Lyrics in other languages

[mainestratman]

I've been thinking about lyrics written in non-English languages, and not until Blaze posted the link to a song he helped with, "Sans Nous", did I decide to ask around here, since we have lots of multi-lingual folks.

Are songs written in your native tongue structured any differently, or are there enough words out there to get "close enough"? For example:

Since I don't have you
I don't know what to do
I want to see you again
But that would cause too much pain

Fairly typical english-based lyrics.. obviously in a different language, this phrase wouldn't rhyme.. using an internet-based translator, it spit out this German:

Da habe ich euch nicht Ich weiß nicht,
was zu tun,
ich will dich wieder sehen aber,
dass zu viel Schmerz verursacht

I don't speak a lick of German, but none of that looks like it would rhyme.

I'm rambling, I know.. but this is causing weird cramps in my brain... LOL

[SuperSwede]

Well the real fun starts when you translate the text back to english! Heres the same lyrics translated by Nice Translator:

Since I Do not I do not know what to do, I'll see you again, but that caused too much pain

[mainestratman]

[Ch0jin]

Great question and I'm interested to hear some more replies, but I'd have just assumed that if you were writing lyrics in (to use your example) German, you'd just write to make the German words sound right and if they translate right its a bonus, but by no means required.

The only example I can think of right now is the Nena track.

German = 99 Luftballons meaning 99 Air Balloons (I think)
English = 99 Red Balloons meaning, well Red Balloons. I would bet anything that change was made to make the English version sound better.

Oh wait! Of course!

What about "Ca Plane Pour Moi" by Plastic Bertrand.

Last I looked there actually isn't a "correct" English translation because supposedly Quebec French slang doesn't really make for literal English translation.

In any case that track sure as heck was NOT written with an English translation in mind.

[sumitomo]

I play around with this all the time,My wife is from South America,so when I ask her about a song that I have translated into spanish she'll say yea that's correct BUT we wouldn't say it like that,man that throws me for a loop,because when she tells me how they would say it,it makes NO sense to me,I mean I still can't understand how she came up with what she told me,which leaves me more confused than when I started.It's a plot I tell ya,It's out to destroy us.Sumi Good Luck!!!

[Blaze]

French is a poetry language,it s nice and smooth but it contains so much rules ,sometimes weird one,that make lyrics hard to construct ..

Compare to German or some North Europeen languages i would say french sounds pretty good but English probably is the best sounding with his easy ways to express and the simple phrasings that match music much easily..

That said ,i m thinkin mainly about Pop music here ...

[Ch0jin]

Oh Yeah, I forgot ur from Quebec Blaze

Do you know the track I'm talking about? It's an 80's thing but I was always curious as to what that chorus actually meant, as me and my friends tried to dance and sing along without speaking a word of French..

Oh, and here it is!



Enjoy!

[Blaze]

Oh Yeah, I forgot ur from Quebec Blaze

Do you know the track I'm talking about? It's an 80's thing but I was always curious as to what that chorus actually meant, as me and my friends tried to dance and sing along without speaking a word of French..

In the french from France slang sounds like ''things are good for me" but means '' I'm so high !! ''

Here's his big 80's hit (Stop or let's do it again ), kind of a funky Rap before time, the guy is still in the music circuit,doin some gigs here and there..
He is an icon in France..

[Carlström]

it'll sound stupid doing a direct translation from any language in to another. As said earlier here, you'll have to adopt it to make sense since rules and grammar vary so much. also social contexts where the language in question is spoken also matter.