Is translation really even that difficult?

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Fluffums

【R-18 Researcher】【Seeker of Moe】
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Well, let's find out!

(Sorry in advance to Alice since I'll be linking songs and she can't listen to them. This post will be useless for her. :blobwoah:)

My extent of actually studying Japanese is memorizing hiragana and katakana symbols. I still get some mixed up like "wa (わ)" and "ne (ね)" pretty often, but mostly I can read the pronunciations.
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm8700898
Well, I couldn't find a translation of this song anywhere, and I like it, so I'll give translating a try. Starting at noon, let's see how long it takes.
Song: A・Re・Re
Vocals: Gumi (vocaloid)
Lyrics/Music: Bumpyうしろ さん

Summary: Gumi's a bit careless. (dojikko)

A⋆Re⋆Re⋆Re A⋆Re
A⋆Re⋆Re⋆Re A⋆Re
仕事終わって 家に帰ると
かぎが見つからない A⋆Re⋆Re
A⋆Re⋆Re⋆Re A⋆Re
A⋆Re⋆Re⋆Re A⋆Re
さがしても無い それもそのはず
どあに刺さってるウ~
どんどんどうして いつもこうなの?
どんどんどうして?
ガンガンがんばれ A⋆Re⋆Reなワタシ!
ガンガンがんばれ!
ハア~ア~
A⋆Re⋆Re A⋆Re
ハア~ア~
A⋆Re⋆Re A⋆Re
ま、いっか…

A⋆Re⋆Re⋆Re A⋆Re
A⋆Re⋆Re⋆Re A⋆Re
夜のご飯は 卵かけよう
卵割ったら A⋆Re⋆Re
A⋆Re⋆Re⋆Re A⋆Re
A⋆Re⋆Re⋆Re A⋆Re
ご飯やけてない それもそのはず
スイッチ八つてないィ
ざんざん残念 なんでこうなの?
ざんざん残念?
ガンガンがんばれ A⋆Re⋆Reなワタシ!
ガンガンがんばれ!
ハア~ア~
A⋆Re⋆Re A⋆Re
ハア~ア~
A⋆Re⋆Re A⋆Re
もういっちょ!

食後のデザート プリン作って
ひとくち食べて A⋆Re⋆Re
A⋆Re⋆Re⋆Re A⋆Re
A⋆Re⋆Re⋆Re A⋆Re
すごくしょっぱい それもそのはず
塩と間違えたア~
どんどんどうして いつもこうなの?
どんどんどうして?
ガンガンがんばれ A⋆Re⋆Reなワタシ!
ガンガンがんばれ!
ざんざん残念 なんでこうなの?
ざんざん残念?
ガンガンがんばれ A⋆Re⋆Reなワタシ!
ガンガンがんばれ!
ハア~ア~
A⋆Re⋆Re A⋆Re (あれれ?)
ハア~ア~
A⋆Re⋆Re A⋆Re
がんばりまーす!
It actually took me about 2 hours to get this far because the lyrics were nowhere but at the bottom of the video. And the font and low video quality made it hard to figure out some of the characters. :sweating_profusely: Most recent songs I've seen get their lyrics commented pretty quickly at least in japanese, so it would be easier to copy/paste. This is also why light novels take a lot more work than web novels, I'm guessing. Since most of the time was spent on figuring out two, maybe three characters.

(note: あれ? (ah re?) is used the way "huh?" would be in English. あれれ?or あれれれ? shows more confusion.)

A⋆Re⋆Re⋆Re A⋆Re
A⋆Re⋆Re⋆Re A⋆Re
I finished work for the day, and when I got back home
I couldn't find my key anywhere, huh, that's strange.
A⋆Re⋆Re⋆Re A⋆Re
A⋆Re⋆Re⋆Re A⋆Re
I looked but couldn't find it, and it could be because
I left it in the door when I went to work~
Why, why, why, oh why, is it always like this?
Why, why, why, oh why?
Keep on doing your best, even if you mess up!
Keep on doing your best!
Ah~ ah~
A⋆Re⋆Re A⋆Re
Ah~ ah~
A⋆Re⋆Re A⋆Re
Well, it's all good.

A⋆Re⋆Re⋆Re A⋆Re
A⋆Re⋆Re⋆Re A⋆Re
When I made dinner tonight, I needed to use some eggs
But the eggs fell and got broken, huh, that's weird.
A⋆Re⋆Re⋆Re A⋆Re
A⋆Re⋆Re⋆Re A⋆Re
The rice isn't cooking, and it could be because
I forgot to plug the cooker in~
Well, that's just too bad, why is it always like this?
Well, that's just too bad?
Keep on doing your best, even if you mess up!
Keep on doing your best!
Ah~ ah~
A⋆Re⋆Re A⋆Re
Ah~ ah~
A⋆Re⋆Re A⋆Re
Once more!

For my after-meal dessert, I tried making some pudding
When I tried tasting it, huh, that's odd?
A⋆Re⋆Re⋆Re A⋆Re
A⋆Re⋆Re⋆Re A⋆Re
It tasted super salty, and that could be because
I got the salt and sugar mixed up~
Why, why, why, oh why, is it always like this?
Why, why, why, oh why?
Keep on doing your best, even if you mess up!
Keep on doing your best!
Well, that's just too bad, why is it always like this?
Well, that's just too bad?
Keep on doing your best, even if you mess up!
Keep on doing your best!
Ah~ ah~
A⋆Re⋆Re A⋆Re, ( what's going on?)
Ah~ ah~
A⋆Re⋆Re A⋆Re
I'll keep trying!
45 minutes because I wanted to keep the rhythm as close as possible to the original, finishing at 3pm. That's also why some of the words aren't translated with full accuracy, assuming I got the right words in the first place. Well, it would have probably taken less time if the font/video quality was better so I could read the characters, and even less time if I could find just the Japanese version of the lyrics somewhere... oh well.

