Translation Of Lyrics Research Articles

Strategies and Challenges in English to Chinese Translation of Selected Song Lyrics

The translation of song lyrics is challenging for translators primarily due to the intricate poetic and musical elements, which often compel them to employ specific strategies for effective translation. This study was an attempt to investigate the translation strategies in selected translated movie song lyrics and explore the challenges in translating the lyrics. In this qualitative study, the songs were purposefully selected from “Mulan” (1998) and “Aladdin” (2019) movies. Low’s (2013) translation strategies were applied during the process of translation. The “Translation” (transfer of material with a reasonably high degree of semantic fidelity), and “Replacement” (a re-creation of text by only preserving the music element) strategies were found as the common strategies in the translation of song lyrics. The use of a replacement strategy could be due to technical difficulties in translating songs, such as the constraint of rhythm, hence a total replacement of meanings to match the rhythm of the song. A significant challenge in translating song lyrics from English to Chinese was in translating the concept of face-saving, which is an eminent process in social interactions in Chinese culture. It was concluded that the use of a translation strategy depended on the lyrics, translators’ creativity, melody, rhyme, and the differences between the languages and cultures, while the “skopos”, i.e., the correspondence of aim/purpose in the source and target cultures should play the key role.

浅谈线上音乐平台中的韩文歌词汉译

In recent years, cultural exchanges between China and South Korea are no longer as active as before due to China's growing awareness of protecting local culture. However, “Korean wave” culture, especially Korean pop songs such as K-POP, remains hugely popular in China. On China's major online music platforms, Korean songs account for a large proportion of listeners. Music is a borderless language, and lyrics are an important means to promote music. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the Chinese translation of Korean lyrics. Although there are some similarities between Chinese and Korean languages, there are still great differences in cultural background, pronunciation and grammar. This paper aims to discuss the principles of translating Korean lyrics from Chinese by analyzing the current situation, influencing factors and concrete examples.

IMPLICIT AND EXPLICIT INFORMATION IN THE TRANSLATION OF "FLOWERS" LYRICS BY MILEY CYRUS

This article delves into the intricate process of translating song lyrics, with a specific focus on Miley Cyrus's emotive track, "Flowers". The study explores the challenges faced when translating implicit and explicit information, as well as the impact of cultural nuances on the accuracy and emotive resonance of the translated lyrics. By analyzing the translation process and the choices made, we gain insight into the dynamic interplay between language and music, and how translators navigate this intricate terrain. The translation of song lyrics is an art that transcends linguistic and cultural boundaries, demanding not only linguistic fluency but also a deep understanding of cultural and emotional subtleties woven into lyrical compositions. "Flowers" with its universal themes, serves as an intriguing case study to investigate the multifaceted process of translating implicit and explicit information in song lyrics. This article adopts a qualitative research approach, drawing insights from lyric analysis, interviews with experienced song translators, and an exploration of the cultural context of the target languages. The findings shed light on the art and science of song translation and the pivotal role of translators in mediating the emotional and cultural impact of music across diverse linguistic and cultural landscapes.

A Study on English Translation of Poems and Lyrics by Mao Tse-tung from the Perspective of Metaphor

Mao Tse-tung is a great revolutionist, and his poems have always been praised as “A poem wins a country”. Metaphor is a process to understand and experience one thing through another thing, with its core to create undiscovered connections between ontology and metaphor, it is to combine two dissimilar things together. Poems and Lyrics written by Mao Tse-tung are rich in metaphors, this paper compares and studies four English translations of Mao Tse-tung’s poems(translated by Xu Yuanchong, Foreign Languages Press, Wang Huiming and Gu Zhengkun) from the perspective of metaphor at conceptual level, and discusses how translator deal with verbal metaphors and nominal metaphors. The results find that most of the translators choose to retain metaphors in the target language in order to accurately convey the information of the poems, which is suitable to translate metaphors in the poems.

