Translation! ! Of!Religious

! ! ! !

! TRICKY!TRANSLATIONS:!AN!ARTISTIC!STUDY!! ! INCORPERATING!THE!TRANSLATION! ! OF!RELIGIOUS!MUSIC! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! by! ! Jacob!W.!Jones! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Submitted!in!partial!fulfillment!of!the! Requirements!for!Departmental!Honors!in! The!Department!of!Spanish!and!Hispanic!Studies! Texas!Christian!University! Fort!Worth,!Texas! ! ! ! May!3,!2013! ! ! ii!

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! TRICKY!TRANSLATIONS:!AN!ARTISTIC!STUDY!! ! INCORPERATING!THE!TRANSLATION! ! OF!RELIGIOUS!MUSIC! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Project!Approved:! ! ! David!Bedford,!Ph.D.! Department!of!Spanish!and!Hispanic!Studies! (Supervising!Professor)! ! Janet!Spittler,!Ph.D.! Department!of!Religion! ! Donald!Frischmann,!Ph.D.! Department!of!Spanish!and!Hispanic!Studies! ! ! ! ! ! iii!

TABLE!OF!CONTENTS! ! INTRODUCTION ...... 1! Inspiration!for!the!study...... 2! ! MEANING!VS.!LITERAL ...... 3! ! MUSICAL!REGULATIONS...... 4! Numbering!Syllables...... 4! Natural!Stress!of!Words!in!Music...... 6! ! CONTINUITY!OF!ORTHODOX!THEOLOGY ...... 6! ! A!CUMULATIVE!EXAMPLE!IN!TRANSLATION...... 8! ! GUIDE!TO!THE!SHEET!MUSIC...... 9! ! REFERENCES...... 11! ! ALBUM!IN!LEAD!SHEAT!FORMAT ...... 12! ! ABSTRACT ...... 31! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! iv!

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS! ! ! Special!thanks!goes!out!to!Dr.!Pitcock!for!supporting!me!in!this!abnormal!thesis.!!

I!have!been!blessed!to!work!in!a!field!that!I!greatly!enjoy.!Me!gustaría!dar!las!gracias!a!

Samuel!Bautista,!Los!Neomatos,!y!a!todos!mis!amigos!de!Casa!Monte!Plata,!a!quienes! esta!obra!está!dedicada.!Un!grand!merci!à!ma!professeur!de!français,!Mme!Caldwell,!for! jumpstarting!my!translation!of!some!of!these!songs!into!French.!!Thank!you!friends!and! family!for!supporting!my!endeavors!and!being!patient!with!me!when!I!needed!to!stay!in! and!work.!!!

! Above!all,!the!greatest!thanks!I!can!give!goes!to!Dr.!David!Bedford.!!Without!his! overwhelming!expertise!in!Language,!music,!and!theology!I!would!not!have!been!able!to! do!any!of!this!work.!!!Dr.!Bedford!your!skills!perfectly!matched!the!fields!of!study!I! needed!to!delve!into!to!complete!this!work.!!I!cannot!imagine!working!under!any!other! professor.!!You!have!been!an!invaluable!resource!in!this!project!and!a!dependable! mentor!throughout!my!college!career.!!Muchísimas!gracias.!!

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 1"

INTRODUCTION"

We"live"in"a"world"of"thousands"of"languages"that"is"now"well"connected"by" technology.""The"need"for"good"translation"is"needed"now"more"than"ever"as"businesses" continue"to"spread"their"boundaries"internationally.""Services"such"as"Google"translate" simply"cannot"provide"good"translations"that"carry"the"meaning"of"a"phrase"from"one" language"to"another.""Indeed,"there"is"an"art"to"translation,"of"which"I"have"become"a" student"over"the"past"few"years.""It"can"be"the"most"frustrating"task,"but"the"reward"is" great"when"a"one"creates"an"almost"perfect"translation.""While"a"major"goal"of"this"work" is"to"discuss"the"art"of"translation,"I"decided"display"it"by"producing"something"new"with" my"time"allotted"for"research.""Over"the"past"two"years,"I"have"effectively"created"and"

“album”"of"songs"that"I"translated"into"Spanish"from"their"original"English."These"songs" are"all"Christian"hymns"and"worship"songs."""Most"of"them"had"never"before"been" translated"into"Spanish.""Some"of"the"songs"have"been"translated"before"but"needed"to" be"improved."""

