Song Translation Research Articles

Старинная немецкая песня в историко-культурном и переводческом аспектах (на примере баллады „Liebe ohne Stand“ из сборника А. фон Арнима и К. Брентано «Волшебный рог мальчика»)

The article is devoted to the problem of an old German song translation from German into Russian, which is relevant for modern linguistics. Aiming at an adequate poetic translation of the ballad “Liebe ohne Stand”, the author conducts a detailed pre-translation cultural and linguistic analysis of the original text. Using hermeneutical and comparative methods, as well as methods of structural and linguistic analysis, the author creates a basis for the further translation. As a result, a translation of the ballad with comments is presented, and the features of the poetic translation of a medieval song from German into Russian are established.

Ave Maria out of context: prosody, poetry or piety?

ABSTRACT Focusing on singability and audience reception, this is a case study on Duy ey sevgili sesimi! ‘Hear, o beloved, my voice’, a Turkish version of Schubert’s Ellens Gesang III (D. 839; Opus 52, No. 6). The study provides a data-driven discussion on the reception of this version by the primary text user, i.e. the performer, the secondary text users, i.e. the listeners, and a first-hand account of the intentions behind the choices of the target song lyricist. The data provide evidence for a hierarchical understanding of Johan Franzon’s three layers of singability: prosodic, poetic, and semantic-reflexive. However, the hierarchical ordering of the layers depends on the priorities of each user group. The performer has focused on the musical aspects of the song rather than the target text itself. Listeners with no background in music or translation have prioritized the semantic-reflexive layer. Listeners with a background in translation studies have paid attention to the poetic and semantic-reflexive layers. In contrast, those listeners with musical training or a special interest in music have regarded the lyrics as subordinate to the original composition, standing aloof from the translation of a classical song. Such diverging views point towards a more fine-grained understanding of singability.

A multimodal analysis of the English-to-Arabic adaptation of Disney’s “The Bare Necessities”

Abstract Due to the diverse roles that songs play in films and the growing need for movie distribution in various languages and cultures, the challenge of translating film songs from one language to another has become formidable. This research aims to apply the multimodal three-dimensional model proposed by Cui and Wang (2022. Film song translation: Verbal, vocal, and visual dimensions: On the Chinese translation of Amazing Grace in the film Forever Young. Babel 68(4). 565–585) to analyze the Arabic dubbed version of the 2016 film song “The Bare Necessities.” The analysis revealed that, verbally, the Arabic dubbed version of the song maintained the gay emotional tone and length but made adaptations to the information, metaphors, and images used in the source. Vocally, similar to the English source song, the Arabic dubbed version did not adhere to 1 m and has a 4/4 time signature, aligning with the catchy melody and reinforcing the song’s theme of embracing simplicity and savoring life’s essentials effortlessly. Finally, visually, the analysis showed that the Arabic dubbed version matches the plot, characters and background pictures on the screen. The study contributed by incorporating a visual analysis of songs, adding camera elements, namely camera movement and shot size, to gain a better understanding of the scenes under analysis. The use of over-the-shoulder shots created a sense of conversation that complements the duet, and the pan right and left during dancing added a vividness that matches the verbal gay tone and vocal lightness of the song. This finding, considering visual camera elements, can be regarded as a suggested revision to the original multimodal framework introduced by Cui and Wang. Further implications are discussed.

Lättfärdiga måltexter

Light or easily made target texts. The methods of Swedish schlager translationSchlager was used as a term for songs on the Swedish popular music market from the 1920s and on. Coincidentally, song translation practices developed that varied rather seamlessly between liberty and fidelity. Nevertheless, based on an extensive corpus of Swedish target song lyrics, released 1916–2011, I identify and name six roughly distinguishable text methods: near-enough translation, perspective-shift translation, hook transposition, single-phrase spinoff, phonetic calque, and all-new target song lyrics. Examining the chronological distribution of the variation, most exploration of the experimental middle ground was found in the 1960s and 1970s. One decisive factor may be increased tailoring of lyrics for specific performers or venues. From the 1980s and on, changing circumstances seem to have made imported music released with Swedish lyrics less prevalent on the market, but widely variable song translation methods continue to be practiced in later decades too.

