Learn Mando'a

Hi! In my post in the welcome forum, I mentioned that I had a few translations of songs that I had said I would post. This seemed like a good place to do that... I won't post them all at once (after this one, I realised that I should go back through and do some revision...might take a while...), but here's the first one. Not so coincidentally, this was the first translation I did (edited, of course). It is Never Gonna Give You Up. I'm still not 100% sure why I did this.
Note: Throughout all of these, sometimes there was no direct English translation that would make any sense with regards to syllable count, so sometimes I took the "throw a bunch of related words at it and hope it makes sense" approach (see "sa kyr'am nau tracyn kad, vode an"). Please let me know if you have an idea that fits better and is more coherent...

Nu’mhi aruetiise bah kar’taylan
Mhi kar’tayli resol’nare
Anila haat’miit meg ni mirdi be
Nu’gar hibii be naasad ashi

Ni copaani re’jorhaa’ir gar ner aale
Gar liniba suvarir

Draar dinui gar be’chaaj
Draar nariti gar daab
Draar viini rud bal ba’slana gar
Drar gotalu gar trikar
Draar sirbu ret’urcye mhi
Draar jahaati bal shupuu gar

Mhi kar’tayl te ashad bid munit
Gar kar’ta kadala a gar nu’lise sirbu bic
Mhi bintar kar’tayl meg bana
Mhi kar’tayl geroya bal mhi geroyi

Bal meh gar tioni ni be ner aale
Ke’nu’re’jorhaa’i ni gar nehaatayc

Draar dinui gar be’chaaj
Draar nariti gar daab
Draar viini rud bal ba’slana gar
Drar gotalu gar trikar
Draar sirbu ret’urcye mhi
Draar jahaati bal shupuu gar

Ooh (Dinui)
Ooh (Dinui)
Draar dinui, draar dinui (dinui)
Draar dinui, draar dinui (dinui)

Mhi kar’tayl te ashad bid munit
Gar kar’ta kadala a gar nu’lise sirbu bic
Mhi bintar kar’tayl meg bana
Mhi kar’tayl geroya bal mhi geroyi

Ni copaani re’jorhaa’ir gar ner aale
Gar liniba suvarir

Draar dinui gar be’chaaj
Draar nariti gar daab
Draar viini rud bal ba’slana gar
Drar gotalu gar trikar
Draar sirbu ret’urcye mhi
Draar jahaati bal shupuu gar

I love it!

Honestly, I giggled a bit about the Resol'nare being referenced because in my mind it makes it sound so much more serious and philosophical

I guess that’s what happens when you capitalize “the rules”…

Back with another translation: Green Day's classic Good Riddance/Time of Your Life. Rather literal, my translation of the title would be "Usen'ye/Ca'nara be gar Oya'cye". (I'm a big Green Day fan, so you can expect a lot of translations of their songs- I went with this one first because of its popularity.)

Eyn’ashi tion’as, t’ad yuste be solus
Ca’nara gana gar, ke’gyce gar vaiise
Guuro ibic akaan, ke’nu’tioni ‘tion’jor’
Nu’cuy tion’as, a bajun gar hibira

Gar nu’lise ven’haataylir
Al o’r kyr bic serim
Ni copaani meg gar ru’emuuri

Partayli o’r miit’bines o’r gar mirshe
Ten’gaana ti jat’aala bal jat’ca’nara
Sure be partaylan cuy kyr’adyc bah ash’ade
Meh gar sushi, bic an gana kando

Gar nu’lise ven’haataylir
Al o’r kyr bic serim
Ni copaani meg gar ru’emuuri

Gar nu’lise ven’haataylir
Al o’r kyr bic serim
Ni copaani meg gar ru’emuuri

Gar nu’lise ven’haataylir
Al o’r kyr bic serim
Ni copaani meg gar ru’emuuri

Hi again! Here's another popular Green Day song: Boulevard of Broken dreams (as I translated it, Goyust be Jari'eyc Vercope. Any commentary on the distinguishment of the words 'yust', 'goyust', and 'chortav' is welcome- I had used what I did below both because 'yust' and its derivatives seemed the most common, as well as because 'yust' was the shortest and most metaphorical, matching my interpretation of the original lyrics.

