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Translating a finnish text into english

Roi DantonRoi Danton Moderator
in Zocalo v2.0
Could anybody of the finnish ppl here translate this text into englisch, plz?

[quote]
Ratiriti ralla
mistä tuli halla
Tuolta pohjan tunturila
Lapin lasten laitumilta
Ratiriti ralla
sieltä tuli halla
this is finish
but not the end
[/quote]

Thx, Roi

Comments

  • Data CrystalData Crystal Pencil Artist
    Re: Translating a finnish text into english

    [QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Roi Danton [/i]
    [B]Could anybody of the finnish ppl here translate this text into englisch, plz?



    Thx, Roi [/B][/QUOTE]

    Hi,

    To my knowledge, that's part of a children's song which depicts a brisk winter cold and asks the question where does the cold come from and answers it as well. It's a bit hard to translate since it's written in verse and some of the words don't actually mean anything, but I'll give it a shot.

    "Crackle crickle croad,
    from where came the cold?
    From the mountains bare of North,
    Pastures of the Lapland folk.
    Crackle crickle croad,
    From there came the cold."

    "Ratiriti ralla" doesn't actually mean anything. It resembles the sound which is made when one steps on fresh snow and the snowflakes shatter. "Ralla" is just a word in the end to match the rhyme of the next sentence. Hence, 'croad' in my verse.

    "Lapin lasten laitumilta" translates literally into "From the pastures of the children of Lapland", but in Finnish, the 'children of something' doesn't necessarily mean actual children but more like the "We are all children of Earth" -thingy. Not an age thing.
  • EclecticonautEclecticonaut Elite Ranger
    Edit: Too late.
  • Data CrystalData Crystal Pencil Artist
    Aye laddie, such is life. 'tis usually my part, that. ;)

    You could've kept your translation post too, you know, two translations is always better than one. Offers more insight for foreigners. :)
  • Roi DantonRoi Danton Moderator
    Thx for the translation! The ppl also asked if you know [i]R.I.P.Uli[/i] resp. if it has an insinuation.
  • Data CrystalData Crystal Pencil Artist
    Insinuation? Yarr... a word that I don't know. Refreshing. :)

    I'm too tired to look it up, but [i]Uli[/i] is technically a name, but if you add [i]Rip[/i] in front of it, it reads [i]Ripuli[/i] which means [i]Diarrhoea[/i].

    Or moreso in this case [b]D.I.A.rrhoea[/b]. ;)
  • EclecticonautEclecticonaut Elite Ranger
    Never heard of that band, but [i]ripuli[/i] means [i]diarrhea[/i].

    Edit: Once again beaten by the master himself. :P
  • Data CrystalData Crystal Pencil Artist
    Sry. :D I'll just shut up now, then.
  • Lord RefaLord Refa Creepy, but in a good way
    [QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Data Crystal [/i]
    [B]Sry. :D I'll just shut up now, then. [/B][/QUOTE]

    And you made a spelling mistake there too... ;)

    heh. Diarrhoea? :P

    And insinuate? To insinuate something? Hell.. I know that word, but the finnish version?

    Something like ... hmm... väittää/kehoittaa tjsp..

    Are you insinuating that I'm a twisted pervert?

    Something to that effect I guess... I dont know.. I really dont know half the words I know in english. Just that they fit somewhere.
  • Data CrystalData Crystal Pencil Artist
    Oki, no shutting up. Don't correct my spelling . ;) :p

    There are two correct terms for the word Diarrhoea. Diarrhoea with an 'o' in it and Diarrhea. Both are correct if I'm not mistaken. I seem to recall that the 'o' -version is a bit older english than the o'less one. ;)

    (Hey, I looked this up after Beavis & Butthead's Daria -joke. "Diarrhoea ChaChaChaa, Diarrhoea ChaChaChaa!". Priceless. :D)

    I decided to be less lazy and look the word up. To insinuate seems to mean having a hidden implication or saying something about someone or something that can be read between the lines. "Vihjata / antaa ymmärtää?"

    And no-ones insinuating that you're a sick pervert. Do we need to?
  • TyvarTyvar Next best thing to a St. Bernard
    Insinuiating would imply that we took the time to conceal our beliefs on the subject or even attempted to use tact!
  • Lord RefaLord Refa Creepy, but in a good way
    [QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Data Crystal [/i]
    [B]Oki, no shutting up. Don't correct my spelling . ;) :p

    There are two correct terms for the word Diarrhoea. Diarrhoea with an 'o' in it and Diarrhea. Both are correct if I'm not mistaken. I seem to recall that the 'o' -version is a bit older english than the o'less one. ;)

    (Hey, I looked this up after Beavis & Butthead's Daria -joke. "Diarrhoea ChaChaChaa, Diarrhoea ChaChaChaa!". Priceless. :D)

    I decided to be less lazy and look the word up. To insinuate seems to mean having a hidden implication or saying something about someone or something that can be read between the lines. "Vihjata / antaa ymmärtää?"

    And no-ones insinuating that you're a sick pervert. Do we need to? [/B][/QUOTE]

    So it's that old "tomato" "tomatoe" thing in effect.. should've guessed.

    heh. And just an example.

    I could've used one that i used at work instead. Where I insinuated one customer of mine was a dog, but in such carefull way that if they complained, it could've been put down as paranoia from their part. ;)
  • Random ChaosRandom Chaos Actually Carefully-selected Order in disguise
    In a more extreme example of spelling irregularities, the Oxford English Dictionary lists the following spellings as equivilent:

    abiding
    abidyng
    abidynge
    abydyng
    abydynge
    abyding
    abydinge

    Only one of those we see in common english. Furthermore it gives historical examples of when different word spellings were used.
  • Roi DantonRoi Danton Moderator
    :D

    Thanks for the answers. That was all we wanted to know. In future I will refrain from using such unusual word like "insu..bla". ;)
  • PJHPJH The Lovely Thing
    [QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Data Crystal [/i]
    [B]
    "Lapin lasten laitumilta" translates literally into "From the pastures of the children of Lapland", but in Finnish, the 'children of something' doesn't necessarily mean actual children but more like the "We are all children of Earth" -thingy. Not an age thing. [/B][/QUOTE]

    But in this case however it actually indeed does in all probability mean actual children, as it is a childrens song afterall. Also keeping in mind, that it is quite common to use childrens as an example when telling/explaining something to children, or when making a song. :)

    If a song however wouldn't be targeted to children and it would have that kind of a clause in it, it would probably mean children the way you explained it without a referrence to age.

    Very good translation and explanation of the song btw. Those kind of texts are often very difficult and sometimes even impossible to translate/explain using other language.

    - PJH
  • Data CrystalData Crystal Pencil Artist
    [QUOTE][i]Originally posted by PJH [/i]
    [B]But in this case however it actually indeed does in all probability mean actual children, as it is a childrens song afterall. Also keeping in mind, that it is quite common to use childrens as an example when telling/explaining something to children, or when making a song. :)[/B][/QUOTE]

    Hmm... I don't think I even thought it that way... you might have me there. :)
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