A Study on the Chinese Translation of Lyrics from the Perspective of Translation Aesthetics —Taking Bob Dylan’s Lyrics as an Example

A Study on the Chinese Translation of Lyrics from the Perspective of Translation Aesthetics —Taking Bob Dylan’s Lyrics as an Example

Analysis of Translatability in Classical Chinese Poetry from the Perspective of Translation Strategies Taking Xu Yuanchong's Translations of the Lyrics "Everlasting Longing" as Examples

Classical Chinese poetry is an important literary genre in Chinese literature, of which the Tang poems and Song lyrics are two of the highest artistic achievements in ancient Chinese poetry. The study of classical poetry translation has become a hot topic in Chinese literary translation. This paper aims to study the translatability of Chinese classical poetry from the perspective of the translation strategies of Xu Yuanchong by selecting lyrics titled everlasting longing in the Chinese-English Translation of 300 Chinese Tang and Song Lyrics authored by Xu Yuanchong, an outstanding translator. In the translation of Xu Yuanchongs poems, he emphasized the beauty of meaning, form and sound. Through a theoretical overview of important translation strategies and case study of the translation strategies adopted by Xu Yuanchong, the following conclusions are drawn: Xu Yuanchongs translation strategy of creative translation has greatly improved the translatability of classical Chinese poetry. Due to the particularity of the poetry style and literary form, the semantic meaning loss can be caused to a certain extent, so the translation strategy oriented by functional equivalence and aesthetic pursuit can provide the reference for the translation of Chinese classical poems and lyrics.

On the Subtitle Translation of Musical Lyrics from the Perspective of Domestication and Foreignization: A Case Study of Classic Musical Theatre Cats

With various art gradually spreading all over the world, excellent musicals bearing the multicultural features have also entered into the public life. Translation as an important tool in transcultural communication, is indispensable in the expression and spreading of such art. For musicals that are played on the screen, given the unique features of the genre and the rules of subtitling, the translation of musicals requires delicate processing and special effort. This paper discussed the importance of musical translation and subtitle translation in the peoples modern life. With the focus on the translation of the cultural elements in the musical, this paper discovered the application of translation strategies: Domestication and Foreignization Strategies in the subtitle translation of Cats. Through comparing and analysis, the study at present discussed the effect of the strategies on the translation and provided suggestions on the choice of Domestication and Foreignization Strategies in the subtitle translation of musicals.

Translation Methods Used in Translating Harry’s House Album Songs Lyrics

This study aimed at determining the methods used in translating song lyrics on Harry's house album on Indolirik YouTube channel. The theory used in analyzing the data is Newmark theory (1988) which explained that there were two approaches in translating text namely SL Emphasis (Domestication) in which the emphasis was on the source language and the other one was TL Emphasis (Foreignization) in which the emphasis was on the target language. Newmark (1988) also explained there were eight methods of translations, namely, word for word, literal, faithful, semantic, adaptation, free, idiomatic, and communicative translation. The researcher conducted a descriptive qualitative method in analyzing the data. The data were taken from the translation of song lyrics on Harry's house album on Indolirik YouTube channel, which consisted of 5 songs and 111 song lyrics. The findings of this research showed that there were 6 types of translation methods used by Indolirik YouTube channel in translating the lyrics. From the analyzed data, Indolirik YouTube channelused Literal translation (43,25%), Word-for-Word translation (5,41%), Free translation (10,81%), Idiomatic Translation (17,11%), and Communicative translation (23,42%). It was also found that the translator mostly used the literal translation process, it means that the translation products focused on the source language in translating the song lyrics rather than the target one.

A song for Cornwall (Kan Rag Kernow): a study of musicians and translators working on Cornish/Kernewek lyrics for international song festivals

ABSTRACT In the British region of Cornwall, state intervention in long-standing practices of the translation of music lyrics for song competitions has created major shifts, including remarkable competitive successes. Proponents of the Kernewek (Cornish) Language have long used translated musical lyrics as a tool for language revival, especially in annual song competitions, like the Pan Celtic festival. Cornish musicians – who, with few exceptions, cannot speak Kernewek – work with volunteer translators to produce songs for competitions for audiences who also rarely speak Kernewek. This essay is built upon ethnographic fieldwork in Cornwall among language enthusiasts and musicians, as well as on recent interviews with musicians and translators who have competed in the Pan Celtic and similar festivals. It demonstrates a conscious use of language by non-fluent speakers to build identity and community among Cornish people and to promote the recognition of Cornwall’s distinctiveness outside of the region. This builds upon previous work on metalinguistic community (Avineri and Harasta 2021) and ethnolinguistic infusion (Benor, Krasner, and Avni 2020), demonstrating the complex and important impact of state funding and coordination to increase the recognition and scope of use of the language.

