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How to translate YOU
Posted December 26th, 2012 by jhrendon
Dear translators.
At the beginning I translated YOU as a singular in Spanish: "Tu". because I thought it would represent a direct dialogue between God and the reader. But I also noticed that God uses "beloveds" which means that when He says "You", He is speaking to the readers (in plural). I have also noticed that in Italian and French you translate "You" as plural; f.e.: vous (in Fr.).
So I will start translating the letters in plural. It is God speaking to readers.
Jaime Rendón
P.s: I stilll feel myself more comfortable when I translate YOU as a singular in Spanish (TU). What do Norman and Paula thing about that.
Thanks
Tu, Vous/ Tu, Ustedes
Dear Jaime,
your question can't get any straightforward answer. English can play the singular and plural you as it wants without any consequence. But it is different in latin languages.
Sometimes, I will feel that a whole Heavenletter can be translated with Tu (singular You) because I sense that it addresses directly to "you" singularly. Then, if a "beloveds" suddenly pops up, I will put it at the singular.
But most of the time, i will use the collective 'Ustedes". Yet, within this general use of the plural You, sometimes some paragraphs might require or strongly suggest the use of the singular you.
So, there are no strict rules that you can follow in that matter. And eventually, your readers will get used to this alternating you even within a single Heavenletter.
It still remains a difficult choice more than often.
Normand, the choices you
Normand, the choices you make are amazing.
I have to tell you that I have often wished that English had a plural and singular you! I once invited a friend of mine to my house for dinner on the phone. She understood the you to mean her mother and sister who were often included, but I had not intended. They all came! It turned out fine, but I had to do do a little scrambling!
But now that I read the predicament of translating the vague and changeable English you into French, Italian, and Spanish, -- is this also the case in Dutch and German and Portuguese and other languages? -- Farsi, Turkish, Russian, Hebrew, Bulgarian, Greek, Croatian, etc.-- I will let the English you stay as it is -- not that it was going to change for me anyway!
I think in the case of your translations, Jaime, it might just be fine to follow your heart, and use the singular as that is what t feels right to you. This just occurred to me -- God says we are One anyway, and One is singular!
Oh my, the subtleties of translating!
Not usually in translating is it appropriate for a translator to do just as he or she may feel, but, certainly, this instance must be a case of: What else can you do? There must be choices that only you can make.
I forgot to mention that
I forgot to mention that common to Spanish and French (and probably to Italian), we have 3 You. There is the direct singular you, which would correspond to Tu in french and Spanish. Then there is the "polite"you in French and in Spanish. In Spanish, to be polite you will talk to your interlocutor(s) at the third person singular/plural using Usted, Ustedes. In french we have "vous" which stays at the second person singular or plural. So we can be "familiar" in the singular and the plural form.
Yet we can manage to accommodate those 3 you. It comes with practice...
On Norman's choices
Thanks Gloria
I am following my heart
As far as I know in the German language it is the same case as in Latin languages.
Jaime Rendón
Local Information Librarian
Thanks Beloved Normand for
Thanks Beloved Normand for sharing your style.
Yes, in Chinese translation we did the same thing you did.
I totally agree with
I totally agree with Normand. When I feel that a Heavenletter is more intimate, like talking personally to you, I translate it with the singular 'tu'. When God seems to be talking more generally to all humanity, I use the plural 'voi'. And often I use them both in the same Heavenletter. Initially, I started translating all of them with the plural you, but then someone made me notice that they preferred the singular, as more intimate.
*****
.
Never think that you are I. Know that I am you. /HEAVEN #515)
Thanks Paula
Thanks Paula
Before coming to Heavenletters I use to read other kind of translated writings and I also felt that the general use of the plural You makes a letter to lack that "intimate" feeling.
Thanks again
Jaime Rendón
Local Information Librarian
Tu, You, Vous, Du, Jij, Jullie
Dear Jaime,
first: welcome !! So nice that you translate Heavenletters in Spanish now!! I translate in Dutch (since March this year) together with Luus.
