessness"
si no esperáramos This needs to be said, “should we not hope for/if were not to hope for” The subjunctive in English can often be expressed by a the bare infinitive accompanied by a modal auxiliary (should hope) or by the infinitive (to hope).
Hope in the Face of Evil
“Man produces evil, as a bee produces honey,” said William Golding. That could be the summary of what he thinks of mankind: it is substantially and absolutely bad. When human evil is confirmed – and for many mediums of communication it seems that only bad news (immorality) is news – it’s easy to fall into being extremely pessimistic. The mere confirmation that evil exists leads to hopelessness. To accept the tension between known evil and the real good that is possible because of God’s strength is what makes up Christian hope. Children of God are men of faith and hope. It wouldn’t be like that if we didn’t have hope for the future and the great beyond. Perhaps many people don’t lack faith as much as they lack hope. It’s the sad, “What for?” That disheartening, “Mankind is like it is and we aren’t going to change that.” Pessimism, as opposed to that which a person can authentically love, could be the manifestation of the situation of a Humanity that denies God, the strength of the Holy Spirit in each man to realize the goodness -and the holiness-, that they are, not a beautiful dream that’s not real, but the Father’s plan for the world, to which He gives the commandment of love – ratified and carried to completeness by Jesus Christ – because He knows that it’s the best “medicine” and deepest need of all mankind.
Hope Versus Evil
“Man produces wickedness as the bee makes honey,” said William Holding. This can be the summary of what he thinks about man: that (we are) substantially and absolutely evil. When the evil of humanity is verifed / documented – and for most communications media it seems that only bad news (morals (?)) is “news” – it is easy to become extremely pessimistic. On its own, the verification of evil leads to despair.
Accepting the tension between the evil we know and the true and good possible through the power of God constitutes the Christian hope. The children of God are people of faith and expectation. It would not be so if we did not have hope for the future and in the afterlife. Perhaps for many people, they do not lack faith but lack hope.
It is a sad thing. “For what?” that discouraging one (?) “Humanity is how it is and it isn’t going to change.” Pessimism set against the person who can love authentically could be the manifestation of the situation of a humanity that denies God, the power of the Spirit on each person for realizing the good – and the holiness – that are, not a beautiful but unrealistic dream, without the Father’s plan for the world, to which He gives the commandment of love – ratified and brought to completion by Jesus Christ – because He knows what is the best “medicine” and the deepest need of every person.
Again, not a word for word translation, but I tried to focus on the essence of what was being said – hopefully more successfully than not.
Hope in the face of evil
“Man puts his hands to wickedness the way a bee does to honey,” said William Holding. It can be the summary of what he thinks regarding man: that he is substantially and absolutely evil. When one takes note of human wickedness – and for many means of communication, it seem that only these types of scandals (moral doctrines) are newsworthy – it’s easy to fall into the habit of believing that evil in life outweighs the good and that the worst should be expected out of any situation. This singular focus on detailing only the evil in the world sets us on a path to despair.
Accepting the strain between the evil in our heads and the good in our lives, possible only by the Will of God, forms the basis for Christian hope. As children of God we are men of faith and hope. This might not be so if we were not to place our hopes in the future and in the hereafter. It may be that for many people, they don’t lack faith so much as they lack hope. It is sad. What purpose does this serve? This depressing mantra: Mankind is what it is, and we’re not going to change anything. The pessimism that opposes a person’s ability to love authentically could be the manifestation of the state of a Humanity that denies God, The Holy Spirit that lives within each man in order to do good – and the holiness – that are, not a beautiful yet unreal dream, but the plan of our Father for the world, who issued the commandment of love – validated and fully perfected by Jesus Christ – because he knows that it is the best “medicine” and the most profound need of all mankind.
for many means of communication, it seem that only these types of scandals (moral doctrines) are newsworthy
I really wanted to say "For much of the mass media, it seems like the only good news is bad news," but I wasn't sure how to fit the (morals/principles) bit in there.
