A Spanish song, difficult to translate

[Planet hopper]

How about an Spanish-English exercise?

You guys are always going from English to Spanish...Try the other way around, if you want. I love this song, but I find it hard to translate...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9EqGp79SZk

Tú juegas a quererme,
yo juego a que te creas que te quiero.
Buscando una coartada,
me das una pasión que yo no espero
y no me importa nada.

Tú juega a engañarme,
yo juego a que te creas que te creo,
eschucho tus bobadas
acerca del amor y del deseo
y no me importa nada, nada
que rías o sueñes
que digas o que hagas
y no me importa nada
por mucho que me empeñe
estoy jugando y no me importa nada.

Tú juegas a tenerme,
yo juego a que te creas que me tienes
serena y confiada
invento las palabras que te hieren,
y no me importa nada.

Tú juegas a olvidarme
yo juego a que te creas que me importa,
conozco la jugada
sé manejarme en las distancias cortas
y no me importa nada, nada
que rías o sueñes
que digas o que hagas
y no me importa nada...

PS: How do you display a youtube player?

[sibdx01]

Tú juegas a quererme,
You're playin that you love me,

yo juego a que te creas que te quiero.
I'm playing make you think that I love you.

Buscando una coartada,
Looking for an alibi,

me das una pasión que yo no espero
you gives me a passion I'd never expected

y no me importa nada.
and I don't care at all

Tú juegas a engañarme,
You're playing that you cheat me,

yo juego a que te creas que te creo,
I'm playin that you think I believe you,

eschucho tus bobadas
earing your nonsenses

acerca del amor y del deseo
about big love and big desire

y no me importa nada, nada
and I don't care at all, never

que rías o sueñes
you're laughing or you're dreaming

que digas o que hagas
you're telling or you're doing

y no me importa nada
and I don't care at all

por mucho que me empeñe
the more as I strive

estoy jugando y no me importa nada.
I'm playing and I don't care at all


Tú juegas a tenerme,
You're playing to possess me,

yo juego a que te creas que me tienes
I'm playing make you think you got me

serena y confiada
calm and very confident

invento las palabras que te hieren,
inventing words to make you hurt,

y no me importa nada.
and I don't care at all


Tú juegas a olvidarme
You're playing to forget me

yo juego a que te creas que me importa,
I'm playing make you think it's very important

conozco la jugada
I know the move you're playing

sé manejarme en las distancias cortas
I easily deal with short distance fights

y no me importa nada, nada
and I don't care at all, never

que rías o sueñes
you're laughing or you're dreaming

que digas o que hagas
you're telling or you're doing

y no me importa nada...
and I don't care at all


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9EqGp79SZk

I didn't changed it too much, but I think the rhytm and meaning are simmilar.

It's hard!

[Planet hopper]

Good work dude, good work

I remain looking for fresher idioms about these lines:

me das una pasión que yo no espero
you gives me a passion I'd never expected

por mucho que me empeñe
the more as I strive

sé manejarme en las distancias cortas
I easily deal with short distance fights

Yep, it's hard..we need some BC help here

[sibdx01]

Originally Posted by Planet hopper

Good work dude, good work

I remain looking for fresher idioms about these lines:

me das una pasión que yo no espero
you gives me a passion I'd never expected

por mucho que me empeñe
the more as I strive

sé manejarme en las distancias cortas
I easily deal with short distance fights

Yep, it's hard..we need some BC help here

I'm not fully happy with those too, and was the best I was able to do it.

[sosia]

BC???

[Jessica]

BC? what's BC?

[Planet hopper]

Born Citizen
Una expresion de esas...

Pero para mi toda ayuda es bienvenida...era de broma

[Marsopa]

I would go with "prentending to" in English.

[Rusty]

Tú juegas a quererme,
= You're pretending to love me,
yo juego a que te creas que te quiero.
= I'm pretending you think I love you.
Buscando una coartada,
= Searching for an alibi,
me das una pasión que yo no espero
= You drive me unexpectedly crazy
y no me importa nada.
= And I don't care at all. (And it doesn't matter to me at all.)

Tú juegas a engañarme,
= You're pretending to fool me,
yo juego a que te creas que te creo,
= I'm pretending you think I believe you,
eschucho tus bobadas
= I hear you talking nonsense (your ramblings)
acerca del amor y del deseo
= about love and desire
y no me importa nada.
= And I don't care at all.

Nada que rías o que sueñes
= Nothing you laugh about or dream about,
que digas o que hagas
= Nothing you say or do
y no me importa nada.
= And I don't care at all.
por mucho que me empeñe, estoy jugando
= Try as I might, I'm pretending
y no me importa nada.
= and I don't care at all.

Tú juegas a tenerme,
= You're pretending to own me,
yo juego a que te creas que me tienes
= I'm pretending you think you own me
serena y confiada
= calm and confident
invento las palabras que te hieren,
= I invent the words that wound (hurt) you,
y no me importa nada.
= And I don't care at all.

Tú juegas a olvidarme
= You're pretending to forget me
yo juego a que te creas que me importa,
= I'm pretending you think I care,
conozco la jugada
= I know the game
sé manejarme en las distancias cortas
= I know how to manage myself for now (in the short term)
y no me importa nada.
= And I don't care at all.

Nada que rías o que sueñes
= Nothing you laugh about or dream about,
que digas o que hagas
= Nothing you say or do
y no me importa nada.
= And I don't care at all.

por mucho que me empeñe
que digas o que hagas
y no me importa nada

Nada que rías o que sueñes
que digas o que hagas
y no me importa nada
que tomes o que dejes
que vengas o que vayas
y no me importa nada
que subas o que bajes
que entres o que salgas
y no me importa nada

[Tomisimo]

Originally Posted by Planet hopper

PS: How do you display a youtube player?