Most of the time I use the singular jij: you and Beloveds also singular: Geliefde. But I do it like Normand, sometimes plural, sometimes singular, just following my intuition.
from heart to heart,
namasté, Anneke
Like Anneke I prefer to use
Like Anneke I prefer to use the singular form as much as possible. The plural form in Dutch is "jullie" and the singular is "je" or "jij" and I find the singular easier to handle. I suppose in Spanish it would be "vosotros" (or do you say "vos") and "tu", so you will have the same problem.
You ...
Dear Jaime,
I welcomed you and I told you "enjoy"... Precisely beacause of this type of intimacy with God that translating Heaven Letters offers.
When I started translating them into french, last year, I had the same questions as you have now. Normand gave me the same answer he gave you.
So I "dared" follow my feelings and intuition, and that felt so good, hence I tell you "enjoy."
I remember once, at the beginning, I was on the edge of giving up because it seemed so difficult to deal with all those questions, and then I laughed, thinking that God would never want me to face such turmoil for the sake of translating His Word ! ( He is much too kind for that) And then, guess what ? Everything became so much easier.
I also have to say that Paola prooves my translations and that feels very confortable to have her imput.
What came to my mind lately, in the last translations I made 4414, 4415, 4416 is the following :
- I use plural for "you" most of the time
- When the sentence says things like " I am talking to YOU", then I have a trick that is to add "Chacun, chacune," which means "each of you masculine, each of you feminine"
- Most of the time the text seems to go back and forth from singular to plural. Somehow, it makes feels that it is on purpose ... to make us understand that we are ALL ONE !
So again, enjoy your translating...
Love
Chantal
Enjoy
Dear Chantal, I "enjoy" when you say to "enjoy" when having to choose (between 3 you in french, for instance)! Joy helps you really to make the "right" choice.
You...
Dear Chantal
I do not want to seem very worry about that, just because, as you said, I decided to enjoy the letters. Actually God is talking to me too.
I mean, I am very happy translating, just because thus the meaning of the letters comes complete to me and I feel that HE is talking to me.
I am really happy.
Thanks a lot to all of you
Jaime Rendón
Thanks Anneke
Thanks Anneke
As you and the other translators I sometimes prefer to use the singular. I just read the letter as if were directed to me and see how it sounds.
Thanks a lot
Jaime Rendón
Local Information Librarian
Translating You
Dear Jaime,
First, welcome to the team!
I agree with all that has been said here, but as Normand said I also think there's no straightforward answer. I think you just have to trust your feeling. For the most part I follow what my Portuguese colleague Vera said, as most of the time the TU (singular) in Portuguese will work better (I feel this way the person who is reading the Heavenletter feels the message is more personal), but less often and for the sake of text coherence, I'd use the plural. Follow your heart and focus on how YOU would like God to talk to you in Spanish. :-)
Happy Holidays to all! <3
De acuerdo Norman
I complete agree with you Norman.
Thanks a lot for your reply
Jaime Rendón
Local Information Librarian
How to translate YOU
Dear Jaime
When translating Gods Letters, I feel more comfortable using TU (in Portuguese), because I think it is nicer to read a letter from God addressed directly to oneself. Besides, as we are all ONE, when He speaks to one of us, He is also speaking to all of us, :)
Love
Vera
Jaime and everyone, there is
Jaime and everyone, there is a blog entry today
http://godwriting.org/heaven_heroes_a_story_of_necessity.html
that reveals a true story about the importance of translating. This particular story was going on for years, and we didn't know anything about it. I wonder how many other stories we may not know about.
In this particular story, Jaime, you play a part.
Translating transcends translating. Certainly, we don't always know -- and may never know -- how much even one translation you finished means to those who receive it or how far it reaches.
Ana and Vera, I am so happy
Ana and Vera, I am so happy to hear from you two angels! Thank you!