English translations erwünscht?

[Lies 1396]

Hello RW,

 

I am moving from the Netherlands to Germany in some time and I am currently reading, listening and watching all kinds of German stuff. Wolle und Pferd bleiben die Besten, aber Rammstein ist ein guter Zweiter :)
I stumbled on your website and I found the lyrics section most helpful. Going through the lyrics at RW, I noticed that for some albums an English translation is still missing, such as Rosenrot and Liebe ist für alle da. I was wondering if it would be helpful to you if I handed you some (concept) translations? In English, because my French is lousy. I see you keep this site low budget and on a voluntary basis, which I find admirable, but you probably do not have an army of translators at hand. Also it helps me in my practice. I am not a native English speaker but I'll do my best for you to produce something worthy. Just let me know and I'll have some evenings of fun and some disturbed neighbours :)

 

With kind regards,
Mit freundlichen Grüßen,
Lies

[LudicrousC 5375]

@LiesThat'd be great.

 

There is a specific topic for Zeit translations here (so far, I've done AdT, Schwarz, Zeit, Giftig, ZZ, Lügen and Adieu).

 

I've never tackled the LIFAD album because the English section came later, but I guess contributions could be added on your topic.

[Lies 1396]

Hi @LudicrousC, sure, then I'll work on that one then. Will take some time though, won't quit my dayjob   How would you like the concept translation(s) delivered? Attached to this post?

Edited May 8, 2022 by Lies
forgot @

[Pierrick 6727]

Hi @Lies

 

Thank you, your help will be appreciated!

 

But what do you mean by concept translations? We want to keep translations close to the original text, as much as possible.

[Lies 1396]

 

Wiener Blut - done
Pussy - done
Liebe ist für alle da - done
Mehr - done
Roter Sand - done
Führe mich - done
Donaukinder - done

Halt - done
Roter Sand (Orchester Version) 
Liese - done

 

Mehr English v3 agreed.txt

LIFAD English v4 agreed.txt

Wiener blut English v3 agreed.txt

Pussy English v4 agreed.txt

Liese English v2 agreed.txt

Halt English v2 agreed.txt

Roter sand English v3 agreed.txt

Fuehre mich English v2 agreed.txt

Donaukinder English agreed.txt

 

Edited July 15, 2022 by Lies
added Donaukinder

[Lies 1396]

@Pierrick  Hi Pierrick, I just uploaded one, please let me know if it is close to enough to the original. For me this is a concept text because you are free to adjust anyway you like

[LudicrousC 5375]

@PierrickConcept translation est le terme utilisé en études de trad' par les ciblistes (en français: traduction idiomatique ou traduction transparente) - ça s'oppose à Word translation pour les sourcistes (traduction fidèle - à pas confondre avec la traduction mot à mot, qui est de la mauvaise trad').

 

En clair, pour les premiers, l'objectif principal, c'est le rendu dans la langue cible (si on pousse l'idée au bout, pour une chanson, produire un texte qui parle de la même chose et puisse être chanté aussi); pour les seconds, l'objectif principal, c'est de transmettre exactement ce qu'a voulu dire l'auteur, avec toutes les subtilités, les double-sens, etc. quitte à produire un texte peu "joli" ou un peu "lourd" (c'est souvent ce qu'on trouve dans les bouquins bilingues).

 

@LiesI've just had a look at Rammlied but only quickly. I'll read it more carefully when I finish the Zeit album.   In the meantime, just a few things:

 

There is a tiny spelling mistake: flesch => flesh

 

Your explanation about the idiom "Gute Miene zum bösen Spiel machen" is rather different from what was put on the website (Faire contre mauvaise fortune bon coeur basically means "accept your fate". Would you say that the German saying could correspond to that idea too?)

 

Very interesting detail about the magazine Sinn und Form - I didn't know about that at all!

 

 

[Lies 1396]

@Pierrick I understand the confusion when I read your clarification above, I am not a language purist. For Dutch people a concept means a draft text. I understand that you wish to keep close to the "traduction fidèle", i'll try to stick to that.

[Lies 1396]

@LudicrousC

This is when you realise that translating texts is a real job :)

 

It is interesting to have this discussion. I just had some discussion with a native German speaker. The native speaker thinks it could be both, also that this is an expression not used much in daily life.

 

A simple search in translating to English could be "grin and bear", I think that could both be "accept your faith", which would entail quite a long timeframe, or could be on a single occassion, which would be nicer of course. In French it would be "rire jaune", you as a French person probably know better what that means than I do.