Ni kemi solus goyust
Te solus yust ni darasuum kar’tayl
Naka’mir vaii bic slana
A bic yaim bah ni bal ni kemi solus

Ni kemi utreeyah yust
Bat goyust be jari’eyc vercop’e
Vaal oriya nuhoyi
Bal ni te solus ad bal ni kemi solus

Ni kemi solus, ni kemi solus
Ni kemi solus, ni kemi

Ner prudii solus kebi meg gebi ni
Ner kih’kar’ta shi kebi meg broka
Naka’tuur vercopa ash’ad mar’eyi ni
‘Kay vencuyot ni kemi

Ah, a-ah, a-ah, a-ah, a-ah
Ah, a-ah, a-ah, a-ah, a-ah

Ni kemi bat te briik
Meg dar’tome ni o’r ner mirshe
Bat haar yustarud
Be briik baal sha taap ni kemi solus

Miit’haatayl anay miit
Meg shabla bal anay’kebi jat
Haa’tayl ner kar’ta
Kar’tayli ni su’cuy, ni kemi solus

Ni kemi solus, ni kemi solus
Ni kemi solus, ni kemi

Ner prudii solus kebi meg gebi ni
Ner kih’kar’ta shi kebi meg broka
Naka’tuur vercopa ash’ad mar’eyi ni
‘Kay vencuyot ni kemi

Ah, a-ah, a-ah, a-ah, a-ah
Ah, a-ah, a-ah, a-ah, a-ah

Ni kemi utreeyah yust
Bat goyust be jari’eyc vercop’e
Vaal oriya nuhoyi
Bal ni te solus ad bal ni kemi solus

Ner prudii solus kebi meg gebi ni
Ner kih’kar’ta shi kebi meg broka
Naka’tuur vercopa ash’ad mar’eyi ni
‘Kay vencuyot ni kemi

like it!

The way I think of the difference is yust is the root word for any form of path (hence why it shows up in yustapir and such), goyust is anything more "constructed" instead of just being a trail, and chortav feels to me like a street in a city, somewhere built up a bit.

You might find it handy to drop bic once in a while, it's not necessary in most cases in Mando'a and it lets you control the flow of the lyrics a bit.

Thank you so much! I’ll definitely be using that advice- I hadn’t realized about bic, and had been starting to despise it a bit…

Yeah, that's one of the nice things about Mando'a. Like 40% of the words in a word-for-word translation can be dropped, since it prefers to rely on context unless for emphasis or clarity!

Here’s another one- Celebrity Skin by Hole. I took much artistic license with some of the wording, but I hope it makes sense in a mando context. This also applies to some of the transcription, any thoughts on that are welcome.


Alor’gam

Ori’ami ni
Ni meg ni copaani

Oyayc kebi
Haamyc gar mir’adi


Hey, olaro, briikase

Yeah, jii gar veman gota

Hey, olaro brikaase jii


Haa’tayli ner troan
Ner gai “lise ru’cuy”
Ner gai “draar ru’cuy”
Ner gai digu’la

Hey, olaro, briikase

Yeah, jii gar veman gota

Hey, mhi te shi cuyane

Val ni hoyi o’r ner buy’ce

Bic nay vaar’la par ner beskar’gam
Haryc b’aalyc o’r’ Holiwood

Briikase ni olar ti gar agol

Naas t’ad’la briik’taap, jorcu gar alor jii

Sinderela, val nu di’kute sa gar

Copyc duse, copyc kute

Tion gar lise motir, ra gar shi trattoko


Ke’hukaat’kama
Oh, meg gar ver’copaani
Liniba ganar narser
Bid kyr’amu par


Hey, olaro, briikase

Yeah, jii gar veman gota

Hey, mhi te shi cuyane

Val ni hoyi o’r ner buy’ce

Tion gar aala sa haryc sa ibic
Nu’cuy copyc, din’kai’tom’ad
Nuhun’jahaat’ad
Shi nu’gana gai

