[Request for Help on a Translation] Sodagreen "Incomparable Beauty" <req fulfilled>

[hobielover]

If you are wondering about the strange title, it's because I have a translation, but it could definitely use some tweaking. I started translating the song because it looked short, but I misjudged how difficult it would be to translate. :wacko: Here are the lyrics in Traditional, Simplified, Pinyin, and English:
無與倫比的美麗 - 蘇打綠
无与伦比的美丽 - 苏打绿
Wu Yu Lun Bi De Mei Li – Su Da Lü
Unmatched Beauty - Sodagreen
天上風箏在天上飛 地上人兒在地上追
天上风筝在天上飞 地上人儿在地上追
Tian shang feng zheng tian shang fei Di shang ren er zai di shang zhui
A kite flies in the sky. People on the earth can only chase it on the ground.
我若擔心我不能飛 我有你的草原
我若担心我不能飞 我有你的草原
Wo ruo dan xin wo bu neng fei Wo you ni de cao yuan
I’m burdened by the fact that I cannot fly. I have your prairie.
嘿 嘿 你形容我是這個世界上無與倫比的美麗
嘿 嘿 你形容我是这个世界上无与伦比的美丽
Hei Hei Ni xing rong wo shi zhe ge shi jie shang wu yu lun bi de mei li
Hey Hey To me on the earth you appear to have unmatched beauty.
嘿 嘿 我知道你才是這世界上無與倫比的美麗
嘿 嘿 我知道你才是这世界上无与伦比的美丽
Hei Hei Wo zhi dao ni cai shi zhe shi jie shang wu yu lun bi de mei li
Hey Hey I know from the earth you are uncomparably beautiful.
天上風箏在天上飛 地上人兒在地上追
天上风筝在天上飞 地上人儿在地上追
Tian shang feng zheng zai tian shang fei Di shang ren er zai di shang zhui
A kite flies in the sky. People on the earth can only chase it on the ground.
你若擔心你不能飛 你有我的蝴蝶
你若担心你不能飞 你有我的蝴蝶
Ni ruo dan xin ni bu neng fei Ni you wo de hu die
You are burdened by the fact that you cannot fly. You have my prairie.
嘿 嘿 你知道當你需要個夏天我會拼了命努力
嘿 嘿 你知道当你需要个夏天我会拼了命努力
Hei Hei Ni zhi dao dang ni xu yao ge xia tian wo hui pin le ming nu li
Hey Hey You know you need a summer sky and I can put forth the effort.
嘿 嘿 我知道你會做我的掩護 當我是個逃兵
嘿 嘿 我知道你会做我的掩护 当我是个逃兵
Hei Hei Wo zhi dao ni hui zuo wo de yan hu Dang wo shi ge tao bing
Hey Hey I know you can cover for me. I can never match you.
Please make any necessary corrections to this translation. Thanks!

[laruku]

I'll take a look at it and get back to you when I'm free. =)
noted some errors already though.. hmmm

okay here goes.. my changes in blue.. :
(Incomparable beauty is the official translatin.. =)

無與倫比的美麗 - 蘇打綠
Wu Yu Lun Bi De Mei Li – Su Da Lü
Incomparable Beauty - Sodagreen

天上風箏在天上飛 地上人兒在地上追
Tian shang feng zheng tian shang fei Di shang ren er zai di shang zhui
The kite flies in the sky, yet we can only chase it on the ground.

我若擔心我不能飛 我有你的草原
Wo ruo dan xin wo bu neng fei Wo you ni de cao yuan
If I’m worried that I cannot fly, I have your prairie.

嘿 嘿 你形容我是這個世界上無與倫比的美麗
Hei Hei Ni xing rong wo shi zhe ge shi jie shang wu yu lun bi de mei li
Hey Hey You describe me as an incomparable beauty in this world

嘿 嘿 我知道你才是這世界上無與倫比的美麗
Hei Hei Wo zhi dao ni cai shi zhe shi jie shang wu yu lun bi de mei li
Hey Hey But to me you are the one whose beauty is unmatched


天上風箏在天上飛 地上人兒在地上追
Tian shang feng zheng zai tian shang fei Di shang ren er zai di shang zhui
The kite flies in the sky, yet we can only chase it on the ground.

你若擔心你不能飛 你有我的蝴蝶
Ni ruo dan xin ni bu neng fei Ni you wo de hu die
If you're worried that you cannot fly, you have my butterfly

嘿 嘿 你知道當你需要個夏天我會拼了命努力
Hei Hei Ni zhi dao dang ni xu yao ge xia tian wo hui pin le ming nu li
Hey Hey You know that if you need a summer sky, I will die trying

嘿 嘿 我知道你會做我的掩護 當我是個逃兵
Hei Hei Wo zhi dao ni hui zuo wo de yan hu Dang wo shi ge tao bing
Hey Hey I know you will cover for me, when I become a quitter

Okay that's roughly about it.. ;p

[hobielover]

Wow! Thanks. I found the MV for the song on Stage 6, but my usual source of Sodagreen translations doesn't have the lyrics for this album up yet. It sounds very poetic.

[laruku]

Oh shoots.. I made a mistake.. It's INCOMPARABLE BEAUTY instead..

sorry must have been thinking of Jay.. ><

just curious. where do u usually get ur sodagreen translations?

[hobielover]

I usually go to One Day in May at this link:

http://www.onedayinmay.net/

There are lots of translations for Mayday there, too, of course. There's also some Chang Chen-Yue, some LeeHom, and others. I think I found it while searching for the lyrics to LeeHom's "Zai Mei Bian."

[judes]

doesn't 你有我的蝴蝶 mean "you have my butterfly"? or am i crazy? i don't think it refers to wings directly.

[laruku]

doesn't 你有我的蝴蝶 mean "you have my butterfly"? or am i crazy? i don't think it refers to wings directly.

Not directly. No. But it's a metaphor in reference to the phrase before it, as well as a 'reply' to similar line above...

我若擔心我不能飛 我有你的(草原)

你若擔心你不能飛 你有我的(蝴蝶)


The 2 in brackets are 相對應 <-- don't know how to say this in English... T_T

I could say "butterfly" and then explain.. But it makes no sense in itself, and it doesn't fit with the previous line, which used "prairie"..

In this context...

(草原) describes big hearted, magnanimous... etc
(蝴蝶) describes ability to fly & soar...

So yeah...

[judes]

well then it doesn't make sense to have "prairie" then beforehand without the "butterfly" afterwards for the comparison. prairie, and then wings?

as a mandarin speaker, i can read that and realize it using only the images. and if you translate it into english, the images should directly go to the metaphor, as well as move onto personal interpretation:

- prairie: the ground that he stands on to chase after
- butterfly: the kite that is being flown, not necessarily with wings

but that's just my thoughts.

[laruku]

True true..

i guess i was too lazy to put interpretation.. XDDDDDD

*changed*