Translation"is"extremely"difficult"on"its"own"regard,"but"adding"the"elements"of" song"drastically"increases"its"difficulty.""I"will"explain"in"detail"why"this"is"the"case"later" in"this"work.""Additionally,"there"is"yet"another"layer"of"difficulty"added"since"the"songs" in"their"English"include"Christian"theology—something"that"was"essential"for"me"to" include.""Before"presenting"the"album"in"lead"sheet"form,"I"will"relate"my"inspiration"for" this"project,"explain"the"intricacies"of"translating"religious"music,"and"provide"a"walkO through"example"of"what"it"looks"like"to"translate"song."""

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Inspiration*for*the*Study"

My"inspiration"for"the"project"came"in"an"interesting"way."Two"summers"ago"I" was"living"in"the"Dominican"Republic"helping"out"at"an"orphanage"and"school"with" another"TCU"Honors"College"student.""Over"time,"I"developed"a"great"relationship"with" an"18OyearOold"Dominican"named"Samuel.""Samuel"and"I"have"a"lot"in"common,"we"love"

God,"sports"and"music.""Also,"we"both"happen"to"lead"worship"in"various"capacities"in" our"respective"towns.""Since"American"culture"permeates"the"Dominican"Republic,"

Samuel"had"heard"of"quite"a"few"popular"(albeit"outdated)"American"worship"songs.""

These"are"all"songs"that"would"be"played"in"churches,"youth"groups"and"on"Christian" radio.""Although"he"played"these"songs"on"his"phone"and"listened"to"them"from"time"to" time,"Dominican"Churches"generally"worship"with"Spanish"worship"songs"that"have"no"

English"equivalent.""One"day"Samuel"was"playing"an"American"song"for"me,"telling"me" that"he"liked"it"a"lot.""He"proceeded"to"mumble"the"syllables"phonetically,"although"he" had"no"idea"what"he"was"singing,"as"Samuel"does"not"know"any"English.""He"told"me" something"I"will"never"forget.""He"said,"“Jake,"I"like"this"song,"and"I"know"it’s"about"God," but"I"wish"I"knew"what"it"meant.""Can"you"tell"me"what"it"means?”""I"proceeded"to"tell" him"what"the"song"meant.""It"was"a"powerful"song"about"Jesus’"resurrection.""I"did"not," however,"make"a"Spanish"version"on"the"song,"but"simple"translated"each"phrase.""

Needless"to"say,"my"friend"was"excited"to"learn"the"meaning"behind"a"song"that"he"had" listened"to"a"lot"but"never"understood."""

" Some"worship"songs"have"had"a"positive"impact"on"my"life"and"my"faith.""Out"of"a" desire"for"Samuel,"and"other"Dominicans,"to"perhaps"share"in"this"enlightenment,"I" decided"to"translate"another"song"while"I"was"still"in"the"Dominican"Republic.""However," 3" this"time,"I"wanted"it"to"be"“singable”.""Instead"of"simply"using"Spanish"words"to"relate" the"meaning"of"the"song,"I"slowly"found"words"to"fit"the"notes"of"the"English"song.""I" made"sure"the"stress"of"their"syllables"fell"correctly"with"the"rhythm"and"pitch"of"the" music.""Above"all,"I"did"my"best"to"do"all"this"while"maintaining"a"good"translation"of"the"

English.""The"final"product"was"fairly"average,"but"good"enough"for"my"purposes.""

Samuel"was"elated"to"play"his"guitar"and"sing"this"song,"as"he"already"knew"the"melody" from"the"English"version.""He"helped"me"improve"it,"and"at"the"end"of"the"week,"we"got" to"experience"something"amazing.""We"put"together"a"biOlingual"time"of"worship"where"

American"and"Dominican"students"sang"the"same"praises"to"God"in"their"native" languages.""It"was"like"a"glimpse"of"what"the"coming"Kingdom"of"God"will"look"like."""