Domestication in song translations

The presented article examines the notion of domestication as applied in the translation of song lyrics. Since the famous essay Translation, Community, Utopia by Lawrence Venuti, who condemned domestication as a form of cultural appropriation, this technique has generally been under attack despite some mitigating voices, such as that of Krzysztof Hejwowski. And this situation did not change when the new idea of translatorʼs authorship appeared. This article takes the stance of Hejwowskiʼs arguments and tries to apply them in the realm of (mostly melic) song translations, presenting positive and negative features of domestications there. It is meant to show that domestication can be used not only for informative purposes for the reader (as is usually assumed), but also as a creative tool in its own right.

A Comparative Analysis of English Translations of Allusions in Song Lyrics from the Perspective of the Frame Theory

To shed some light on the English translation of Song lyrics, this paper takes the English translation of allusions in Song lyrics by Xin Qiji as the research object, analyzes the role of the frame theory in the English translation of allusions in Song lyrics, and explores the strategies suitable for the translation of allusions from the frame theory perspective.

강도 조절 측면의 평가어로 살펴본 영상 텍스트의 재번역 분석 — 영화 『원스』의 노래를 중심으로 —

The purpose of this study is to investigate how Appraisal words were changed in the initial translation (TT1) and re-translation (TT2) of the songs of the movie Once. As a result of the analysis, the Attitude evaluation words were almost similar in ST, TT1, and TT2, whereas the Graduation evaluation words appeared more in TT2 than in TT1. This can be analyzed because the translator tried to better convey the expression or situation of the characters to the audience in TT2 lyrics translation and to express the emotions of the protagonist effectively. Through audience reviews, we investigated how the audience perceived the difference between the two subtitles. TT1 mainly had a lot of reviews about movie music, but TT2 had a lot of reviews on translation as well as music. For example, a review of the TT2 is as follows; there were many positive reviews about the translation of lyrics in that the translator translated the lyrics as if the audience were reading a poem, helping the audience to be more immersed in the emotions of the characters and better appreciate the movie. Therefore, it is expected that this study can be used as a reference material for the translation of lyrics.

Embodied Songs: Insights Into the Nature of Cross-Modal Meaning-Making Within Sign Language Informed, Embodied Interpretations of Vocal Music.

Embodied song practices involve the transformation of songs from the acoustic modality into an embodied-visual form, to increase meaningful access for d/Deaf audiences. This goes beyond the translation of lyrics, by combining poetic sign language with other bodily movements to embody the para-linguistic expressive and musical features that enhance the message of a song. To date, the limited research into this phenomenon has focussed on linguistic features and interactions with rhythm. The relationship between bodily actions and music has not been probed beyond an assumed implication of conformance. However, as the primary objective is to communicate equivalent meanings, the ways that the acoustic and embodied-visual signals relate to each other should reveal something about underlying conceptual agreement. This paper draws together a range of pertinent theories from within a grounded cognition framework including semiotics, analogy mapping and cross-modal correspondences. These theories are applied to embodiment strategies used by prominent d/Deaf and hearing Dutch practitioners, to unpack the relationship between acoustic songs, their embodied representations, and their broader conceptual and affective meanings. This leads to the proposition that meaning primarily arises through shared patterns of internal relations across a range of amodal and cross-modal features with an emphasis on dynamic qualities. These analogous patterns can inform metaphorical interpretations and trigger shared emotional responses. This exploratory survey offers insights into the nature of cross-modal and embodied meaning-making, as a jumping-off point for further research.

The Strategies Dealing with Non-Equivalence Problem in The English-Indonesia Version of Song Lyric Lead the Way

As a feature of translation, the concept of equivalence is a crucial issue which have to be considered by the translator. Equivalence is a term proposed by Baker (1992) for gaining the equal meaning between the source text and the target text. In translating the source text, some non-equivalence problems happen since several source language has unequal meaning with the target language. Objective of the Paper. This paper aims to identify, describe, and explain some problems of non-equivalence problem at word level and strategies dealing with it. Method. By using Baker’s theory (1992), the song lyric of both English and Indonesian version entitled Lead the Way (sung by Jhené Aiko) and Kita Bisa (sung by Via Vallen) are analyzed. Findings. The findings show that translation by omission is highly applied in translating the lyric followed by a varied occurrence of other strategies. Conclusion. The variation of the strategies is used in order to make a “singable” song. Finally, this paper provides suggestions that a study of the translation of song lyrics combining translation theory and interpersonal meaning of SFL for giving a better understanding is needed to be done for giving a broader understanding towards the text.

