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SUMMER 2024 The Linguist 11
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Gene Hsu considers approaches to song translation and
proposes a comprehensive way to discuss the process
I
n popular music, song translation is used to
help the target audience understand the
source song, but the translations are often
not singable. Some are produced by
translators or songwriters, while others are
done by internet users. Although research in
song translation is increasing, it is still rare.
Most existing research discusses aspects of
translation and rhyme, but few take music
theory and songwriting into account.
My study of interlingual song translation
1
focuses on the roles that songwriting plays in
song translation. I started by doing a review of
the literature. Lucile Desblache proposes that
there are three main forms in interlingual
translation.
2
The first is when "lyrics are
provided to be read/heard independently
from or in conjunction with the original song
or musical text". In the second, lyrics "are
intended to be sung in another language
than the original language with the aim of
remaining largely faithful to the message of
the original language". In the third, "they are
free adaptations into another language".
3
Peter Low categorises song translation into
translation, adaptation and replacement text,
and proposes that "Adaptation is indeed
one way of carrying songs across language
borders."
4
Johan Franzon, meanwhile,
proposes five choices in song translation.
5
The first is to leave them untranslated. The
second is "translating the lyrics but not taking
the music into account" (e.g. libretto in
opera). The third involves "writing new lyrics
to the original music with no overt relation to
the original lyrics". The fourth is "translating
the lyrics and adapting the music accordingly
– sometimes to the extent that a brand-new
composition is deemed necessary" (as is often
seen in popular, rock and folk music).
The fifth involves "adapting the translation
to the original music", which is similar to
Desblache's second or third form. A
Cantonese version of 'Do You Hear the
People Sing?' from the musical Les
Misérables uses the third method while a
Mandarin version uses the fourth with the
music unadapted. The lyrics of both versions
are adapted to the original music (see boxed
text, page 12).
It is important to distinguish between song
lyrics and song text, though the two are easily
confused. Lyrics are 'singable' while song text
may not be; in other words, song lyrics
Make it sing?
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