" After"I"came"back"to"the"United"States"Samuel"asked"me"to"translate"more"songs" for"his"worship"band"called"Neomatos.""The"name"is"a"play"on"the"Greek"words"for"“new" soul”.""He"sent"me"a"few"English"songs"that"he"liked"and"of"which"he"could"not"find"a"

Spanish"version.""As"I"learned"more"about"translation"from"my"Spanish,"Greek,"and"

French"classes,"I"decided"to"fully"commit"to"this"work"and"dedicate"my"Honors"thesis" study"to"it."""

MEANING"VS."LITERAL"

When"one"desires"to"translate"anything,"there"is"always"the"necessity"of"carrying" the"same"meaning"while"keeping"the"words"a"literal"as"possible.""Remaining"literal" maintains"authenticity"of"the"original"work,"and"carrying"meaning"is"vital"to"translation" by"definition.""I"will"use"the"rhetoric"of"meaning"and"literal"often,"so"I"will"define"them.""A" phrase’s"meaning"can"be"generally"equated"to"its"translation.""Per"definition,"it"is"what" the"phrase"means"in"the"other"language.""When"I"use"literal"I"am"referring"to"a"wordObyO 4" word"translation"of"the"phrase.""While"these"sound"similar,"they"are"very"different.""

Often"these"two"align.""Take"for"example"the"English"phrase"from"the"song"Here,for,You,"

“You"alone"are"holy,"only"you"are"worthy.”""I"translated"it"as,"“Solo"tú"eres"santo,"solo"tú" eres"digno.”""The"two"phrases"mean"the"exact"same"thing"and"they"use"the"exact"same" words"in"each"respective"language."""However,"languages"do"not"always"match"up"like" this.""For"example,"the"Spanish"phrase"“pan"comido”"means,"in"English,"“a"piece"of"cake”" or"“easy"as"pie”.""This"idiom"read"literally"is"“bread"eaten.”""Clearly"there"are"times" where"one"has"to"stray"from"the"literal"words"of"the"original"text"to"create"a"phrase"that" is"congruent"with"the"song’s"meaning"in"its"context."Anyone"who"knows"a"little"about" translating"the"Bible,"for"example,"knows"that"one"must"take"the"context"of"the"entire" letter"or"gospel"into"account"in"order"to"translate"one"sentence"in"a"way"that"bears"the" meaning"of"the"author’s"intent.""Often"I"had"to"ask"myself"what"the"author"of"the"English" song"was"trying"to"convey"and"think"of"how"one"would"portray"those"ideas"in"Spanish.""

This"first"key"to"translating"religious"music"applies"to"all"translation.""The"limitations"of" music"proved"to"be"even"more"particular"and"difficult."""

MUSICAL"REGULATIONS"

While"I"was"creating"that"first"musical"translation"in"the"Dominican"Republic,"I" quickly"found"out"how"much"more"difficult"it"was"to"translate"music.""Prose"and"Speech" have"no"rules"with"regards"to"accentuations"or"rhythm,"but"translating"music"is"a" tedious"task."""

Numbering*Syllables*

The"reason"why"I"so"quickly"recognized"this"difficulty"is"because"almost"every"

Spanish"word"has"more"syllables"than"its"English"equivalent.""This"is"not"an"issue"when" 5" translating"a"normal"sentence,"but"in"a"song"only"one"syllable"is"allotted"for"each"note"in" most"cases.*"In"my"work,"the"most"headacheOinducing"example"of"this"is"the"English" word"hope,,a"word"that"is"important"to"Christian"theology,"thus"appearing"in"many"of" the"songs"I"translated.""This"monosyllable"word"has"only"one"equivalent"in"Spanish— esperanza.,,I"often"had"a"difficult"time"fitting"all"four"of"these"syllables"into"the"sole" vacant"note"left"by"the"word"hope.""""

