Translation of Ton Histoire by Isabelle Boulay plus Some Musings on How to Translate a Song

November 23, 2009 at 11:20 pm

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I recently heard a song by Isabelle Boulay on a French radio station. I was suprised how grabbed I was by her voice given that her music is not generally of the genre that immediately catches my attention.

As I do in these circumstances, I went in search of the samples that accompany MP3 downloads these days and found the album Nos Lendemains (Our tomorrows) in the UK iTunes store.

I was not suprised to find that her previous album De retour à la source was nominated for the Canadian Juno Award for francophone album of the year in 2008 which was eventually won by Daniel Bélanger who was one of the earliest singers I translated on this site.

I suspect that I will soon return to the world of distorted guitars, male vocals and ska, but first here is a translation of a song from Nos Lendemains called Ton Histoire (Your story).

I’ve done something with this translation that I’ve not attempted before.

Whenever I translate on this blog I concentrate first and foremost on conveying the meaning of the original lyrics trying to keep as much as possible the feeling of a song. However, this is the first translation where I have consciously attempted to make the translation poetic, so that it could indeed by sung over the same tune.

For example, here is the first verse…

C’est un regard de soie qui se passe de mots
Quand le silence est roi, le reste est de trop
On retrouve le goût des paradis perdus
Tout ce qu’on ne croyait plus

…here is how I translated it originally…

It’s a silk look that needs no words
When silence is king, nothing else matters
We taste again those paradises lost
All the things we no longer believed

…and here is my attempt at adding a little flavour…

It’s a silk look that words can’t express
When silence is king, all else is excess
The taste of a lost paradise is retrieved
All the things we no longer believed

As you can see I am clearly in no danger of becoming the next Poet Laureate.

When a professional translates a song for the very purpose of being recorded in a new language, he or she will more often than not have to restructure, rewrite, or juggle large chunks of the song in order to create a good song in the new language. As you can see I’ve not done that here.

Once upon a time I translated a tremendously famous song by Charles Aznavour called Hier Encore. I gave the original French, my translation and provided the YouTube video of the actual English recording of the song. You can clearly see the art of the professional translator in that post.

With this translation of Ton Histoire I have, as always, provided certain vocabulary and expressions prior to the lyrics. You can therefore check out for yourself where I may have taken a few liberties with the flavour of words.

I’m not sure how well it worked but it’s an experiment that I enjoyed and may try again in the future. Suggestions welcome!

Verbs

Reconnaître	To recognize
Quelques gestes oubliés qu'on reconnait par coeur, qu'est ce qui s'était passé, était-ce nous d'ailleurs ?
Some forgotten gestures we once knew by heart, what happened, was that really us?

Revoir	To see again
Une main qu'on revoit, carressante et tendue, tout ce qu'on ne croyait plus
A hand seen again, caressing and tender, all the things we no longer believed

Bâtir	To build
Quand le temps a bâti des murs entre toi et ma peau
When time has built walls between you and my skin

Jurer	To swear
Même après ma vie, je le jure, je te dirai ces mots
Even after my life, I swear I will say these words to you

Rattraper	To catch up with
Ton histoire est mon histoire, c'est rattraper nos traces sur les chemins du temps
Your story is my story, it's to retrace our steps on the paths of time

Effacer	To erase
Ton histoire est mon histoire...it's the hope that erases the hurt of the past
Your story is my story...it's the hope that erases the hurt of the past

Retrouver	To find, to regain
C'est retrouver son âme comme retrouver la vue, tout ce qu'on ne croyait plus
It's to find one's soul as if to once more see all the things we no longer believed

Vocabulary

La soie	Silk
C'est un regard de soie qui se passe de mots, quand le silence est roi, le reste est de trop
It's a silk look that words can't express, when silence is king, all else is excess

Des murs	Walls
Quand le temps a bâti des murs entre toi et ma peau
When time has built walls between you and my skin

Un chemin	Path, way
Ton histoire est mon histoire, c'est rattraper nos traces sur les chemins du temps
Your story is my story, it's to retrace our steps on the paths of time

Phrases / Idioms

être de trop	To be superfluous
C'est un regard de soie qui se passe de mots, quand le silence est roi, le reste est de trop
It's a silk look that words can't express, when silence is king, all else is excess

Ton Histoire - Isabelle Boulay

Your Story (translation of Ton Histoire by Isabelle Boulay)

C'est un regard de soie qui se passe de mots Quand le silence est roi, le reste est de trop On retrouve le goût des paradis perdus Tout ce qu'on ne croyait plus Quelques gestes oubliés qu'on reconnait par coeur Qu'est ce qui s'était passé, était-ce nous d'ailleurs ? Une main qu'on revoit, carressante et tendue Tout ce qu'on ne croyait plus Je n'étais pas loin, je n'oubliais rien Quand le temps a bâti des murs Entre toi et ma peau Je n'étais pas loin, je n'oubliais rien Même après ma vie, je le jure Je te dirai ces mots Ton histoire est mon histoire C'est rattraper nos traces sur les chemins du temps C'est l'espoir qui efface les blessures d'avant C'est retrouver son âme comme retrouver la vue Tout ce qu'on ne croyait plus [refrain] Ton histoire est mon histoire Ta douleur est ma douleur Ta route est ma route

It's a silk look that words can't express When silence is king, all else is excess The taste of a lost paradise retrieved All the things we no longer believed Some forgotten gestures we once knew by heart What happened, was it really us from the start? Recall the caress of a hand, tender and sure All the things we believed in no more I wasn't far away, I forgot nothing While time built walls Between you and my skin I wasn't far away, I forgot nothing Even after my life, I swear I'll tell you again Your story is my story It's to retrace our steps on those ancient paths It's the hope that erases the hurt from the past It's to find one's soul as if once more to see All the things we no longer believed [chorus] Your story is my story Your pain is my pain Your path is my path