ま、いっか… ("いや、だめだろwwwwww" "よくねぇwww")
Well, it's all good... ("No, that's bad lololol" "It's not good at all lolol")

At the end of each verse (before the chorus):
("あるあるw")
("lol that happens all the time")

"Well, duh. Pick an easy song, of course it'll be easy to translate." I picked it because I figured I'd be able to do the translation before I ran out of motivation, and I was right. :blobtriumph: Still, I think (vocaloid) songs would at least be more difficult to translate than (most) web novels. Ignoring songs like Francium ( ) that make less sense the more you know what the individual words mean, there are also easy songs that are really repetitive, but most of the vocaloid songs I've listened are stories, and have much more mature (as in, complex and thought-provoking) themes that would make me want to provide as perfect a translation as possible. And the individual word choices are much more important, because there are fewer words. Compared to web novels and light novels, which mostly boil down to the same message of "leave everything to your plot armor and everything will turn out all right!" There's more words, but if I compare one chapter vs one song... Well, I'll do a one-shot in a few days and see.

... /opinion.

Time spent listening to vocaloid songs instead of finishing up the blog post: 2 hours. Whoops. :blobwhistle:

Honestly, I didn't mean anything by the title, okay? I just wanted to see if I could complete and post any translation. Was it "good enough"? I wonder. I did confirm that around 90% of the time I put into this "translation project"(lol) was spent on things other than actually translating. :sweating_profusely::blobpats:

You, AMissingLinguist, Katsono and 3 others like this.

Comments

    1. AliceShiki Mar 22, 2018
      Clozdark likes this.
    2. Clozdark Mar 22, 2018
      @Fluffums :sushi_thankyou:
      @AliceShiki well I tried to explain it as understandable as possible so the author message(probably) can be conveyed
      Fluffums likes this.
    3. AliceShiki Mar 22, 2018
      @Clozdark I'm more amazed by how the parenthesis are bigger than the actual lyrics~ *giggles*
      Clozdark and Fluffums like this.
    4. Fluffums Mar 22, 2018
      @Clozdark
      It doesn't surprise me in the slightest that you understand it. :ROFLMAO:
      Dountmindme and Clozdark like this.
    5. Fluffums Mar 22, 2018
      @Clozdark
      It doesn't surprise me in the slightest that you understand it. :ROFLMAO:
    6. Clozdark Mar 22, 2018
      What if i told you I seems understand the song "francium" one?
      -------------
      Get moving kake-take chamo
      (the song started and the writer thinking the word "come on" and slang on it)
      Chamon chatter chatter tattle tattle
      (While waiting for something to coming up people usually "chit - chattering")
      ☆ Ship's going!
      (Somehow it reminds us of waiting couple ship become one "come on come on just married already")
      Gem hunting barbarians with lots of bean ten-don
      (Speaking of shipping it's like we are a barbaric people who hunting gem)
      (And as barbaric people we treating eating a "tendon meat" as eating a snack like a "bean")
      Does autumn rain bring wholesome tears?
      (A bean is looks like a tears,and a tears looks like a sign of rain)
      Teardrop don't stop so depressing
      (The rain which is the author crying didn't stop so the author depressed)
      Su↑Taaa Taaa tatatatatatatata↑
      (The author depressed and he need to change the mood to brighten one)
      Eryngii eryngii eryngii erygii
      erigin choo oo oo Eryngii whoooooa
      ooggussaburoppai
      (His brain is messed up and he want energy/king mushroom aka drug)
      (He got enlightened and falling into reality that it won't happen)
      Tatatatatatatatata tatatata ↓
      (He become depressed again)
      I-hihhihihhihihihhhihihiihhihii
      (He laughed maniacly cause he can't be saved at this point)
      Dragon Quest front line ☆ Ready readyy ready rready
      (Somehow his laugh remind him of dragon quest background song tune)
      (He reminded how energetic he was when he pumped up to playing the game
      Settle dooown, settle dooown!!
      (He reminded again about his parent who tried to bring down his energetic childhood when playing a game)
      Ready readyy ready rready
      (Of course as a child he disobeyed and still pumped up)
      Laalalalala lalalala la la
      Laalaalaalalalala
      (The lullaby of childhood bring his back to his current self now)
      Quick, put up a chamo chamo
      ( his previous tone of ready is like a hurried person want something quickly)
      (From quickly he start the word "come on" again)
      --------
      The author looks like is suffering from word salad likes me.
    7. Fluffums Mar 22, 2018
      @asriu
      Oh, that. I actually like music more than novels. #funfluffumsfacts
      It's just that most song genres have enough fans that new songs get translated as soon as they're out nowadays. Older songs that aren't from famous groups are the ones that slip through the cracks.
      AMissingLinguist likes this.
    8. asriu Mar 22, 2018
      short story
      not vocaloid song
      I do know some voca song have story similar with cn ancient style song
      just not expect will see it here
      Fluffums likes this.