This is how you translate the songs well
Sometime in 2011, I came across a video for Norway's 2009 Eurovision-winning entry - a song called "Fairy Tale" by Alexander Rybak (a Belorussian-born artist who spent most of his life in Norway). And I quite liked it. the choreography was the sort of over-the-top spectacle we've come to expect from Eurovision. And while the lyrics felt a bit stilted, I knew that he wasn't writing in his native language - and besides, he performed it pretty well.
Then, yesterday, while listening to a Russian Internet radio station, I heard something I didn't realize existed... a Russian version of the song.
To me, this version sounded a bit more natural - though, when you think about, Russian isn't his native language either. While he was born at the time when teaching Russian was mandatory in Belarus, and Russian was still a widely spoken language, Rybak's family moved to Norway when he was four. According to Russian wikipedia, he had a lot of exposure to Belarussian folk songs, and he and his parents probably spoke Belarussian at home when he was growing up. But Belarussian, while similar to Russian in a lot of respects, is also different in some significant ways. So, basically, Rybak wrote a song in two languages that weren't his native language.
That in itself is impressive. But what's even more impressive is that, lyrically speaking, the two songs work. Translating anything from Russian to English (or English to Russian) is a complicated task. I should know - I've done it many times. In my opinion, a good translation shouldn't have to follow the original word-for-word - it should maintain the basic intent of the text and try to capture the original author's language while still sounding natural in the language you're translating into. It's the approach I took with moj_oduvan4ik's The President is No More, and since then, I appreciate more than ever just how hard it can be.
But Rybak pulled it off pretty well. The Russian version doesn't follow the English version word for word, but it translates the meaning pretty well. And it does it while still rhyming. I've translated before, but never the rhyming kind - and I'm not sure I would be able to if someone ask.
So hats off to you, Alexander Rybak. I'm impressed.
Click to viewThen, yesterday, while listening to a Russian Internet radio station, I heard something I didn't realize existed... a Russian version of the song.
To me, this version sounded a bit more natural - though, when you think about, Russian isn't his native language either. While he was born at the time when teaching Russian was mandatory in Belarus, and Russian was still a widely spoken language, Rybak's family moved to Norway when he was four. According to Russian wikipedia, he had a lot of exposure to Belarussian folk songs, and he and his parents probably spoke Belarussian at home when he was growing up. But Belarussian, while similar to Russian in a lot of respects, is also different in some significant ways. So, basically, Rybak wrote a song in two languages that weren't his native language.
That in itself is impressive. But what's even more impressive is that, lyrically speaking, the two songs work. Translating anything from Russian to English (or English to Russian) is a complicated task. I should know - I've done it many times. In my opinion, a good translation shouldn't have to follow the original word-for-word - it should maintain the basic intent of the text and try to capture the original author's language while still sounding natural in the language you're translating into. It's the approach I took with moj_oduvan4ik's The President is No More, and since then, I appreciate more than ever just how hard it can be.
But Rybak pulled it off pretty well. The Russian version doesn't follow the English version word for word, but it translates the meaning pretty well. And it does it while still rhyming. I've translated before, but never the rhyming kind - and I'm not sure I would be able to if someone ask.
So hats off to you, Alexander Rybak. I'm impressed.