Here"is"an"example"of"syllable"issues"from"a"song."The"song"Forever,Reign"was" previously"translated"into"Spanish"by"Hillsong"Church"Australia,"but"I"made"substantial" improvements.""The"following"example"is"actually"from"the"Hillsong"translation,"and"it" was"so"good"that"I"kept"it"in"mine.""The"reason"I"am"using"it"as"an"example"is"because"it" perfectly"embodies"the"balance"between"carrying"meaning"and"following"rhythm.""The" second"verse"includes"the"13Osyllable"phrase,"“You"are"joy,"you"are"joy;"You’re"the" reason"that"I"sing.”""A"literal"translation"would"not"work,"since"it"could"require"almost"

20"syllables,"“Eres"gozo,"eres"gozo,"Eres"la"razón"por"la"que"canto.”"In"this"specific"case," the"translator"had"to"sacrifice"a"more"literal"translation"because"the"Spanish"words" were"much"too"long"to"be"viable.""However,"he"or"she"still"needed"to"carry"the"same" meaning"into"the"Spanish"translation.""The"final"lyric"is,"“La"razón,"la"razón"de"mi"gozo" está"en"Jesús.”"This"phrase"matches"the"number"of"syllables"in"the"original"phrase"with" vowel"connections"between"gozo"and,está"and"está,and"en.""Also,"the"meaning"is"very" similar.""The"translation"literally"says,"“The"reason,"the"reason"for"my"joy"is"in"Christ.”""I" believe"the"key"words"of"I,sing,to"be"less"important"than"Jesus,,joy,,and"reason,,especially" given"the"fact"that"singing"is"implied"since"these"words"are"sung.""" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" *"Spanish"vowel"sounds"at"the"end"of"a"word"are"often"connected"with"the"vowel"sound" at"the"start"of"the"following"word" 6"

Natural*Stress*of*Words*in*Music*

Fitting"words"within"music"requires"more"than"simply"counting"syllables"and" writing"in"words"that"fit.""Music"naturally"places"stress"on"certain"syllables"based"on"the" note’s"pitch"and"length"with"respect"to"the"notes"directly"before"and"after"it.""This" concept"is"very"difficult"to"explain"without"an"audible"aid.""However"I"will"use"an" example"from"my"work"to"attempt"an"explanation.""In"Holy,(Bema,Song),the"lyric,"“King" of"all"the"nations”"has"a"deliberate"stress"on"the"penultimate"syllable"of"the"phrase,,Na," due"to"a"great"drop"in"pitch"to"the"note"represented"by"the"syllable"tions."Since"the"

English"word"nations"has"inherent"stress"on"its"first"syllable,"the"word"fits"the"musical" phrase"perfectly.""In"my"first"attempt"to"tackle"this"phrase,"I"made"a"great"error"that" happens"to"explain"this"difficulty"quite"well.""I"tried,"“Rey"de"cada"nación.”"(lit:"King"of" every"nation)."""Since"the"notes"of"the"phrase"are"the"same,"there"is"still"a"natural"accent" on"the"penultimate"syllable"of"the"phrase.""However,"the"Spanish"word"nación,has" inherent"stress"on"this"ultimate"syllable,"rendering"a"mispronunciation"of"the"word"if" sung"in"the"required"musical"phrase.""This"is"an"issue"that"exists"in"every"musical"phrase"

I"translated,"requiring"of"me"my"very"best"use"of"vocabulary"and"Spanish"syntax.""You" begin"to"see"how"difficult"it"can"be"to"find"words"that"have"the"correct"number"of" syllables,"match"up"perfectly"with"the"natural"stress"of"the"musical"phrase,"and"carry"the" same"meaning"of"the"original"song"all"while"trying"to"create"a"translation"that"is"as" literal"as"possible."""

CONTINUITY"OF"ORTHODOX"THEOLOGY"

The"final"key"to"translating"these"songs"is"the"layer"of"theology"brought"on"by" their"Christian"nature.""The"original"English"lyrics"were"written"very"carefully"as"to" 7" reflect"orthodox"Christian"ideas"found"in"the"Bible.""I"was"obligated"to"create"Spanish" lyrics"that"are"congruent"with"Christian"theology.""Since"I"did"my"best"to"relate"the"same" meaning"as"the"original"songs,"most"of"my"work"naturally"filled"this"component."""

