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A Spanish song, difficult to translate

 

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  #11  
Old November 04, 2008, 11:39 PM
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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
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  #12  
Old November 05, 2008, 12:01 AM
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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'.
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  #13  
Old November 05, 2008, 12:09 AM
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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?
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  #14  
Old November 05, 2008, 12:37 AM
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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.
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  #15  
Old November 05, 2008, 12:40 AM
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I like the second one better...This is going to my blog, with your permission guys
Thanks
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  #16  
Old November 06, 2008, 03:21 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rusty View Post
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.
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  #17  
Old November 19, 2008, 04:31 AM
eden-one1 eden-one1 is offline
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i would translate it as such

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.
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  #18  
Old November 20, 2008, 01:14 PM
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Welcome to the forums Eden one!
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  #19  
Old November 20, 2008, 02:12 PM
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I bid you welcome Eden one, I hope you stay here in the forums to be fun.
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  #20  
Old November 22, 2008, 01:28 AM
eden-one1 eden-one1 is offline
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thank you guys!
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