On Translation of Song Lyrics

On Translation of Song Lyrics

Translation Quality of English - Javanese Songs By Pentul Kustik Band

Translating English songs into Javanese language both semantically and emotionally presents a challenge to translators because regional differences always limits some linguistic and cultural aspects. Here, Pentul Kustik band attempts to provide a good English-Javanese song translation that can help Javanese people to understand the song and popularize it. Low’s Pentathlon Approach (2005) highlights several unique aspects of translating lyrics, which cover the elements of singability, sense, naturalness, rhythm, and rhyme. This study uses Low’s theory and assesses the quality of English-Javanese translation of song lyrics The object of this study is 15 English-Javanese song translation by Pentul Kustik Band. There are 328 data analyzed. The result shows that 223 data (68.09%) are considered singable and 105 data (32.02%) are considered less singable. In the aspect of sense, 142 data(46.30%) were considered having less accurate sense, while 186% data (53.70%) having accurate sense. In addition, 252 data (78.02%) are found to be natural and only 71 data (22.08%) are said to be less natural. The rhythm analysis indicates 123 data (37.50%) uses addition, 115 data (35.06%) uses reduction and 90 data(27.44%) preserves the original syllable numbers. The rhymes found in this study have 3 patterns. First, the translator replicates the sound and the pattern of the original song rhyme into the translated version. Second, the translator preserves the pattern of the original rhyme but modifies the sound used in the translated version. Third, some translations are found as half-rhymed or unrhymed free verses.

La traducción musical: modalidades, estrategias y propuesta didáctica

El estudio de la traducción de letras en obras musicales no ha suscitado hasta ahora suficiente interés por parte ni de musicólogos ni de traductólogos. Este artículo analiza los retos que plantea este tipo de traducción y las estrategias traductoras que moviliza, elementos claves para superar con éxito este tipo de encargo profesional. En una primera parte, recorremos las distintas posiciones teóricas que han mantenido los expertos del ámbito de la traducción de la canción a lo largo de la historia, así como las distintas modalidades de traducción musical que existen. Además, se analizan las características y dificultades que presenta la traducción cuando está subordinada al componente musical. En una segunda parte, la obra musical The Stranger Song de Leonard Cohen, versionada en español como Canción del Extranjero por Nacho Vegas, constituye nuestro objeto de estudio y es utilizada para ejemplificar la metodología propuesta. Se realiza un análisis práctico de la canción tanto desde una perspectiva traductora como musicológica, con especial énfasis en las estrategias musicales, métricas y de traducción utilizadas por el traductor. Por último, se presenta una metodología de enseñanza de la traducción que facilita el análisis de la traducción musical en el aula.

An inter-semiotic approach to translation: Leonard Cohen in Afri-Kaans

Whether or not song lyrics should be translated has been debated by researchers, translators, artists and audiences. Some are of the opinion that songs should not be translated as singing in translation produces a weak version of the source text, while others argue that a song in the language of the audience fosters better understanding. The translation of song lyrics goes beyond linguistic aspects and includes musicological aspects such as the melody, rhythm and mode of presentation. Because of the interaction between the music (the melody) and the lyrics, the music in some cases obscures the lyrics and in other cases prolongs the lyrics. Therefore, the song translator faces a constant negotiation of inter-semiotic elements with regard to, among others, functionality and singability. This study provides an overview of the musicological aspects of song translation, with reference to Low’s pentathlon and Franzon’s layers of singability. As an illustration, this article provides a discussion of the translation of a Leonard Cohen song into Afrikaans by a South African gospel singer and preacher, Koos van der Merwe. The data have been collected from an original Leonard Cohen CD and the translated versions thereof from the Van der Merwe CD ( Leonard Cohen in Afri-Kaans ).

Konsepto ng Covering at Ilang mga Awitin noong 2008-2009

Music, belonging to the entertainment industry, can be appreciated by listening to it. Since the 1940’s, the appreciation of music has been greatly influenced by what is called “covering.” Covering is the translation of lyrics into Filipino; at times, the translation also changes the melody and the beat. This paper analyzes selected songs that dominated the Philippine airwaves between the years 2008-09. Songs were chosen not only because of the translated lyrics (from L1 to L2) but also on the attempt to simply be communicative. Covering in this sense refers to, on the first hand, the translation process involving certain popular music and, on the other hand, the re-interpretation being made in the context of today’s generation.
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An Introduction of the Relation of Popular Songs between Modern Korea and Japan - Translation and Adaptation of Lyrics, Reception and Transformation of Cultures

An Introduction of the Relation of Popular Songs between Modern Korea and Japan - Translation and Adaptation of Lyrics, Reception and Transformation of Cultures