However,"there"is"another"component"to"this"layer.""The"English"songs"often"either" directly"quote"scripture,"or"contain"phrases"that"are"clearly"recognizable"from"English" translations"of"the"Bible.""For"example,"the"song"Holy,(Bema,Song),is"taken"almost" exclusively"from"Revelation"chapter"7.""EnglishOspeaking"Christians"would"easily" recognize"that"the"song"is"taken"straight"from"scripture.""I"wanted"my"songs"to"have"the" same"impact"on"Spanish"speakers.""To"do"this,"I"paid"special"attention"to"these"scripture" inspired"phrases."""I"did"my"best"to"avoid"translating"them"from"English"into"Spanish,"as" that"would"ultimately"be"a"translation"from"the"Greek"or"Hebrew"of"the"Bible"to"English," and"then"into"Spanish.""Instead,"I"went"straight"to"Spanish"translations"of"the"Bible"and" did"my"best"to"include"those"words.""My"translation"of"Holy,(Bema,Song),includes"four"of" the"words"included"in"the"list"of"adjectives"from"Revelation"7."“La"alabanza,"la"gloria,"la" sabiduría,"la"acción"de"gracias,"la"honra,"el"poder"y"la"fortaleza"son"de"nuestro"Dios”"

(Apocalipsis"7:12;"NVI)."""The"great"number"of"syllables"prevented"me"from"including" every"word,"but"hopefully"the"words"I"was"able"to"include"with"have"the"same"affect"at" the"English"original."""Furthermore,"I"had"to"keep"in"mind"that"the"Christianity"in"the"

SpanishOspeaking"world"can"have"slight"differences"to"that"of"the"United"States.""For" example,"at"times"I"decided"to"use"Jehová,"which"is"a"popular"name"for"God"in"Spanish," although"its"English"equivalent"is"rarely"used.""

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A"CUMULATIVE"EXAMPLE"IN"TRANSLATION"

Finally,"I"will"walk"through"an"example"from"my"work"that"includes"all"of"these" keys"to"translation.""When"trying"to"translate"the"song"Here,for,You,"I"ran"into"some" difficulty"with"the"bridge"and"its"repeated"phrase"of"six"syllables,"“We"welcome"you"with" praise.”""Once"again,"I"could"not"use"a"literal"translation,"since"it"could"require"up"to" thirteen"syllables,"“Te"damos"la"bienvenida"con"alabanza.”""I"had"to"sacrifice"a"more" literal"translation"due"to"the"length"of"the"Spanish"phrase"for"welcome."I"ended"up"with" the"phrase"“Te"damos"gran"loor”"(We"give"you"great"praise)"which"fits"the"musical" requirements"of"rhythm.""However,"this"kept"the"meaning"of"the"song"in"a"different"way."""

The"overarching"theological"theme"of"the"song"is"quite"unique.""Usually"there"is" rhetoric"of"the"worshiper"coming"to"God.""However,"this"song"portrays"a"language"of"the" corporate"worshipers"welcoming"God"into"his"own"house.""It"sounds"redundant,"as"God" does"not"need"this"welcoming,"but"it"gets"at"the"attitude"of"the"hearts"of"the"worshipers."""

I"deemed"it"absolutely"necessary"to"keep"this"theme"in"the"song"somehow,"but"I"could" find"the"right"Spanish"words"to"fit"this"puzzle"in"the"bridge.""However,"the"first"line"of" the"song"initiates"this"very"theme,"and"it"is"and"inversion"of"the"bridge:""“Let"our"praise," be"your"welcome”.""Compare"this"to"the"bridge’s"“we"welcome"you"with"praise”.""To" keep"a"sense"of"this"poetic"inversion,"I"used"the"same"word"for"“praise”"in"both"places:"

Loor.""However,"for"the"opening"phrase"I"wanted"to"introduce"the"idea"of"welcoming.""