 

Searching for etymology you could do a lifetime study just on this, even getting to Nietzsche who used this expression in his "Zur Genealogie der Moral". Let's not go there

 

Someone named Christiane Wanzeck has written a book named "Zur Etymologie Lexikalisierter Farbwortverbindungen: Untersuchungen Anhand Der Farben Rot, Gelb, Grün und Blau" in which this expression is mentioned 3 times, all on the "grin and bear" side of the story, so I guess that option is more correct than the "phony laugh but evil intentions" option.

 

Personally I like the latter more, especially with the contrast/twist of "Boese Miene gutes Spiel": We act a bit crazy/ugly/evil, but that is all for fun, not malicious and by the way we play pretty damn good music

 

Maybe if you publish the text you just mention that it is a variation on this expression and you do not give any further explanation of the expression, let people figure it out for themselves how they wish to interpret the text. After all these translations are a nice gesture to the non-German fans who are not lexicographic fanatics, so they get some idea what it is about.

 

About the French translation "Faire contre mauvaise fortune bon coeur": I think the German expression is more on the single occassion side, not on the long timeframe "accept your faith". But that is just imho.

 

About the Sinn und Form bit: I do not know if this reference is actually meant, this is just my lucky guess. If you want to be sure you have to ask the author. However it is quite an interesting platform to hint the fans to, even though we together might have taken a longer thought on this single line now as the author maybe ever has   (see more at https://sinn-und-form.de/?kat_id=1)

 

Edited May 10, 2022 by Lies
added something on sinn-und-form and on the French translation

[Lies 1396]

A love song

 

Edited June 24, 2022 by Lies
all agreed translations moved to the top, all in 1 post

[Lies 1396]

I don't think this one will be used anymore, it's not on Pierricks list. Anyways just watching a movie in which hunters jargon is used and Schweiß means blood, I missed that one

 

 

Waidmanns Heil English v2.txt

Edited May 27, 2022 by Lies
Schweiß = blood

[Pierrick 6727]

@Lies Hello, for all songs, I have the permission to use translations from Jeremy Williams (who was the official Rammstein English translator at one time).

He translated all songs until Frühling in Paris from LIFAD, but I never added them to the website (I will do it).

 

So the only songs that will be missing are :

 

Wiener Blut
Pussy
Liebe ist für alle da
Mehr
Roter Sand
Führe mich
Donaukinder
Halt
Roter Sand (Orchester Version)
Liese

 

If you can work on them that would be great, thank you!

[Lies 1396]

Haifisch English.txt

[Lies 1396]

@Pierrick Hi Pierrick, Jeremy Williams that sounds very British, a pity he hasn't done all of them :)

But sure, no problem, I will work on the list you mentioned, I'll do one every other day 

[Pierrick 6727]

Thank you very much! By the way I will credit you on the website. Do you want me to use your pseudo, or do you want me to use another name?

[Lies 1396]

deleted previous version of Wiener Blut

 

Edited June 11, 2022 by Lies
all agreed versions in one post

[Lies 1396]

@Pierrick Hi Pierrick, no credits needed, no worries. Just leave the name blank or anonymous or what it is you usually do. Also if you think an alteration is needed please do so, it is your website after all. I already had my fun translating and I am happy that the effort is well received 

[Lies 1396]

Somewhere further down in this post the final/agreed version of Pussy

Edited June 6, 2022 by Lies
deleted draft versions

[Lies 1396]

 

deleted previous version of LIFAD

Edited June 11, 2022 by Lies
all agreed versions in one post

[LudicrousC 5375]

@Lies I'll have a look at what you've done this weekend. Do you want me to help a bit? (With the bonus tracks maybe?)

[Lies 1396]

Hi @LudicrousC sure, I don't know if I can be of any help but we'll see. What do you need?

 

a bit later:

 

Haha funny, I thought you asked me to help you, but you offer your help to me. Even in the small things you sometimes cannot hide your true nature  

 

Well, the list Pierrick mentioned above is not that long anymore, so I can make the first versions if you like. After that it would be nice if someone does redaction before you post the texts on the site, a type-o is easily made. Maybe it would be nice if you did this redaction, I see in the French section that you are an active participant with nice ideas on what the translations could be. Although Deep L has helped me out there with the French stuff   I did make some alterations here and there, errors pop into my mind when I do my daily round through the forest.

