The Challenges of Adverbs in Spanish Translation IV

Both English and Spanish adverbs can be compared like English and Spanish adjectives. Spanish adverbs are compared by placing ‘más´ or ‘menos´ before the adverb. Only four Spanish adverbs have irregular comparative forms.

The following are some of the challenges that might confront the translator while carrying out the Spanish translation of English adverbs of comparison:

1. The Spanish translation for the English comparison of equality, namely, ‘as + adverb + as´ is ‘tan + adverb + como´. For example, ‘she doesn´t speak as clearly as he´ will be translated as ‘ella no habla tan claramente como el´.
2. Without fail, the Spanish translation of the English adverbial phrase ‘as much as´ is ‘tanto como´.
3. Translators can render the English ‘than´ as ‘que´ in Spanish whenever it is used in the comparison of two things, persons or actions; however, if used before numbers, ‘than´ is translated into ‘de´ and not ‘que´. For example, ‘this semester we are studying more than before´ will be translated as ‘este semestre estudiamos más que antes´.
4. When, instead of two things, entire ideas are compared, the correct Spanish translation of ‘than´ would be ‘de lo que´. For example, ‘this gentleman works more than you think´ will be translated as ‘este señor trabaja más de lo que ustedes piensan´.
5. An English expression using a superlative form of adverbial comparison may be translated into Spanish as the neuter article ‘lo´ + ‘más´ (or ‘menos) + adverb + ‘possible´.