Paraphrasing impact on narrative unity in Disney's theme songs

Walt Disney is a distinguished company who has spread its well-known works of children’s series to various countries. In the process of distributing the series to numerous countries, indeed there is a translation process that must be done first. In this study, into Indonesian. The researchers limited only the paraphrasing translation method used and the effect of this method on the series' theme songs' narrative unity. In this article, the researchers tried to convey the translating way in the series to make it acceptable by the audience and its main goal to maintain the storyline contained in the lyrics. The theories by Dinda Gorlée and John Christman delves into the subject of the impact of paraphrasing techniques and narrative unity in the theme song translation of Disney's children animated series. The researchers emphasized the importance of translating the theme song correctly to ensure that children can understand and enjoy the series. . This study is descriptive and qualitative in design and the results of the analysis showed that the pattern of paraphrasing techniques used in translating the theme song had significant impacts on the narrative unity of the series.

The English Translation of Chinoiserie Songs from the UGT Perspective: A Case Study of Qian Qiu Meng

Qian Qiu Meng is a Chinoiserie song composed from the eyes of Empress Wu Zetian, one that belongs to mass media. Using the uses and gratifications theory (UGT) to analyze the English version of this song clarifies the purpose and what needs users want to gratify. This theory can also help to study how the English translation of Chinoiserie songs affects users behaviorally and psychologically. This study is somewhat innovative in that it uses a theory in communications studies to analyze the English translation of the Chinoiserie song Qian Qiu Meng. This helps the author to understand translation methods and techniques of Chinoiserie song translation into English, as well as of the character, deeds and contributions of Empress Wu.

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.

Building a Parallel Corpus for Chinese Folk Songs Translation Studies: A Case Study of Northern Shaanxi and Hua’er Folk Songs

Folk songs, collaboratively created by the public and transmitted orally, have gained widespread popularity. The translation of folk songs primarily centers on lyrics translation, a subset of literary translation. Recent advancements in corpus technology have highlighted the significance of corpus-based research approaches for the analysis of literary translation. The corpus method, now employed as a hybrid research approach, enables the generation of quantitative data for descriptive translation studies. Scholars are increasingly using parallel corpora containing both the source text (ST) and the target text (TT) to explore translation universals across diverse texts. Despite the growing body of literature on the translation of Chinese folk songs, most studies have involved straightforward analyses of a limited number of translated texts without the utilization of quantitative approaches. This article aims to bridge this gap by presenting a prospective study on the creation of the Chinese-English Parallel Corpus of Northern Shaanxi and Hua’er Folk Songs (CEPCNSHFS). The study covers essential aspects such as sampling, corpus structure, corpora selection, and corpora processing. Moreover, to assess the practical utility of the CEPCNSHFS, a pilot study was conducted. The primary contributions of this article reside in the potential of the CEPCNSHFS to support diverse research topics, including the exploration of translation language characteristics, styles, and methods employed in translating Northern Shaanxi and Hua’er folk songs, both of which hold significant positions within Chinese folk song traditions.

“Beauty in Meaning” in English Translation of Zhuang Love Songs from Variation Theory of Comparative Literature

In the process of English translation of Zhuang love songs, it is impossible to fully convey the “beauty in sound”, “beauty in form” and “beauty in meaning” of the original text. Among them, “beauty in meaning” is the most important, so we must not lose “beauty in meaning” in pursuit of “beauty in form” or “beauty in sound”. This paper will focus on the existing English versions of Zhuang love songs with love as the theme, such as Liu Sanjie’s ballads, Poya Love Songs, Liao Songs of Pingguo Zhuang etc., from the perspective of variation theory of comparative literature, to explore the “beauty in meaning” in English translation of Zhuang love songs and the translation strategies to achieve “beauty in meaning”.

