Whether or not song lyrics should be translated has been debated by researchers, translators, artists and audiences. Some are of the opinion that songs should not be translated as singing in translation produces a weak version of the source text, while others argue that a song in the language of the audience fosters better understanding. The translation of song lyrics goes beyond linguistic aspects and includes musicological aspects such as the melody, rhythm and mode of presentation. Because of the interaction between the music (the melody) and the lyrics, the music in some cases obscures the lyrics and in other cases prolongs the lyrics. Therefore, the song translator faces a constant negotiation of inter-semiotic elements with regard to, among others, functionality and singability. This study provides an overview of the musicological aspects of song translation, with reference to Low’s pentathlon and Franzon’s layers of singability. As an illustration, this article provides a discussion of the translation of a Leonard Cohen song into Afrikaans by a South African gospel singer and preacher, Koos van der Merwe. The data have been collected from an original Leonard Cohen CD and the translated versions thereof from the Van der Merwe CD (
A song constitutes a piece of music and lyrics designed for a singing performance (Franzon
This article is thus not so much concerned with translation as a strategy to bridge the language barrier, but rather with the nature of the constraints of multi-semiotic phenomena. A number of ways in which Van der Merwe negotiated the complex multi-semiotic interface between text and music will be investigated through a discussion of inter-semiotic translation in a song selected from the Van der Merwe CD, namely ‘Halleluja’.
Language, according to Buhler’s (
The semiotic material in multimedial texts can include aspects such as pictures, music and facial expressions (Surugiu
The translation of song lyrics differs vastly from inter-lingual translation. The term ‘inter-lingual translation’ is taken from Jakobson’s (
Aligned with the
Ramos (
According to Gorlée there is also a creative side to inter-semiotic translation or recoding that depends on ‘improvised desire and free will (on the part of the receptor) translations’, taking the meaning of the written signs in a verbal language and transforming them into a: ‘… language in a mixed, metaphorical manner of speaking’ (
A song consists of various elements each of which has an important role in rendering the song a complete product. These elements include linguistic aspects, such as the song lyrics or text, and musicological aspects, such as the melody and rhythm. To produce a functional, singable inter-semiotic translation, the translator has to pay attention to all the elements present in the phenomenon to be translated. The translator, therefore, has to keep in mind the complication of a multiplicity of semiotic elements that interplay with the words. A word that would fit perfectly in a poem would not necessarily fit well in a lyric (Gorlée
The song-lyric translator is challenged by a poetical text that has to be rendered in the target language and culture and, at the same time, is limited by the various constraints presented by the music to which the lyric is set (Surugiu
Low (
In terms of the
The second element in Low’s pentathlon is sense, referring to keeping as much as possible of the original meaning of the source text in the target text. Low states that in normal translation (inter- and intra-lingual translation), semantic accuracy is most important, but because of the constraints of vocal-music translation, ‘stretching or manipulation’ (flexibility) of sense may become necessary (Low
Low’s third element is naturalness, which is usually associated with the translator’s responsibility towards the audience (Low
The fourth element in Low’s pentathlon is rhythm, notated in the music score, and is applicable to both the source and target texts. The rhythm influences the song translator’s choice of words, as he needs to respect the rhythm that pre-exists the target text. Song translators also pay attention to syllable count, considering the source text and the target text to have the exact same syllable count (Low
The final aspect of the pentathlon principle is rhyme, an element that Low believes has rendered many target texts useless, mainly because the translators of these texts placed too high a premium on rhyme, losing sight of more important elements and in the end overshadowing the melody (Low
Franzon (
Franzon (
To reach a prosodic match to the melody, a singable lyric uses prosodic elements such as rhythm, stress and intonation. Gorlée (
The poetic match, or the partnership that exists between text and music, is closely integrated with the harmonic structure of a piece of music, in other words, when the lyrics of a piece of music verbally ‘mirrors’ musical elements such as stylistic figures, climax, contrast and rhyme (Franzon
A semantic-reflexive match is concerned with expressions, such as mood, description, metaphor and story (Stopar
Franzon (
In the following section, we present a case study, discussed and analysed in terms of the complex characteristics and challenges of song translation.
For the purposes of this discussion, the focus falls on the translation, into Afrikaans, of one of Leonard Cohen’s songs, ‘Hallelujah’. Cohen originally wrote 80 verses for ‘Hallelujah’, but the final version only contains 15 verses. It happens very often that various versions of a particular song are recorded, and for various purposes. This particular song has been used in television shows such as
The version used for discussion in this article contains seven verses. Firstly, we discuss the musical aspects of the song and then present a discussion of the lyrics (the chorus and each verse).