 

Difficulty with these texts is there will always be differences in interpretation, for the less explicit parts that is. Potentially a lot is said with very little words, so even between German people there probably will be different insights, as everybody brings their own frame of reference and language skill. But then again, that is what makes these texts interesting 

 

Perhaps it would be nice to have some debate on multi-interpretable elements. There could be delays in the discussion though, a bit like a phone call with Mars

 

 

Edited May 25, 2022 by Lies
Dutch people are very direct, which comes across as rude. I put in some if's and maybe's

[Lies 1396]

@LudicrousC 

 

removed earlier version of Mehr. I'll stack all the finished versions at the beginning of this post.

 

Edited June 9, 2022 by Lies
removed earlier version of Mehr

[Lies 1396]

@LudicrousC

Things that are not yet correct keep popping up in my head, for instance for this one the distinction between zu Grund and zum Grund. Zu Grund means a.o. to die and to be destroyed. To literally go to the ground would be zu dem Grund / zum Grund, which then again also would mean "for a reason" (and some other things too)

 

Up till now I put in a new version each time I found an error, but if you are reading and correcting that can be quite annoying. Maybe we can think of a way to work together a bit more simultaneously. For instance we could keep all comments within the specific .txt documents and take turns, then I would have to keep the stuff I think of in the meantime to myself. We could also use a larger list. (This almost starts to look like work )

Just tell me what you prefer, maybe the amount of errors is not so bad and we need only 1 iteration, then it will not be worth the additional effort.

 

 

Edited June 24, 2022 by Lies
all agreed translations moved to the top, all in 1 post

[Lies 1396]

Fuehre mich.xlsx

[LudicrousC 5375]

Le 24/05/2022 à 10:35, Lies a dit :

Haha funny, I thought you asked me to help you, but you offer your help to me. Even in the small things you sometimes cannot hide your true nature  

 

I realize I'm actually not of much help right now, too busy from work, but I'll try a bit.

 

Citation

Well, the list Pierrick mentioned above is not that long anymore, so I can make the first versions if you like.

 

Yep, I think I'll focus on those ones first.

 

Citation

Difficulty with these texts is there will always be differences in interpretation, for the less explicit parts that is. Potentially a lot is said with very little words, so even between German people there probably will be different insights, as everybody brings their own frame of reference and language skill.

 

 I agree. I've always believed that the best translations come from a group of people working together.

 

Citation

Perhaps it would be nice to have some debate on multi-interpretable elements. There could be delays in the discussion though, a bit like a phone call with Mars

 

Exactly what a forum is meant to be!

 

Citation

Up till now I put in a new version each time I found an error, but if you are reading and correcting that can be quite annoying. Maybe we can think of a way to work together a bit more simultaneously. For instance we could keep all comments within the specific .txt documents and take turns, then I would have to keep the stuff I think of in the meantime to myself. We could also use a larger list. (This almost starts to look like work )

Just tell me what you prefer, maybe the amount of errors is not so bad and we need only 1 iteration, then it will not be worth the additional effort.

 

Well, it's really up to you.

 

I must admit I've downloaded the files as you posted them, then copied the text in a Word-file as I'm used to it, but didn't check out the new versions you've maybe posted in the meantime.

 

Also, I haven't managed to open the Wiener Blut file (I probably don't own the proper software for it) so I couldn't read what you've put in it.

 

Usually, I make a post here on the forum with the most relevant comments (into brackets just offering an extra translation, in bold or with an arrow what I think would be better). Just like below. Maybe it's not the best form of groupwork, as it makes it necessary to go back and forth, but to tell you the truth, I haven't seen any big mistakes and any translation I totally disagree with so far, so I guess there won't be many changes made to your texts.

 

 

PUSSY
 

Too big too small

Size does matter after all

Too big too small

It could be a little bigger (He could be a little taller?)*

 

Mercedes-Benz and motorway

Alone abroad driving => Driving abroad alone (on your own)

Travel, travel, driving pleasure (Joy of driving ?)

I just want to have fun not fall in love

 

[...]

 

Too short too tall,

Doesn't matter one size fits all

Too big too small

The toll bar should be up => be lifted

 

Beautiful miss lust for more => Beautiful young lady lust for more

Blitzkrieg with the meat rifle

Schnapps in the head, you fair bride

I put sausage in your sauerkraut

 

[...]

 

Notes:

 

* I think Till's talking about a man here (he often pointed at Paul on stage while singing this line), and that's probably the reason why the word "grand" was chosen from the French translation on R+W site, but "er" could actually be a penis too as the word is masculine in German. So I wouldn't mind if you keep it/big as it's completely possible.