Like this:

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9EqGp79SZk[/video]

Which will produce this:

[Planet hopper]

Thank you Rusty, very good. I'm starting from your post.
Thank you David, I see you can do it. I did just that, see the result above. Now that you did it, it's fine, I just wanted the player 2b on the thread.
Please correct my mistakes, it's a way to try my English as a writer, I've been working in writing straight in English lately (I admire people like Joseph Conrad, born Polish and one of the best English writers in history)

Sorry if the thread is hard work, but language is so intricate!!!

Tú juegas a quererme,
= You're pretending to love me,
yo juego a que te creas que te quiero.
= I'm pretending you think I love you.

How about....?

You pretend loving me
I play you believe I love you


Buscando una coartada,
= Searching for an alibi,
me das una pasión que yo no espero
= You drive me unexpectedly crazy
y no me importa nada.
= And I don't care at all. (And it doesn't matter to me at all.)

How about?

Setting an alibi
your passion floods me and I stay dry
and I don't care at all

The phrasing between brackets is too wordy for a song I think

Tú juegas a engañarme,
= You're pretending to fool me,
yo juego a que te creas que te creo,
= I'm pretending you think I believe you,
eschucho tus bobadas
= I hear you talking nonsense (your ramblings)
acerca del amor y del deseo
= about love and desire
y no me importa nada.
= And I don't care at all.

How about?
You play fooling me,
I pretend to believe you
(the Spanish conceptual loop in the line before is too flowery for English, I think)
I hear your ramblings/rants and ravings/gibberish)
(maybe nonsense is too neutral a word for a love tiff)
on love and desire
and I don't have no clue (maybe a double negation could fit, I've seen it in some songs, I know it is taken as ungrammatical, but it's impressive)

Nada que rías o que sueñes
= Nothing you laugh about or dream about,
que digas o que hagas
= Nothing you say or do
y no me importa nada.
= And I don't care at all.
por mucho que me empeñe, estoy jugando
= Try as I might, I'm pretending
y no me importa nada.
= and I don't care at all.

(linking with the line before)
about your laughs or your dreams
whatever you say or do
and I really don't care.
Try as I might, I'm pretending
and I truly do not care.
(excellent suggestion, rusty)

The rest of the song...well, let's give it a break

Wait,

conozco la jugada
= I know the game
sé manejarme en las distancias cortas
= I know how to manage myself for now (in the short term)

Now these two lines still puzzle me

[Rusty]

I went with a 'straight' translation instead of trying to rhyme or fit meter. A song conveys unspoken feelings, too, so I can see why you would want to 'interpret' it and offer more poetic lines. What you've suggested certainly works.

On the lines that still have you puzzled, instead of 'I know the game', I toyed with 'I know your moves' and instead of 'I know how to manage myself for now', I leaned toward 'I can deal with them (things) for now'.

[Planet hopper]

You got it, lad, but your translation was good, too

About that last pair


I know the game
I can deal with it for now

The game....The image is more like that of a poker hand, say, the battle but not the war.
I still miss the image of two people talking face to face at a quarter of an inch and one not getting nervous at all. Isn't there an idiom or something?

[Rusty]

Hmmm. I can't think of an idiom, but as far as the imagery you've suggested, how about:
I know the game and can handle your next move.
I know the score and can guess your next move.

[Planet hopper]

I like the second one better...This is going to my blog, with your permission guys
Thanks

[Satyr]

Originally Posted by Rusty

Hmmm. I can't think of an idiom, but as far as the imagery you've suggested, how about:
I know the game and can handle your next move.
I know the score and can guess your next move.

Combine the two.

I know the game and can guess your next move.

Seems the best to me.

[eden-one1]

Tú juegas a quererme,
= You're pretending you love me,
yo juego a que te creas que te quiero.
= I'm pretending to make you think that I love you.
Buscando una coartada,
= Searching for an alibi,
me das una pasión que yo no espero
= You drive me unexpectedly crazy
y no me importa nada.
= And I don't care at all.

Tú juegas a engañarme,
= You're pretending to fool me,
yo juego a que te creas que te creo,
= I'm pretending to make you think I believe you,
eschucho tus bobadas
= I listen to your lies
acerca del amor y del deseo
= about love and desire
y no me importa nada.
= And I don't care at all.

Nada que rías o que sueñes
= (i don't care at all) if you laugh or dream ,
que digas o que hagas
= (i don't care at all) about what you're saying or doing
y no me importa nada.
= And I don't care at all.
por mucho que me empeñe, estoy jugando
= As much as I try I'm only pretending
y no me importa nada.
= and I don't care at all.

Tú juegas a tenerme,
= You're pretending that you own me,
yo juego a que te creas que me tienes
= I make you think that you own me
serena y confiada
= calm and confident
invento las palabras que te hieren,
= I am inventing the words to hurt you,
y no me importa nada.
= And I don't care at all.

Tú juegas a olvidarme
= You're playing at forgetting me
yo juego a que te creas que me importa,
= I'm playing at making you think that I do care,
conozco la jugada
= I know the game
sé manejarme en las distancias cortas
= I know how to manage myself
y no me importa nada.
= And I don't care at all.

Nada que rías o que sueñes
= (i don't care) whether you are laughing or dreaming
que digas o que hagas
= (i don't care) about you saying or doing
y no me importa nada.
= And I don't care at all.

[Tomisimo]

Welcome to the forums Eden one!

[CrOtALiTo]

I bid you welcome Eden one, I hope you stay here in the forums to be fun.

[eden-one1]

thank you guys!