Translating Songs

[Athene]

...
For example:
"Dimelo (which translates to "Tell Me") sounds lovely in Spanish, but it would make for an awkward, somewhat nonsensical song in English.

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"Do You Know?" however, makes absolute sense in English while maintaining the essential "spirit" or meaning of the Spanish version.
So they're effectively the same song...only kinda, sorta, not really, technically.

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With a poem, there is no accompanying soundtrack in which to convey sentiment though; Which would make pulling off that sort of feat much more difficult, I would think.

Seriously ? Enrique?

Thena is  

Yeah well, people who like The Ting-Tings probably shouldn't throw stones.

Just for doing that, you're getting another one: The English version of "Ritmo Total".
Enjoy!

[WinterHold]

If you're slapping your dick repeatedly against an object, then you're not doin fuckin right.

I agree..if you do it you're zwaffelen with no manors.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Well, there's also the fact that certain words and concepts don't always translate well. For example, the Dutch word 'zwaffelen' means to strike your penis repeatedly against an object.  I'm almost certain that it would be difficult to accurately translate this in a poem or song and keep the correct rhythm.

Boru

Isn't "humping" or "fucked the shit out of..." an accurate translation?

And you can arrange both in a poem:

I fucked the shit out of a nordling
Humped repeatedly from night to the morning.

...eh

No, they're not accurate at all.  Suppose you hold your penis in your hand and thump it up and down on...I dunno...a pastrami sandwich.  You're neither humping nor fucking the sandwich.  You're just hitting it with your wang.  Your translation doesn't capture the meaning of the Dutch word.  In any case your translated poem doesn't scan, since 'zwaffelen' has three syllables and your poem translates it into five.

Or have a go at 'sgbiog', a Gaelic word that means, 'that itchy feeling you get on your upper lip just before you take a sip of whiskey'.

Boru

[WinterHold]

Seriously ? Enrique?

Thena is  

Yeah well, people who like The Ting-Tings probably shouldn't throw stones.

Just for doing that, you're getting another one: The English version of Ritmo Total.
Enjoy!

First I'm not a "Ting Tingest" or whatever the "Ting Tingers" are called, I liked one song for them and mainly because the clip was cute !

Second, I must throw rocks at Enrique fans ! take it as a rule of thump: famous people are hated..especially latin men who kiss a lot of hot girls.

Third, don't start a videoclip fight with me because you will fail miserably, here's a song to erase his latin man carrying hot girls in his suitcase trail:

[Athene]

First I'm not a "Ting Tingest" or whatever the "Ting Tingers" are called, I liked one song for them and mainly because the clip was cute !

Second, I must throw rocks at Enrique fans ! take it as a rule of thump: famous people are hated..especially latin men who kiss a lot of hot girls.

Third, don't start a videoclip fight with me because you will fail miserably, here's a song to erase his latin man carrying hot girls in his suitcase trail:

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Meh..Canon in D still sounds much, much better with orchestral instruments if you ask me.

As far as the rest of the post goes--OMG. Quit hating on the man just because he's a panty-dropper, AtlasS!
You could probably be one too if you closed your eyes and started singing to chicks all soulfully and stuff, like so:




Oh, my..I think I'm gonna...




Lol!

[Rev. Rye]

A couple years ago, I decided to translate "The Book of Love" into German, which I barely speak.




Alex changed some of the words, and here's what I'm left with:

Das Liebesbuch ist sehr langweilig
Es is zu gross zu heben
Es is voller Fakten und Zahlen
Wie auch Tanzanweisungen

A...ber ich, Ich liebe wenn du mir vorliest
Und Du... kannst mir alles vorlesen

Das Liebesbuch enhaelt Musik,
Tatsaclich, Musik ward so geboren
Mansche Musik ist transzendentale
Mansche Musik ist sehr nuechtern

(Chorus, as before, except "vorliest" is replaced with "Vorsingst")

Das Liebesbuch ist sehr langweilig
und wurd' vor langer Zeit verfasst
Enthaelt Blumen, Herzen, und Sachen
Wir sind viel zu jung, zu wissen.

I changed some of the words and I'm kind of afraid I lost some of the poetry.

By contrast, a bit later, I decided to translate this song:




Some of you might recognise this as "My Way." It turns out that when Paul Anka translated it, he changed EVERYTHING about the lyrics. On a whim, I decided to try and (using a combination of my own writerly ear and Google Translate) gave it new, more faithful lyrics:


I wake
And brush your skin
You stay asleep
The same as always

And then,
I pull the sheets
You won’t get cold
The same as always

My hand
It strokes your hair
Reflexively
The same as always

And then
You turn away
The same as always

So, I
Put on some clothes
I start the day
The same as always

Alone
I drink a cup
I think I’m late
The same as always

Doors close,
I’ve left the house
The world is grey
The same as always

It’s cold
I zip my coat
The same as always

The same as always
It’s every day
I’ll play the game
I’ll make believe
The same as always
I’ll make a smile
The same as always
I’ll even laugh
The same as always
And I’ll go on
The same as always

And then,
The day will end
I’ll come back home
The same as always

And you
You won’t be there
You’ll be there soon
The same as always

Alone
I’ll lie alone
In this big bed
The same as always

My tears
They’ll stay discreet
The same as always

It’s the same as always,
Even each night
I’ll play the game
I’ll make believe
The same as always
You’ll be back soon
The same as always
I’ll wait for you
The same as always
You’ll smile at me
The same as always

The same as always
You’ll drop your clothes
The same as always
You’ll get in bed
Yes, the same as always
We’ll start to kiss
The same as always
The same as always
We’ll make believe
The same as always
We’ll make our love
Yes, the same as always
We’ll make believe
The same as always.

[WinterHold]

Meh..Canon in D still sounds much, much better with orchestral instruments if you ask me.

As far as the rest of the post goes--OMG. Quit hating on the man just because he's a panty-dropper, AtlasS!
You could probably be one too if you closed your eyes and started singing to chicks all soulfully and stuff, like so:




Oh, my..I think I'm gonna...




Lol!

You proved that you have a brain damage just like most girls who are into Enrique, I hate his type because it's the type husbands find naked in their bedrooms after returning from work; fucking the wife.

My reason for hating him is noble, justified and humane !! or do you secretly agree with wives cheating with Enrique's likes?

Like this man:

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"Alekhandro ! what are you doing in my kitchen? is that pussy juice from my wife in your fingers???"

[The Grand Nudger]

If you catch somebody fucking your wife...you're fucking up. It's not exactly his fault that you're an unsatisfying bore with poor taste in women, now is it?

[Rev. Rye]

You proved that you have a brain damage just like most girls who are into Enrique, I hate his type because it's the type husbands find naked in their bedrooms after returning from work; fucking the wife.

My reason for hating him is noble, justified and humane !! or do you secretly agree with wives cheating with Enrique's likes?

Come on, you gotta love a sex symbol who’s actually open about his foot fetishism, and can thus help normalize a largely harmless sexual aberration:

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If you catch somebody fucking your wife...you're fucking up. It's not exactly his fault that you're an unsatisfying bore with poor taste in women, now is it?

Or you’re in an open relationship. And now, I find myself fantasizing about the day Mark Neveldine and Alison Lohman announces they’re in one... Alison, some day, you’ll be mine. Or maybe I should just commission a body pillow for that.

[The Valkyrie]

I thought Enrique was gay?




🤣