 

LIFAD - Love is there for all (There is love for everyone)

 

Warm water

Beautiful bodies

How they shine

In the sun

I sneak up

And talk decent => I’m smooth-tongued

Who wants to fuck

Has to be friendly

 

Love is there for all

Love is there for all

Love is there for all

 

I close my eyes

Then I can see her

I enclose her in my fantasy => I lock her up into my fantasy

I close my eyes

She doesn't fight back

Love is there for all

Not for me

 

Warm water

Beautiful bodies

Not for me

It avoids =>  It runs away (from me)

Finest forms (shapes?)

Well-built

Full mouth

Skin so brown

 

Love is there for all

Love is there for all

Love is there for all

Also for me (For me too)

 

I close my eyes

Then I can see her

I enclose her in my fantasy => I lock her up into my fantasy

I close my eyes

She doesn't fight back

Love is there for all

Not for me

 

I close my eyes

We are alone

I hold her tight

And no one can see her cry => crying*

She closes her eyes

She doesn't fight back

Love is there for all

Also for me (For me too)

 

Love is there for all

The love is there for all

Love is there for all

Also for me (For me too)

 

Notes:

* to avoid confusion with both meanings of cry (tears / scream).

 

EDIT:

 

Mehr - More

 

I need a lot

And much of it

And only for me

Only for me

Of all that

One wants to have

I need ten times as much

I never get full (It’s never enough for me)

I never get full (It’s never enough for me)

It is better when one has more

 

More

 

What I have

Is too little for me

I need much => a lot

I need very much => quite a lot

Have nothing to give

For what step down => Do without, what for?

Although I am rich => I am rich though

Still that isn't enough => But it’s not enough

Modesty?

All that is alright

I take everything => it all

Even if it's vile

I never get full (It’s never enough for me)

I never get full (It’s never enough for me)

It is better when one has more

 

More

Much more

 

Am never satisfied (content)

There is no purpose (no point)*

Exists no enough => There can’t be “enough” ¤

It’s never too much

All the others

Have so little

Give me that too

They don't need it anyway

 

[…]

 

I need more

More

More

Much more

Even more

 

Notes:

 

* I thought of the expression "Am Ziel vorbei" (miss the point). I guess it gets a little further from the original concept, but the French translation went as far as "There is no limit", so why not use an idiomatic expression that means "it's pointless" but also conveys the idea of "no tipping point"?

¤ the quotation marks help a little, don't they?

 

 

Führe mich - Guide me

 

You are near to my heart [I prefer mixing up both your ideas]

When I bleed you are in pain

We have to know each other

One body two names

Nothing can separate us (Nothing can tear us apart) £

A twobody in the seed => in semen [A double-sign / bicorpus (?) in semen]*

When you cry I feel good

The hand of your fear

Feeds my blood

 

Guide me

Hold me

I feel you

I do not leave you => I won’t leave you (?)

 

You are built onto my heart [again mixing both your ideas]

Two souls stretch one skin => Two souls are too tight under one skin (?)

And when I speak you are silent

You die when I want you to

When you cry I give you

The children of fear

Tears from me (Tears of mine)

When you cry I give you

The children of fear

Tears from me (Tears of mine)

 

Guide me

Guide me

Hold me

Hold me

Guide me

Do not leave me

I do not leave you (I won't leave you)

 

Two pictures just one frame

One body but two names

Two wicks one candle

Two souls in one heart °

 

 

Guide me

Guide me

Hold me

Hold me

Guide me

Do not leave me

I do not leave you (I won't leave you)

Hold me

I feel you

I do not leave you (I won't leave you)

 

Notes:

£ I like it more vivid because of one of the interpretations I've got.

* I actually like "twobody" but I’ve always wondered what Zweileib actually meant here. Is it just a matter of shape (a person with two bodies, like conjoined twins)? Or is it related to “zweileibig”? The word in astrology means “bicorporeal” or “mutable” (that is, being of one of these signs: Virgo, Gemini, Pisces or Sagittarius – the signs that are said to be flexible).

[I chose semen mostly because I consider the song to be about either soulmates – sexual undertones – or conjoined twins, who come from the same gamete.]

° With the dativ form, Herz becomes Herzen, so it's definitely singular (I'd add "in" to make it clearer).

 

 

[I'll come back for Roter Sand. ]

 

 

 

Edited May 28, 2022 by LudicrousC