The 1st Ranma opening theme (Not sure if it belongs here)

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The 1st Ranma opening theme (Not sure if it belongs here)

Postby Sheylenna » Fri Dec 01, 2006 2:46 am

Why are there differences in the translation of the first theme?
You got to Furinkin.net and they have the translation in the subtitles.
You go to Google and you find other translations....
So why are there differences?
"If you think I'm going down you've got another thing... no thunk... no... thong... no Oh yeah right THINK coming...." mutters "I'm really beginning to hate that song"
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Postby Tovath » Fri Dec 01, 2006 2:51 am

There is no such thing is an exact translation from Enlish to Japanese. My dad runs into this to when he reads Dogan.
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Postby lwf58 » Fri Dec 01, 2006 5:49 am

There are elements of the song that don't translate well into English, because we don't have a lot of expressions that involve fish or fish parts. They do. So translating "the sea bream of my heart wants to be embraced" literally just leaves us English-speaking folk scratching our heads.
Or take this stanza:
YAPPAPPA- YAPPAPPA- ryan shan ten
A dancing kiss is a garfish in the sea.
YAPPAPPA- YAPPAPPA- ryan shan ten
The horse mackerel of love is the secret ingredient.

The whole song is like that. And there are puns in it that are impossible to translate too. For example, this part:
naze motto shizuka ni
"suki da yo" to ienai no?
hariau to watashi mo
jajauma ni nacchau!

It means:
Why don't you say
"I love you" more quietly?
Whenever we compete,
I become a shrew too!
BUT... "Jajauma" (shrew) literally means "a jeering or unruly horse," and is written using the same kanji as Ranma's name. So you'll sometimes see the last line translated as "Don't make me wild like you."
Now do you see why different translators try to express the spirit of the song in their own words, rather than simply writing down what it actually says?
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Postby Drawde » Fri Dec 01, 2006 6:06 am

There's also the fact that the translations are meant to be sung along with the music. Some of the translations to songs in various series were done like this, especially older translations, when they weren't as worried about being as correct with the translations as they tend to be now. If you can sing the translation along with the music, it's probably not that accurate. I'm pretty sure all of the Ranma opening and closing themes are like that, since VIZ had a habit of doing it.
And as lwf58 just mentioned, there are quite a few puns in the first song, and those are extremely hard to translate in a way that can be understood.
Unless I say otherwise, if I'm discussing Ranma canon, I'm talking about the MANGA.
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Postby Sheylenna » Fri Dec 01, 2006 6:18 am

Let me rephrase...
*Don't Make Me Wild Like You*
Performed by:Etsuko Nishio
Composer: Yukinojo Mori
Arrangement: Kunio Matsumura
Released Thru: Kitty Records
Used in On-Air Episodes: Ranma ½ 1-18 (Opening Theme)
Used in Viz Video Episodes: Ranma ½ 1-18
Sing-Along-Able lyrics by: Trish Ledoux
Yappa paa, yappa paa, don't know what to do
My heart is not a game...
It's mah-jongg to you.
Yappa paa, yappa paa, feel like such a shrew
Who needs boys? Don't you dare...
Make me wild like you.
Before you, boys got on their knees
Ranma, Ranma,
it's me you always tease
Since the day I ran into you...
Ranma, Ranma, you
Stole my heart and you
Don't you dare go and...
Make me wild like you.
Somebody tell me why it's so hard
To say those three words, "I love you"?
If I let myself give into you
I'll become just as wild as you!
Before you come in like a breeze
Won't you stop and ring the bell, please?
Before you make my heard your home
Why not let me love you on my own?
I'd be better off without you...
But just tonight, it's all right...
Until tomorrow, all right.
Every time your eyes turn to me
Ranma, Ranma, you make me feel dizzy.
Someday we may be more than "friends"...
Ranma, Ranma, you've
Gone and done it true
Can't you see that you've
Made me wild like you.