Hope against Evil
"The man produces evil as a bee produces honey", said William Holding. This can be the summary of what he thinks about the man: It is essentially and absolutly bad. When human evil is observed, -and for many media it seems that only bad news (moral) are news-, it's easy to fall into a deep pessimism. The mere finding of evil leads to despair. Accepting the tension between the known evil and real good and possible by the power of God is the Christian hope. The children of God are men of faith and hope. It would not be like that if we did not expect in the future and beyond. Perhaps many people are not so far from faith, like hope. It's sad, "What for?"; That disheartening: "Man is as it is, It is not going to change." The pessimism in front of a person can truly love could be the manifestation of the status of a humanity that denies God, the power of the Spirit in every man to do good, and holiness, which are not a beautiful dream but unrealistic, but the Father's plan for the world, which gives the commandment of love ratified and brought to fulfillment by Jesus Christ, because He knows He is the best "medicine" and the deepest need of every man.
Hope against the evil.
The humans produce evil like the bee produces honey>>, William Holding said. It can be the sumary of what thinks about the humans: what is substantial and absolutely bad. When you note the human evilness -and for many media looks like only the bad news (morals) are news-, its easier to fall in a big pessimism. The only note of evilness drives it to the hopelessness. Accepting the tension between the evil known and the true right side and possible because of the strenght of God makes the christian hope. The sons of God are mans of faith and hope. It wouldnt be like that if we wouldnt hope in the future and in the beyond. Maybe many people dont lack from faith as much as they lack from hope (that one was tricky).Is the sad For what?; that disheartening: The man is how it is and we are not going to change it. The pessimism against the person that can love trully could be the exhibition of the situation of one Humanity that God denies, at the strengh of the Spirit in each man to accomplish the right -and the holyness-, that are, not a beautiful dream but unreal, but the plan of the Father for the world, wich gives the 'commandment' of love -ratified and carried to the fullness by Jesuschrist-, because he knows what is the best medicine and the most deep need of every man.
My level of english is not 100% perfect ^^ Greetings 
Rough Translation
Hope versus Evil
“Mankind produces evil as a bee produces honey” said William Holding. A summary of his opinion of mankind could be that he finds humanity effectively and absolutely evil. When we encounter human evil; (for much of the media it seems only bad news is news),it is easy to be prey to profound pessimism. The constant presence of evil leads to despair. It is only possible to accept the tension between the knowledge of evil and manifest goodness through the power of God which constitutes Christian hope. It would not be thus if we did not hope in the future and beyond.
Perhaps for many people it is not so much a question of faith so much as hope. It is that sad “What’s the use?” that heartless “Mankind is as it is and nothing will change that” which challenges them.
That pessimism which casts doubt as to whether a person can truly love could be a manifestation of that human condition that denies God, the power of the Spirit in every man to do good, - and holiness, which is not a beautiful but unrealistic dream , but the Father's plan for the world, which is a message of love ratified and brought to fulfillment by Jesus Christ, because he knows it is the best "medicine" and the deepest need of all mankind.
This correction was kindly offered by Nicole for Carlos
Hope against Evil
"Man produces evil as a bee produces honey", said William Holding. This can be the summary of what he thinks about man: It is essentially and absolutely bad. When human evil is observed, -and for many in the media, it seems that only bad news (moral) is news. It is easy to fall into a deep pessimism. The mere finding of evil leads to despair. Accepting the tension between the known evil and real good, and made possible by the power of God, is the Christian hope. The children of God are men of faith and hope. It would not be like that if we did not look forward to the future and beyond. Perhaps many people are not so far from faith as from hope. The sad, "What for?"; the disheartening: "Man is as he is, he is not going to change." P essimism as opposed to a person who can truly love, could be the manifestation of the situation of a humanity that denies God. The power of the Spirit is in every man to do good- and the holiness, which is not a beautiful dream, but unrealistic without the Father's plan for the world, which gives the commandment of love- ratified and brought to fulfillment by Jesus Christ, because He knows He is the best "medicine" and the deepest need of every man.
Es el triste «¿Para qué?»; ese descorazonador: «El hombre es como es y no lo vamos a cambiar».
This was challenging, too.
Some said: It is sad. This is not correct.
It is the sad (words) "What for?" and the disheartening.....
May be "hombre" is best translated as mankind here.
I really don't know what else to say, everything else was simply perfect.
Please, any questions welcome
La sola constatación de la maldad conduce a la desesperanza.
Instead of correcting each text, which are all near perfection, I am going to point out some sentences, may be only this one, I have to read through all of them still.
This has been wrongly interpreted so far by Izan and Birdland.
It means something like: the sole/mere mentioning, verification, confirmation that evil *exists leads (us) to despair.*
Lis: On its own, the verification of evil leads to despair.
Sheila:The mere confirmation of evil leads to hopelessness.