Jate sarad, ori’burkyc

Kaysh ru’naasta anay’kebi kaysh murcyu

Jii kaysh haryc o’r holiwood

Briikase ni olar ti gar agol


Gar copaani ne’tom be ni
Ni din’waada ori
Lek, ni din’waada ori

Back from a vacation with another one: Hamilton’s ever-memorable “you’ll be back”. Still working towards the title rap, but I know this was a fan favorite!

Gar sirbu
Waad be ner kar’tayli darasuum cuy naysol
Gar tri’karla
O’r shig gar nariti o’r sho’cye sa gar haa‘tayli ni
Tion’jor
Partayli mhi go’talu koora sa gar ba’slana
Jii ni cuy kaden
Partayli, ni cuy gar jat’alor

Gar ven tug’olaro
Gar ven haa‘tayli
Gar partayli gar an cuy ner

Gar ven tug’olaro
Ca’nara tengaana
Gar partayli ni alori jat’yc

Sho’cyese olaro
Alore ba’slana
Mhi gaatayli ash’ad adol an

Bal sha ca’nara ukor b’ukor
Ni ven ke’gyce ade jurkadir
Jorbe gar patayli ni

Ya da da da da, ya da da da dayya da da da da da dayya da
Ya da da da da, ya da da da dayya da da da da da dayya da

Gar sirbu cuun kartarli darasuum cuy haryc
Gar ven orjore sa ni ba’slana
Bal ke’nu’jorhaa’i be ashi
Gar ner jatne ashi
Kandosii’la ashi
Verburyc ashi

Darasuum
Darasuum
Darasuum, darasuum, darasuum!

Gar ven tug’olaro
Sa o’r ruyot
Ni ven akaani bal gana parjai
Par gar kar’ta
Par gar miite
Bal ni kar’tayli gar darasuum
Sha ca’nara gar ba’slana
Ni dinii
Jorbe ke’nu’digu cuun kebi
Bal sha ca’nara ukor b’ukor
Ni ven kyr’amu gar bur’cyase bal aliit
Jorbe gar patayli ni

Ya da da da da, ya da da da dayya da da da da da dayya da
Ya da da da da, ya da da da dayya da da da da da- Anade!

Ya da da da da, ya da da da dayya da da da da da dayya da
Ya da da da da, ya da da da dayya da da da da da dayya da

I don't know the song personally, so I can't speak yet to the accuracy of the lyrics, but I'd say you've got a better handle on translation and grammar than 90% of the people who look at Mando'a.

Vlet Hansen wrote: ↑

13 Aug 2022 04:34

I don't know the song personally, so I can't speak yet to the accuracy of the lyrics, but I'd say you've got a better handle on translation and grammar than 90% of the people who look at Mando'a.

Oh wow, I have no words… thank you so much! Coming from THE Vlet Hansen, active member since ten years ago, I couldn’t have gotten a higher compliment!

Hi again! Here’s another Green Day song, Whatsername. (There are plenty more of these, and, not to worry, non-Green Day titles…)

Ni mirdi mhi urcye daab bat chortav
A ni mar’eyi bic shi nuhoy’sur
Ni kebbu digur anay’kebi mhi me’dinui
Kaysh ba’slana bal ni kemi eyn’ashi yust
Ni partayli te troan a nu’partayli te gai
Jii ni mirdi me’vaar ti tion’kaysh gai