Leonard Cohen has written the melody in the key signature of D major, but the melody moves through different keys during the course of the song. The introduction moves between D major and A major with the lyrics beginning in D, in bar 1 (
‘Hallelujah’ (bars 1–8).
The lyrics of line 5 of the source text are imitated in the melody. The melody moves from B minor (‘the minor falls’) to G major (‘the major lifts’) in the following two bars, corresponding with the lyrics. Van der Merwe stays true to Cohen’s imitation between lyrics and melody with the target text ‘die vierde eers, die vyfde volg’ to imitate the movement in the melody. Traditionally, a minor key indicates that emotions are falling (sadness) and a major key indicates joy, and, therefore, uplifts the emotion of the listener. In this case, the target text follows the source text pattern between keys and words, with the translated words appearing in the same bars as the source text.
In bar 14, the key signature (
‘Hallelujah’ (bars 9–20).
Later in the song, Cohen often refers to ‘a cold and a broken hallelujah’, as well as ‘a perfect hallelujah’. These images are strengthened in the melody by the alternating use of minor and major keys, with the minor indicating coldness and brokenness, and the major indicating holiness and perfectness.
Cohen used only the word ‘Hallelujah’ for the chorus. It appears 5 times after every verse, except the final verse, where it appears 17 times. ‘Hallelujah’ is a Hebrew word, which means ‘Glory to the Lord’. Van der Merwe stayed true to the source text with regard to the melody, rhythm and the lyrics, as it is the chorus that attracts the listener’s attention and, as indicated earlier, the chorus is one of the most important characteristics of a song (Gritsenko & Aleshinskaya
In line 1 (
Verse 1 (lines 1–6).
Line | Source text (English) | Target text (Afrikaans) | Back translation (English) |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Now I’ve heard there was a secret chord | It was believed to be a secret chord | |
2 | That David played and it pleased the Lord | When David played and it pleased God | |
3 | But you don’t really care for music, do you | But for music you do not care | |
4 | It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth | The fourth first, the fifth follows | |
5 | The minor fall, the major lift | The minor down, the major up | |
6 | The baffled king composing Hallelujah | Baffled king plays his Hallelujah |
In line 1 (cf.
In line 3, Van der Merwe uses ellipsis by omitting ‘do you’ from his translation of the source text. The words he chooses for the Afrikaans translation have the same number of syllables as the source text and this allows for the melody and lyric to fit and enhance singability (cf. Franzon’s layers of singability). Although words have been omitted in the target text, there is no loss of meaning (cf. Low’s pentathlon element of sense).
Nearly the same happens in line 4 (cf.
An inter-semiotic element is evident in lines 4 and 5, namely, the movement of the melody. In line 4 the source text lyrics (‘the fourth, the fifth’) are mirrored in the melody with the keys moving from G to A in bar 10 (
In bars 12 and 13 (
Another inter-semiotic element is evident when Van der Merwe changes the rhythm of the original melody by introducing a moment of silence on the next beat after he sings ‘
In line 12 (
Verse 2 (lines 9–14).
Line | Source text (English) | Target text (Afrikaans) | Back translation (English) |
---|---|---|---|
9 | Your faith was strong but you needed proof | You strongly believed, but then you needed more | |
10 | You saw her bathing on the roof | Her naked body, you desired | |
11 | Her beauty in the moonlight overthrew you | Her beautiful moonlight bath enchanted you | |
12 | She tied you to a kitchen chair | Then she tied you to her kitchen chair | |
13 | She broke your throne, and she cut your hair | She broke your throne, cut off your hair | |
14 | And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah | And let your lips mumble Hallelujah |
Van der Merwe omits ‘and she’ (line 13) from the target text, as well as ‘she drew’ (line 14) without losing any of the intended messages. By doing this, Van der Merwe is able to fit the translation to the music, improving singability. This is a good example of how he negotiates the inter-semiotic nature of the source text. In line 13, the number of syllables is the same in both the source text and the target text and improves singability. In line 14, however, he replaces the omitted words with ‘
In terms of melody, Van der Merwe changes the rhythm in bar 35 (
‘Hallelujah’ (bars 32–40).
In line 21 (
Verse 3 (lines 17–22).
Line | Source text (English) | Target text (Afrikaans) | Back translation (English) |
---|---|---|---|
17 | Baby, I’ve been here before | Girl, I have been here before | |
18 | I know this room, I’ve walked this floor | I know the floor, I know the wall | |
19 | I used to live alone before I knew you | I lived alone before the two of us were together | |
20 | I’ve seen your flag on the marble arch | On the marble arch I see your flag | |
21 | Love is not a victory march | The love is no victory march | |
22 | It’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah | It’s a cold and broken Hallelujah |
In line 22, however, Van der Merwe omits the second ‘it’s a’ from the target text to keep the same number of syllables as the source text, still bringing the message across while fitting the rhythm and melody (cf. Franzon’s layers of singability).