Prevajanje ljudskih pesmi in umetne poezije z medbesedilnim navezovanjem na ljudsko izročilo

Translation of folk songs differs considerably from translation of literary poetry; this is mainly due to the differences between folk songs and literary poetry. Translators of Slovene folk songs have opted for various translation strategies when trying to present Slovene heritage to foreign readers. That translation is not simply a transfer from one language to another, but also, and above all, from one culture to another, is not testified only by the translation of folk songs, but also by literary poetry, which is related intertextually, therefore continuing the Slovene tradition, whose meaning, however, is quite often lost in translation.

Jacques Brel's Ne me quitte pas in English: On putting the record straight… and queering it?

This article is part of a wider project investigating the theory and practice of song translation and performance. It derives – specifically – from my own desire to attempt to translate Ne me quitte pas into English. (See: Appendix.) It is designed as an investigation into the tenacious misconception that certain English-language versions of Brel's songs are translations thereof. Using Peter Low's typology, many of these versions can more accurately be described as adaptations or as replacement texts. One objective of this comparative study is to draw attention to the need – in theory – to distinguish between translation and adaptation. This work also calls for more precision in attributing authorship to the lyrics or texts sung by different performers. Examination of eight English-language versions of Ne me quitte pas – an exceptional corpus made up of texts sung by Rod McKuen, Scott Walker, Marc Almond (×2), Momus, Arnold Johnston, Des de Moor and The Black Veils – seeks to illustrate and discuss the history of approaches to rendering this song in English. That is one sense in which this article aims to put the record straight. This aim might also hint at the idea of respecting (high) ‘fidelity’ to the original. However, whether translation, adaptation or replacement text, any Target Text – even if assessed by criteria provided by Song Translation Theory – can only ever be interpreted subjectively. Thus, imagining a single way of putting a record straight is futile. Comparison of versions of Ne me quitte pas can, however, illustrate how different strategies and priorities can ‘succeed’ differently. Understanding the potential for ‘queering’ Ne me quitte pas was a by-product of research and close reading of the texts themselves. As this appears to pertain significantly in a handful of versions in the Anglophone world – but not, seemingly, in Turkish versions – this article seeks also to open up the ‘queering’ (or not) of Brel, in particular, as an avenue of future inquiry.

SONGS FROM ENGLISH-LANGUAGE CARTOONS AND THEIR TRANSLATIONS INTO UKRAINIAN AND GERMAN

Background. Songs in the field of film publishing play an important role in the understanding of the main characters’ emotions and thoughts, conveying a specific atmosphere, or even serving as a substitute for dialogues and words. But in most cases, songs are not translated into other languages during the release of the film, forgetting that the song lyrics can play a key role or even carry the inherent opinion of the producer. Due to the great need for film art now, its development in society and further prospects, there is a problem with the appropriate translation of songs and with insufficient research and materials on this topic.
 The purpose of the article is to identify difficulties in translating songs and analyze translation transformations using the example of the lyrics of the song «How Far I'll Go» from the cartoon «Moana».
 Methods. Classification and comparative method for determining difficulties in translation; generalization of the received information; practical analysis of translation methods on the example of a song from the cartoon «Moana»; synthesis of translation difficulties with translation methods and classification of ways to translate a song in films and cartoons.
 Results. The most common difficulties in translating songs are lexical difficulties: correctly understand the latest words in the original language, choose a synonymous word or meaning from the translation language, and determine the correct interpretation of texts with abbreviations. It is also important to preserve the main meaning of the text, its rhyming, and take into account cultural features when translating a song. The translator also needs to have knowledge in the field of poetics and music to accurately translate the song text while preserving the opinion of the author of the original song and the musical drawing. Insufficient theoretical base forces translators not to translate the original song and leave it in the original, which leaves the viewer without understanding the song and its role in the film, which also causes the loss of emphasizing the feelings of the scenes and the main idea of the author.
 Discussion. Studying this topic of translating songs from cartoons allows us to conclude that songs are an important part of cinema, which studios in most cases neglect when translating films into other languages. Only knowledge of the theory of Translation Studies is not enough for translators for professional and adequate translation, so there is a problem of insufficient number of professional and qualified translators. The study also found that lexical constructions are used by translators quite often when translating songs and are the main translation tool. The need for knowledge of ways and methods of correct translation of song texts in the film industry requires scientists and researchers to draw attention to this problem and engage in active research in the direction of song translation, which means a great prospect for creating a new direction in the field of translation studies due to the demand and necessity of song translations in the film industry.