Sa kaysh ba’slana udes naumiit
Tion kaysh ru’riduuro ruug’tion’kaysh’troan
Ni kebbu digur anay’kebi mhi me’dinui
Kaysh ba’slana bal ni kemi eyn’ashi yust
Ni partayli te troan a nu’partayli te gai
Jii ni mirdi me’vaar ti tion’kaysh gai

Partayli, meg’vurel, bic sa darasuum o’r ruyot
Partayli, meg’vurel, bic sa darasuum o’r ruyot

Ner cetan nu’pirrimuy bah ni, kaysh o’r kovid
Ner cetan nu’pirrimuy bah ni, kaysh o’r kovid

‘Yot, ‘Yot, ‘Yot, ‘Yot, ‘Yot, ‘Yot
‘Yot, ‘Yot, ‘Yot, ‘Yot, ‘Yot, ‘Yot

Bal o’r dha’shya ca
Meh ner tome’tayl cuy serim
Draar slana at ruyot
Digu gar a nu ca’nara

Here’s another Green Day song, J.A.R. (Jason Andrew Relva, or, as I transcribed it, Jeison Andru Relva). Any input on my use of ‘dar’ in the first few lines?

Ner bur’cya ba’slana ash’tuur
Jii kaysh dar bal an val sirbu
Gar liniba oya’cyir naka’tuur
Haa’tayli ni ven’dar balyc
Nu’ni lise oya’cyir sa gar
Liniba nuhur vaal ni oyayc
Ni mirdi bic jat
Ni nari meg copyc jorcu ni copaani narir
Ni dinui
Bal ni su dinu
Jii ni mirdi be bur’cya
Meh kaysh dinui an kaysh lise
Jorcu kaysh oya’cyi sa ni jii
Meh gar haa’tayli ner mirshe
Gar yogi suvarir
Kebise ni veman baat’i
Ni mirdi bic jat
Ni nari meg copyc jorcu ni copaani narir
Ni dinui
Bal ni su dinu
Gar kar’tayl
Ni kar’tayl
Gar ja’hail ni
Ni mirdi bic jat
Ni nari meg copyc jorcu ni copaani narir
Ni dinui
Bal ni su dinu
Liniba dajunir
Narir meg serim
Nu’lise go’naasir
Meg copaani oya’cyi
A nu’ni copaani dajunir
Par naka’tuure
Vaal ni’vaar’la bal ni lise
Ni shi copaani

I think it's a fair use of dar, yes. Seems to fit the meaning on both sides.

Thanks! I wasn’t sure if I was being vaguely poetic or grammatically incorrect…

Here’s yet another Green Day song- one of my favorites and earlier translations, ‘She’s a Rebel’. The chorus (the first verse below) is repeated several times at the end in the song’s original recording, but I didn’t figure I needed to repeat it that many times.

Kaysh cuy mav’verd
Kaysh cuy cin’gaan
Kaysh cuy ori’hayc bal kaysh ori’burkyc
Kaysh cuy mav’verd
Gra’tua’ad
Nu’mar’la ne’tom bat
Yustarud be ori’naastan

Teh Chi’cago
At Toronto
Droten gai kaysh ruug’la tion’kaysh’gai
Kaysh alli’gai
Be ori’am
Bal kaysh tayli ner kar’ta sa bic goore

Tion kaysh vercopaani
Meg ni mirdi
Tion kaysh buir be an be’senaare
Meg ori’hetti
Tion kaysh nu’naak
Sa ni nu’naak
Bic cuy t’ad’yc jehav
Ra bes’laar meg

Kaysh laarari
Be te ori’am
Vaar’tur be cuun oya’cyese
Kaysh dinui
Eyn mav
Nu’ni gana miit par
Nu’ni lise mirdir be

Ori might be unnecessary in ori'naastan, though I can see why you might want it as an intensifier.

Given how slangy ol' is in English, you might get away with just ruug.

I like the way you worked around the limitations of the vocabulary with jehav.