Are the translated lyrics from the opening

YAPPAPPA- YAPPAPPA- ii shan ten [1]
Frolicking love [koi] is a carp [koi] in a pond.
YAPPAPPA- YAPPAPPA- ii shan ten
The sea bream [tai] of my heart wants [-tai] to be embraced. [2]
Without understanding even the reason, Ranma, Ranma,
it's getting dark.
Ever since I met you, Ranma, Ranma,
fighting about one thing or other, it's the fin de sicle [3]
Why don't you say "I love you" more quietly? Whenever we compete, I become a shrew too! [4]
Without even ringing the bell, like a gentle breeze, you just settled into the one-room [apartment] of my heart. It's annoying, but ...just for tonight, it's okay (...until tomorrow, it's okay)
YAPPAPPA- YAPPAPPA- ryan shan ten [5]
A dancing kiss [KISU] is a garfish [kisu] in the sea.
YAPPAPPA- YAPPAPPA- ryan shan ten
The horse mackerel [aji] of love is the secret ingredient [aji]
Every time you stare at me, Ranma, Ranma, I get dizzy Looks like it's becoming love. Ranma, Ranma, time out, time out, let's be friends.
Wooed with such force, I fled the city of stars. The date I've dreamt of is turning out to be a marathon!
Even an itchy maerchen is an aphrodesiac to a maiden. [6] I want to be wrapped up in your gentleness I'm joking, but ...my heart's becoming transparent (...someday it'll be transparent)
YAPPAPPA- YAPPAPPA- ii shan ten
Frolicking love [koi] is a carp [koi] in a pond.
YAPPAPPA- YAPPAPPA- ii shan ten
The sea bream [tai] of my heart wants [-tai] to be embraced.
Every time you stare at me, Ranma, Ranma, I get dizzy. Looks like it's becoming love, Ranma, Ranma, my friend.
Without understanding even the reason, Ranma, Ranma, it's getting dark. Ever since I met you, Ranma, Ranma, fighting about one thing or other, it's the fin de sicle


Are the literal seeming translation,
The translation that is first says nothing about the fish puns nor does it say anything about the "fin de sicle" (End of a century) (Even if it is spelled wrong in the French)
They seem to be to completely different songs with the same original Japanese. Hence my confusion.
"If you think I'm going down you've got another thing... no thunk... no... thong... no Oh yeah right THINK coming...." mutters "I'm really beginning to hate that song"
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Postby Sheylenna » Fri Dec 01, 2006 6:21 am

Drawde wrote:There's also the fact that the translations are meant to be sung along with the music. Some of the translations to songs in various series were done like this, especially older translations, when they weren't as worried about being as correct with the translations as they tend to be now. If you can sing the translation along with the music, it's probably not that accurate. I'm pretty sure all of the Ranma opening and closing themes are like that, since VIZ had a habit of doing it.
And as lwf58 just mentioned, there are quite a few puns in the first song, and those are extremely hard to translate in a way that can be understood.

Well that certainty explains it much better ^ . ^
then I guess I don't need my last post. But I didn't see this 'till after I posted ^ . ^
"If you think I'm going down you've got another thing... no thunk... no... thong... no Oh yeah right THINK coming...." mutters "I'm really beginning to hate that song"
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Postby Neko- » Fri Dec 01, 2006 8:29 am

Translations always loose something in the process...
Trying to translate english texts to any other language will result in discrepancies along the way, although the gist of it usually stays the same. Same goes for the other way around.
Japanese seems to be a language that has a habit however to be very interpretable as to where certain words are used, and in what combination they're used as to their meaning. And that makes any translation open for interpretation by the translator.
Songs especially seems to be subject to this. When I listen to a song in english and mentally translate it over to dutch, I usually end up with something that doesn't fit the tune of the song, nor makes actual sense in dutch. So I'd have to bend lines to make them make sense, and then bend the grammar into something that possibly fits the song.
If you speak two languages you could try it yourself too. Take a song, and literally translate it over to the other language. You'll see the lines on their own will not make sense, and the overall read will be kind of hard. And singing along with a song will mostly not work. So the song needs work. And that work equals the artists interpretation of the language and puns while still trying to keep true to the melody of what is being translated.
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