The Effectiveness of Song Translation In Increasing Vocabulary To Develop Speaking Skills At SDN 1 Paciran

Translation theory is all choices and decisions based on the experiences of each translator, which are subjective and result from a training process. So, in this study the authors aimed to test the effectiveness of the song translation method in increasing vocabulary to develop speaking skills in students of SDN 1 Paciran. This research is included in the type of quantitative research. And based on data collection techniques, this research is classified as experimental research, namely pre-experimental design by comparing one group pre-test and post-test. The song used is the song Los Dol Deny Cak Nan whose lyrics have been translated into Arabic. The data obtained were then analyzed using quantitative descriptive techniques with the help of IBM SPSS Statistics 26, so that researchers could find out how much influence the translation of songs had with the t-test. The results of this study indicate that translating songs in increasing vocabulary is very effective for developing the speaking skills of SDN 1 Paciran students, this is evidenced by the results of the paired sample test where sig. (2-tailed) shows the number 0.002.

К ВОПРОСУ О ПЕРЕВОДЧЕСКИХ ОШИБКАХ В ПЕРЕДАЧЕ АУДИОВИЗУАЛЬНОГО ПЕСЕННОГО ТЕКСТА

Assessment of the audiovisual translation quality is an important matter of modern language studies since the amount of video materials has become unprecedented these days, and the popularity and spread of unedited amateur and automated translations keep growing. The concept and defining criteria of a translation error have been developed by many linguists, but these criteria are hardly universally applicable, and their practical value frequently depends on the type of a text and the format of its presentation to the audience. This paper reviews various approaches to the concept of translation error in general and in audiovisual translation in particular. Special attention is paid to the controversial nature of audiovisual translation of songs when they are an integral element of the storyline. The analysis of translation errors in Russian and Spanish versions of the animated movie Moana was used to develop specific criteria of distinguishing translation errors, based on intertextuality, technical compliance, and language norm.

Translation Purposes Determine Everything? Appellation Translation in Northern Shaanxi Folk Songs Based on Corpus Method

This study employs the skopos theory to analyze the translation methods used for appellations in Northern Shaanxi folk songs, a prominent genre in Chinese folk songs. The skopos theory emphasizes the importance of understanding and respecting the purpose of a translation, as it ultimately shapes the translation process and outcome. The English translations by Wang Hongyin and Wang Zhanbin are used to create a bilingual Chinese-English parallel corpus using a corpus technique. Additionally, to help the corpus software retrieve important statistics, the appellations and translation methods are manually annotated with the pertinent software. This study identifies seven primary categories of appellations, including those related to love, characters, laborers, family, mythology, allusions, and Buddhist figures. It explores the translation methods applied to each category, revealing that Wang Hongyin and Wang Zhanbin creatively adapt these appellations to convey their essence and significance to English-speaking readers while adhering to the skopos theory’s principles. This article contributes valuable insights into the translation of Northern Shaanxi folk songs, transcending cultural boundaries and enhancing cross-cultural understanding.