I'm not sure on the use of eyn here, though. I don't think its quite what I think of when thinking of the English lyrics.

Here’s one I had in a notebook somewhere for a while- “Working for the Weekend” by Loverboy. There might be a few typos in here that I didn’t catch even though I went back through it, I copied it down from the paper pretty quickly…

Borari par raysh’tuur’kyr- kar’tayl’ad

Anade ja’haili haa’taylir meg gar ven’nari
Anade haa’tayli gar
Anade mirdi meh gar olaro ibi’ca
Anade kebbu cuyir serim

Anade borari par raysh’tuur’kyr
Anade copaani kar’taylan
Anade cu’ami ori’ge’dinla
Anade liniba kebbur tug’yc

Copaani ner kar’ta
Liniba yogir evaar
Copaani cuyir olar
K’olaro cyare, ke’slana

Anade haa’tayli mer’eyir meh bic gar
Anade copaani gar parji
Anade copaani bic ven jate
Anade pare, val pare

Anade borari par raysh’tuur’kyr
Anade copaani kar’taylan
Anade cu’ami ori’ge’dinla
Anade liniba kebbur tug’yc

Copaani ner kar’ta
Liniba yogir evaar
Copaani cuyir olar
K’olaro cyare, ke’slana

Copaani ner kar’ta
Liniba yogir evaar
Copaani cuyir olar
K’olaro cyare, ke’slana

Copaani ner kar’ta
Liniba yogir evaar
Copaani cuyir olar
K’olaro cyare, ke’slana

After somethig of a hiatus, I'm back "Undone (The Sweater Song)" by Weezer. With this one, I found it interesting how some of the wording, especially in the chorus, forced me to translate in a way that was more direct and arguably mando-sounding...

Dialogue between the verses included!

Hey vod, me’vaar ti gar?
Jat
Bic ru ori’canara, anay’keb kandosii!
Ni ori’emuuri ibic bes’laar, tion bic nu’jatne’muur’yc?
‘Lek
Ah, vod, copaani gal??
Nayc, vore
Vod, ibic ori’kandosii!
Bic ori’jate meg mhi tome tug’yc bal kebise
Ori’jate, vod
‘Lek
Hey, tion gar sushi be yam’gala suum’jii?
‘Lek
Ah, vod, bic ven KANDOSII!!
Ni ori’briikase, ret’urcye mhi, vod!

Ni ni
Cuyir
Haar’chaak
Ni cuy
Ni lise
Laarari bal
Ke’sush
Kar’tayli

Meh gar copaani naastar ner kute
Ke’taayli briik sa ni ba’slana

Su’cuy, me’bana?
Naas
Um, tion gar susulu be yam’gala?
‘Lek
Ni mirdi ni ven’slana, a, umm
Ner burc’ya’se nu’copaani, tion gar lise hiibir ni?

Oh nayc
Ba’slana
Nu’olar
Ret’urcye
Tion ni
mirdi
Trattok’o
Kyr’amu

Meh gar copaani naastar ner kute (whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa)
Ke’taayli briik sa ni ba’slana (sa ni ba’slana)
Haa’tayli kyr, ni ven nu’gana
Kajil bat daab’gaid
Kajil bat daab’gaid
Ni dar’tome

Meh gar copaani naastar ner kute (whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa)
Ke’taayli briik sa ni ba’slana (sa ni ba’slana)
Haa’tayli kyr, ni ven nu’gana
Kajil bat daab’gaid
Kajil bat daab’gaid
Ni dar’tome

Nu’ni copaani naastar gar beskar’gam (Meh gar copaani naastar ner kute)
Burc’yase bal naas majyce (Ke’taayli briik sa ni ba’slana)
Jate haa’tatyir gar kajil (Haa’tayli kyr)
O’r gar ‘Superman’ kute (ni ven nu’gana)

Kajil bat daab’gaid
Kajil bat daab’gaid
Ni dar’tome