The Art of Translation: Transforming Words into Music

Language dissects, but music connects. Doesn’t that make sense?

What if I told you, that music came before language? A little tough to believe but wait, did you know that notes were thought to be in existence long before language?

The very first evidence of notations was found in Slovenia and France in the form of 53,000-year-old flutes crafted by Neanderthals out of animal bones.

 In the field of human development, it has been found that babies can’t speak without first learning speech through communication, yet they seem to have inborn musical preferences, and they respond to music while they are still in their mother’s womb.

The appearance of a musical sense before speech in humans by the use of melody is not new to us.

According to Prof. Kay Shelemay, from Harvard “All humans have come into this world with an inherited capability for music’’.  The inborn ability to understand music explains why no culture on earth is absent of music. 

Translation in Music

In the limitless topography of music, language serves as a striking means for expression, storytelling and connection.

As artists and spectators exceed linguistic boundaries, the role of translation in music can’t be ignored.

Advantages of translation in the musical field:

1)      Promotes exchange of culture

Through translations in notations, audiences get to experience the richness and diversity of different cultures and acceptance towards diverse cultures. That's the significance of translation in promoting cultural exchange.

2)      Cultivates accessibility

Translating such pieces helps it become accessible globally. By enabling the translations of lyrics artists can reach a wider audience globally and people can enjoy music irrespective of the physical boundaries.

For example, the English song ‘Yesterday’ by the Beatles has been converted into many speeches including Spanish, French, and German.

3)      Fosters Collaboration

Be it collaborating on songwriting, recording, or performing together, translations in tunes and chords allow cultural exchange and offer variety to audiences.

For example, the Rangabatti song, which is one of the folk songs of Orissa was re-recorded by Sona Mohapatra and the twist is that it has a rap section in Tamil. Such collaborations are very popular these days as they are new and tend to get along.

4)      Audio Translation Services

Audio translation services specialize in translating dialogues, lyrics, and voiceovers in acoustic audios as well as other audio-visual content. They ensure translation accuracy and provide localization of the audio content for global listeners with the help of Professional Translation Services and linguists experts in music terminologies.

5)      Dubbing Services

Dubbing refers to replacing the original vocals or dialogues in any audio-visual content like a song with a translated version of it in the desired language. Dubbing services use singers and voice actors to enact the translated lyrics, by synchronizing their performances with the exact timing of the original song or video.

For example, the Jeevanathi song from Baahubali was originally sung in Telugu, but its Tamil dubbing received better responses and was loved more by the audiences.

Along the same lines, the Baahubali movie series is considered one of the most expensive film series in India. It was produced in Tamil and Telugu simultaneously in 2015 but today it's available in roughly 10 languages including subtitles in Chinese, Japanese, Taiwanese, German, and many more.

6)      Trans-creation in music

Trans-creation is made of two words translation and creation, it is also called creative translation as it refers to copy writing content in a text that needs to be made relevant.

Trans-creation in Music involves adapting songs from the source language to the target language while preserving the original meaning and intention of the song.

For example, the Spanish song named, ‘Despacito’ became very popular and maintained this popularity by being translated into multiple languages including, English, Arabic, and Mandarin.

Disadvantages of Translation in the Musical Field:

1)      Loss of refinement
Translating lyrics and dialogue from source to target language can some time result in the loss of the cultural references and aphorisms present in the original song.
 
2) Obstacles to Transformation

One of the biggest challenges in the conversion of songs into other languages is preserving the original meaning and emotion while adapting lyrics to fit different linguistic and cultural contexts. For example, the song Gangnam Style refers to the Gangnam district in South Korea. It criticizes the materialistic culture humorously associated with Gangnam. Translations of this song have been hit because of the timing and rhythm of the song but the cultural references of Korea have slipped.

Conclusion 

Even though musical translations pose critical challenges, it celebrate the diversity and heritage of musical traditions globally which are brought together by melody, rhythm, and emotions. After all, one heart beats in every human, and the same moves to the music irrespective of its origin.