SONG TRANSLATION OF SPEECHLESS BY NAOMI SCOTT: METAPHOR AND UNTRANSLATABILITY

Song is an expressive text which is not an easy task to translate. Many considerations must be taken in order to create a well-produced song translation. In defining the song’s meaning, many procedures are needed to be done. Metaphor and untranslatability need to be presented as the analysis of the song translation. Metaphor which employs hidden and deepen meaning of a text comes along with the song’s expressive feature as a tool to deliver the writer’s feeling and emotions. Translation loss in metaphorical text is also presented while untranslatability deals with the linguistics, cultural, and compensation value of the text. The method used in this research was qualitative descriptive methodology. Metaphorical analysis was done to scrutinize the unseen feature of the text’s meaning. Translation loss in metaphorical view is also being presented in order to reveal the equivalence and inequivalence of the song translation. Two kinds translation loss are found, inevitable and avertable. Untranslatability dealt with the song’s linguistic and cultural phenomenon such as alliteration, assonance, and rhyme. Compensation which deals with untranslatability is also explained in this paper. Compensation in Kind, Compensation in Place, and Compensation in Merging are used to deal with the translation loss of the metaphorical sense of the song.

Beyond singability: A descriptive-explanatory analysis of Polish translations of Frank Sinatra's My Way

AbstractTranslation and music has become a subfield within translation studies oriented towards discussing singable song translations. Most studies in this subfield have been lyrics-oriented, emphasising lack of semantic fidelity resulting mainly from issues of singability. Though singability is an important factor influencing song translation, song texts function as coherent compositions in wider contexts of time and place, their performers or poetics of translators. This article aims to present a multimodal and comparative analysis of three Polish song translations of Frank Sinatra's My Way. By adopting a descriptive-explanatory approach it demonstrates how the interplay of performer-related, contextual, social or poetics-based factors can be more influential than singability.

Song translation: Lyrics in context

There has been a growing academic interest in the study of song translation in the recent decade. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of such investigation, researching song translation has developed and stemmed from the concepts and notions of various disciplines such as literary studies, music studies, theatre studies, besides translation studies. As a result, the field of song translation seems to be “disparate” and “fragmented” (p. 23). This edited volume of essays in nearly 500 pages is a seminal collection that offers the overview of conceptual theories and the empirical research on song translation from many parts of the world, classifying the studies to systematically offer a clear state of the art as well as to reveal the gaps to be filled by future studies. The editors’ introductory chapter especially provides the theoretical and conceptual framework to study song translation, which is of unprecedented value. As for empirical studies, various chapters are presented under the three categories of Analyses of Popular Songs, Historical Approaches, and Multimodal and Didactic Approaches in English (11 articles) and in German (4 articles). The articles investigate the songs and the translations from the main languages, including English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Greek, Swedish, Norwegian, Turkish, and Finnish.

There goes the Berimbau: An Africa-Brazil-Germany Musician-Body Trajectory

This article presents the partial results of a dissertation entitled The role of music in the internationalization of capoeira: Flows and crossroads Rio-France-Germany (2022). Documents prepared by practitioners of the N'Zinga Capoeira School in Hanover, Germany, published on a platform called Yumpu, provide information on how musical-cultural knowledge of capoeira is understood and passed down in this context. Through the translation of songs and the study of informational texts written by German instructors about capoeira, I observe that musicality (and, by extension, corporeality) are fundamenatal to the consolidation of capoeira culture in Germany. This analysis is influenced by Leda Martins' Performances da Oralitura (2003), which highlights the enduring African root in Afro-diasporic cultural activities, transmitting africanidades ("Africanities") beyond the performance itself. Paul Gilroy's The Black Alantic (1993) also informed my understanding of the relevance of Black culture in critiques of European democracy. German capoeira practitioners gain a deeper understanding of the structural differences imposed on racialized people when they coexist with their mestres and learn of oppression and social difference through the art of capoeira.

Features of the translation of songs from Russian into the Yakut language

Features of the translation of songs from Russian into the Yakut language