How to translate your song to another language and why you should do it today
Translating a song in such a way that its impact and meaning remain the same or greater requires an even greater degree of linguistic acumen than that required for legal or financial documents. Here, we share some key tips that will give you the best results when translating music.
Guest post by Darla Ardolf of the TuneCore Blog
Translation has become a common word we hear almost regularly, but music translation seems to come with a bag of surprise. Translating songs in different languages is quite different from conventional translations. Having the same song in other languages requires more than it takes to write legal or financial translations. To make a song retain its status or even become better after translation, you must consider some factors. Here are some tips that will help you achieve great results when translating songs.
Select a Translation System
It is necessary to know what you want to do before you start translating a song. You have to understand the music’s concept, style, and structure before you begin your translation. It is essential to know the difference between word-for-word and poetic translation.
The poetic translation is based on the original text but gives an overall idea or form of another language’s content. Most people use the poetic translation approach whenever they do not understand the language or its grammatical structures. The translator gets the song’s message and then translates it to the new language in his/her own words.
The word-for-word translation is the opposite of poetic translation. As the name implies, it requires a deep understanding of the grammatical structures and the language you are translating. It does not give an overall form but a vivid, concise, and exact text in a different language.
Most music professionals debate on which translating approach is best to start a translation. Whatever system you use should depend on your knowledge of the original language. You can also combine both for a better result.
Explore diverse Resources
You must make use of the needed resources when translating your music. These resources can be what you need to make your translation perfect. When choosing your resources, you should make sure you use those that suit the music style you want to translate.
Using a modern-style resource for historical or cultural music can be quite disastrous. So, you have to understand the music before choosing your resources not to provide an inadequate translation. Although the translation might be grammatically correct, it might not fit the context, giving your text another meaning. You can also use translation services to get quality translated musical content. It is vital to retain the meaning of a song after translating it, which is why you need professional translation services. Several companies provide these services in different fields, including business, education, music, eLearning localization, etc.
These translation companies are beneficial to musicians as they provide a translated version of their songs in different languages. They make sure the song retains its meaning and passes the same message, even after translation. Their translation service also includes the use of professional resources for high-quality translation.
Organize and format your translation
Without a perfect organization, your translation becomes challenging to read or link to the original content. Formatting and organizing your translation also makes the content easy to comprehend. You have to create a format and make your translating passage line up with the original language.
Think of reading a book without paragraphs or any form of indentation. How easy do you think it will be to comprehend the content? Now, assume it is a translated version of another content, and check out how difficult it is to understand. How much more if it is a song, where every lyric passes its message. You have to organize and format your translation properly to make it the best.
Review your translation
Reviewing your translation is necessary if you want to get an excellent result. Reviewing your work can be frustrating and tiring, but you have to keep doing it repeatedly. There is a high chance your translation makes sense to you even if it does not and vice versa.
You have to check it out with friends and families that can help you review your translations. They will be able to pinpoint the parts that need correction and those that need an upgrade.
Final word
Translating your songs requires a touch of professionalism. You can get this by using the needed resources and professional services. If you have the necessary elements and translation services, you can be sure of correctly translated content.