In line 27 (
Verse 4 (lines 25–30).
Line | Source text (English) | Target text (Afrikaans) | Back translation (English) |
---|---|---|---|
25 | There was a time when you let me know | Long ago you let me know | |
26 | What’s really going on below | What really happens below | |
27 | But now you never show it to me, do you? | But now you no longer show it to me | |
28 | And remember when I moved in you | I remember how I moved in you | |
29 | The holy dove was moving too | The holy dove moved together | |
30 | And every breath we drew was Hallelujah | And every gulp of breath was Hallelujah |
In line 30, Van der Merwe omits ‘we drew’ and translates the single syllable word ‘breath’ with the three-syllable word ‘
In line 37 (
Verse 5 (lines 33–38).
Line | Source text (English) | Target text (Afrikaans) | Back translation (English) |
---|---|---|---|
33 | Maybe there’s a God above | Maybe there is a God above | |
34 | But all I’ve ever learned from love | From love I have only learned to believe this | |
35 | Was how to shoot at someone who outdrew you | How do you shoot someone that has you within shot | |
36 | It’s not a cry you can hear at night | It’s not a call that echoes at night | |
37 | It’s not somebody who has seen the light | It’s not one that says he found the light | |
38 | It’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah | It’s a cold and broken Hallelujah |
The same technique used in line 22 (
In line 46 (
Verse 6 (lines 41–46).
Line | Source text (English) | Target text (Afrikaans) | Back translation (English) |
---|---|---|---|
41 | You say I took the name in vain | You say I slander that name | |
42 | I don’t even know the name | But then I barely know that name | |
43 | But if I did, well, really, what’s it to you? | Even if I did, well, how does it really concern you? | |
44 | There’s a blaze of light in every word | There’s a flame of light in every word | |
45 | It doesn’t matter which you heard | Even if you heard whichever word | |
46 | The holy or the broken Hallelujah | The holy or broken Hallelujah |
Van der Merwe changes the word order of the target text in line 53 (
Verse 7 (lines 49–54).
Line | Source text (English) | Target text (Afrikaans) | Back translation (English) |
---|---|---|---|
49 | I did my best, it wasn’t much | It was my best, little that it was | |
50 | I couldn’t feel, so I tried to touch | I could feel nothing, then tried to touch | |
51 | I’ve told the truth, I didn’t come to fool you | I speak the truth, I did not want to confuse you | |
52 | And even though it all went wrong | Even though it all went wrong | |
53 | I’ll stand before the Lord of Song | Before the Lord of Song I shall go and stand | |
54 | With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah | With nothing on this tongue only Hallelujah |
In line 54 Van der Merwe uses ‘
As evident in the discussion of the translated version of Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’, song translation aims to integrate the verbal content of a source text (the song) into a different language, incorporating elements of rhythm and melody in the translated version of the song. The song translator faces different challenges than those faced in inter- and intra-lingual translation, as he has to produce a singable text. Low’s pentathlon and Franzon’s layers of singability address aspects that the song translator has to take into consideration, and suggest ways to overcome these challenges. Various aspects with regard to song translation have been mentioned and a few discussed in lesser or more detail. Van der Merwe used quite a number of translation strategies, depending on the various challenges faced in the translation of the song lyrics. Often these techniques were applied because of syllabic prominence that must be adhered to in order to fit the rhythm, in which case the rhythm was left unchanged in most of the cases, most of the time. In other songs, however, the rhythm was changed to place the syllables in the correct position so as to enhance pronunciation and increase the singability and naturalness of the target text.
There were instances when rhyme determined the meaning, and at some other instances rhythm determined the meaning. In some cases, Van der Merwe changed the rhythm of the source melody to fit the target text and in other cases he changed the target text to fit the rhythm of the source melody. However, the pre-existing melody placed constraints on the translator.
Van der Merwe also made use of specific instruments to enhance the message of the source text, integrating all aspects of the target text to enhance functionality and creating inter-semiotic unity. The key signatures chosen for the melody often also played an important role in creating emotion and feeling that strengthens the message of the source text. Van der Merwe succeeds in creating poetic, prosodic and semantic-reflexive matches in his translations. The various techniques that he applies also allow him to create a target text that makes sense, sounds natural in the target language, enhances singability and adheres to the
This article is a reworked version of Ms Opperman’s mini-dissertation for the Master’s degree in Language Practice, at the University of the Free State, South Africa, with supervisors Ms M. van Rooyen and co-supervisor Prof. K. Marais.
The authors declare that they have no financial or personal relationships that may have inappropriately influenced them in writing this article.
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