Translating Rosalía’s El Mal Querer: Introduction

Rosalía’s album El Mal Querer tells the story of a woman trapped in an abusive relationship, based on the 13th century novel Romance of Flamenca. She fuses traditional flamenco elements with modern pop and hip pop, creating a unique experience for her audience. The 2019 album won several awards, including a Latin Grammy for its powerful message, imagery, and musical innovation.

Many consider this album to be Rosalía’s greatest work, though it still remains relatively inaccessible for international fans. Translations are scarce and often machine generated, leaving many plot holes for those who wish to dive into the elaborate story behind the album. Given these issues, I decided to take on this translation task for a semester-long research project in my senior year.

Join me in this “translating music” series to see through the eyes of a translator. Read through my thought process and how I worked through the challenges presented by this beautiful, unique work.