El Comandante Digno Coronel Coronel

Question

From 'Trampa 22'. I remember the original being Major Major Major (or was it Major Major Major Major')
When I look up coronel I get colonel and when I look up major I get comandante, I guess it would be too much of a mouthful...but if someone wants to guess why this particular title came about in the translation

Cabo furriel...would that be lance corporal'

Answer 1

ah

Answer 2

Does it read as the dignified major (called) colonel colonel'

If the translator was following the English pattern, then it would be Comandante (the rank of major) Digno (first name) Coronel (middle name, or possibly additional surname as is the Spanish custom) Coronel (surname).

Answer 3

Thanks James. Yes, it must be hard being a translator and it has reminded me of a question I was going to ask that I'll post tomorrow.
Does it read as the dignified major (called) colonel colonel? Well it's true Comandante Comandante Comandante Comandante probably doesn't work.

Answer 4

Tad, put yourself in the translator's place. Major Major Major Major (that's the correct version) is only funny because Major is a real surname, and can even be used as a given name in English, and is also a military rank. The father who gave the name was trying to be funny, and the man with the name was promoted to major due to a computer glitch. It is impossible to convey all that with a literal translation into Spanish, so the translator made a judgment call about what would work best in the overall context. Whether it was a good call is subjective, but I think it's clear that he or she had to make some kind of call. Literary translation frequently requires this (which is one reason why I don't do it!).

As for cabo furriel, there probably isn't a one-to-one correspondence between military ranks in Spanish and English. I found sites listing several grades of cabo, and this definition of furriel:

En las Fuerzas Armadas un furriel es un cabo que tiene a su cargo la distribución de suministros de determinadas unidades, así como el nombramiento del personal destinado al servicio de la tropa correspondiente. Formaban parte de los tercios españoles.

At any rate, it is some kind of NCO.