Song text translation

[smieci]

I listened to the song Ai Se Eu Te Pego by Michel Teló (official release here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcm55lU9knw and just for fun started wondering how it could be translated from Portuguese to Spanish (neither of these languages is my mother-tongue). On the internet I found a translation which probably is correct but totally mismatches the rhythm of the song. So, I started thinking up words on my own, and came up with something like that:

Esta, esta
así que tu me matas
si yo tu cojo
si, si yo tu cojo

Deliciosa, deliciosa
así que tu me matas
si yo tu cojo
si, si yo tu cojo

Sabado en la fiesta
y la gente comenzan a bailar
por me pasa la chica mas guapa
tomo mi valor y empezo a hablar

Could anyone verify if it makes sense and what should be corrected? (my Spanish is not very good, not to mention Portuguese ;) ).

[Rusty]

You'd do better to use 'atrapar' instead of 'coger'. These words only mean the same thing in Spain. Elsewhere, you're not saying 'catch'. ;)

Translation of songs is the most difficult thing to do.
You won't be able to exactly match the meter. You'll have a very difficult time getting the stanzas to rhyme.
Usually, to keep to the song's meter and still rhyme, you need to choose different lyrics.

Your translation has several errors in it. Read on to see if you can find them.


The Portuguese interjection 'Nossa' translates into 3 syllables in both Spanish and English. The literal meaning, 'nuestra' ('our'), doesn't apply here. The euphemism is 'Oh my gosh'. So right there, you have no way to translate it and get the same meaning without breaking the meter of the song. The only way around that is to change the lyrics. What I've written below is very close to the same meaning, and fits the meter.

Vaya, vaya (4 syllables) =
Nossa, nossa (4 syllables) =
Wo -ow, Wo -ow (4 syllables)

Ay si te atrapo (6 syllables) =
Ai se eu te pego (6 syllables) =
Bo -oy if I catch you (6 syllables)

Así a mí me matas (7 syllables) =
Assim você me mata (7 syllables) =
this way you're goin' to kill me (7 syllables)

Que rica, que rica (6 syllables) =
Delícia, delícia (6 syllables) =
Delicious, delicious (6 syllables)

Sábado en la fiesta (7 syllables) =
Sábado na balada (7 syllables) =
Saturday at the party (7 syllables)

Todo el mundo comenzó a bailar (10 syllables) =
A galera começou a dançar (10 syllables) =
Everybody started to dance (8 syllables)

Y pasó la chica más linda (9 syllables) =
E passou a menina mais linda (10 syllables) =
And the prettiest girl passed before me (10 syllables)

Tomé coraje y le empecé a hablar (11 syllables) =
Tomei coragem e comecei a falar (12 syllables) =
I mustered up courage and started to talk (11 syllables)


Hope that helps some.
The Spanish lyrics hold to the original meaning and meter quite well, and they rhyme! :D

Where meter is off, you can just repeat a syllable or insert a filler.
Musicians do that all the time.