Whetumarama ([info]fiveredsnakes) wrote in [info]linguaphiles,
@ 2008-10-06 10:37:00
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help needed with Amharic translation

Hi all,

I am in the process of writing a short story for publication in the most recent Tears of the Phoenix charity anthology. In the story, the protagonist is given a book of poems by an Ethiopian poet, and one of them forms the cornerstone of the story. However, I neither speak nor write Amharic.

I have the poem in English,and was wondering if anyone here would be willing to translate it for me. It is short - seventeen lines (about 80 words). Submissions are due on November 1st.

If you are interested, you can find the poem and more explanation of the context, here at my LJ.

I would really appreciate any help I can get. Thanks!

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[info]muckefuck
2008-10-06 01:56 am UTC (link)
If you don't mind me asking, why is it necessary that have an Amharic version of the poem? After all, if Nobel prize-winner Orhan Pamuk can write an entire novel about the magnum opus of a fictional Turkish poet without including a single line of his poetry, couldn't you do the same for a mere short story?

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[info]fiveredsnakes
2008-10-06 02:14 am UTC (link)
Sure, you can ask. Everyone tells their stories differently, and I want to include the poem in Amharic, not just in English. It's not necessary at all, it's a stylistic choice on my part.

The anthology includes illustrations, so, if I have the Amharic text, I can make an illustration of the 'original' page in the book of poetry. I think it would enhance the story. If I cannot get a translation, however, the English will do.

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[info]bernmarx
2008-10-06 02:47 am UTC (link)
I had a similar reaction to muckefuck. In my opinion, you're not just asking for a translation, but you're asking for a poem. That calls not just for the right words with the right meaning, it calls for enough understanding of the poetic traditions of that culture to make a convincing poem, since presumably some of the readers might read Amharic. Imagine someone in another language made a similar request for a translation of a poem, say, from German to English and then wrote a story about a great English poem that read, say,

There is a street with a moon over it
And there are seagulls yet here overhead
I will call you until Monday comes

Or whatever. It might sound beautiful in German, but terrible in English. Likewise, whatever you have to translate might sound beautiful in English, but terrible in Amharic. You won't know any different, but the readers you're trying to touch might, and it won't have the effect you're looking for.

Just my opinion.

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[info]fiveredsnakes
2008-10-06 02:55 am UTC (link)
Thanks for taking the time to comment. I appreciate you taking the time to give your opinion.

Of course I don't want a direct translation - I daresay I could get that online if I wanted to, do it myself, and not care that it reads terribly in Amharic. Which is why I have opened it up here, just in case anyone is interested. Like I said above, it would be lovely to have a version in Amharic, but not essential.

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[info]muckefuck
2008-10-06 02:32 pm UTC (link)
What if you widened your net a bit? There are over 75 different languages spoken in Ethiopia besides Amharic. Is it vital that the poet belong to the majority ethnic group? Or would Somali, Oromo, or Turkana poetry fit the bill equally well?

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[info]fiveredsnakes
2008-10-06 06:57 pm UTC (link)
No, it's not essential, but, given the context of the story, it is unlikely that the poet would be writing in something other than Amharic.

Look, this was just a question, in case someone wanted to pick it up. If you think it's a bad idea, that's fine, but I have considered it carefully.

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[info]muckefuck
2008-10-06 08:18 pm UTC (link)
Didn't mean to get on your tits. It's just that, as you well know, snagging an Amharic-speaker who can turn out acceptable poetry is an extreme longshot, so I was only trying to suggest alternatives.

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[info]fiveredsnakes
2008-10-06 08:23 pm UTC (link)
Yeah, I know it's a longshot, which is why I've made sure it doesn't matter if it doesn't happen. Sorry if I sounded way too grumpy or sensitive.

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[info]muckefuck
2008-10-06 02:28 pm UTC (link)
In his book Notes from the hyena's belly, Nega Mezlekia talks about the rules of traditional Amharic poetry and apparently they're hideously complex. The system of versification is extremely formalised in a way that reminds me of mediaeval Welsh or Irish court poetry.

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