Since"the"direct"translation"for"“welcome”"(dar"bienvenida)"is"too"long"for"use,"I"played" around"with"other"ways"to"keep"the"meaning"with"less"syllables.""I"ended"up"with"“Con" loor,"Te"recibimos”"which"literally"means,"“we"receive"you”"(“or"we"will"receive"you”)"

(or"even"still,""“we"are"receiving"you”)"with"praise.""All"three"of"these"uses"for"the"simple" 9" present"tense"carry"the"meaning"of"the"original"English:"“Let"our"praise"be"your" welcome”"has"undertones"of"something"that"is"about"to"happen"yet"it"currently" happening"at"the"same"time.""Since"I"chose"to"start"the"song"with"these"words,"the"bridge" still"carries"the"theme"of"the"song.""Welcoming"God"with"praise"is"the"reason"that"“we”" are"here.""This"displays"another"way"to"carry"meaning"using"the"context"of"the"whole" song.""I"was"able"to"carry"meaning"through"context,"use"the"right"number"of"syllables," and"maintain"the"integrity"of"each"syllable’s"natural"stress.""If"all"of"these"components" were"satisfied,"I"would"try"to"include"rhyme"or"assonance.""I"was"able"to"include"a"good" amount"of"assonance,"which"is"used"very"often"in"place"of"rhyme"in"Spanish"""""""""""""" poetry"and"song."

GUIDE"TO"THE"SHEET"MUSIC"

As"I"mentioned"above,"2"of"the"songs"I"translated"were"previously"translated"into"

Spanish.""Both"of"these"came"from"the"Church"Hillsong,"which"translates"almost"all"of" their"worship"songs"into"Spanish.""However,"I"felt"like"they"needed"to"be"improved.""The" amount"of"content"that"I"kept"in"my"translations"of"these"songs"varied.""Often,"there"is" only"one"good"translation"for"a"phrase,"which"lead"to"some"commonalities"between" these"previous"translations"and"my"own.""However,"since"all"of"the"songs"were"written" and"popularized"in"the"past"5"years,"there"are"not"yet"many"good"translations"of"them."

" The"following"sheet"music"represents"the"songs"in"their"English"form,"crediting" their"composers"and"lyricists.""My"Spanish"translations"appear"below"the"English"text," corresponding"to"their"respective"notes"and"not"equivalent"words.""In"the"case"of"a" shared"syllable,"I"used"a"“/”"between"the"two"diphthongs.""Where"an"extra"note"was" added"for"a"Spanish"syllable,"I"used"grace"notes"that"are"exclusively"eighth"notes"that" 10" generally"take"their"beats"from"the"proceeding"note"or"rest.""Grace"notes"should"be" ignored"in"the"English"""versions"of"the"songs."""

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REFERENCES"

Dyer,"Scott,"Holy,(Bema,Song)."Scott"Dyer,"lyricist""

Houston,"Joel,"With,Everything,"Joel"Houston,"lyricist"

Ingram,"Jason"and"Kristian"Stanfill,"Always."Jason"Ingram"and"Kristian"Stanfill,"lyricists"

Morgan,"Reuben,"Forever,Reign."Reuben"Morgan"and"Jason"Ingram,,lyricists"

Reaves,"Jesse,"Lord,,I,Need,You."Jesse"Reaves,"lyricist"

Tomlin,"Chris,"Our,God.,Chris"Tomlin,"lyricist"

Wanstall,"Timothy,"Matt"Redman,"Matt"Maher"and"Jesse"Reeves,"Here,for,You."Wanstall,""

Timothy,"Matt"Redman,"Matt"Maher"and"Jesse"Reeves,"lyricists"

Wickham,"Phil,"Beautiful."Phil"Wickham,"lyricist"

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Nues - se -"

va a -

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don - a -

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"mi

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ABSTRACT"

" This"project"represents"my"work"in"translation"from"the"past"two"years.""After" spending"a"summer"in"the"Dominican"Republic,"I"decided"to"create"a"written"album"of"

Spanish"versions"of"English"Christian"worship"hymns.""Aside"from"the"usual"difficulties" of"translation,"I"was"obligated"to"adhere"to"the"rules"and"limitations"of"musical"lyrics" and"reflect"the"same"theological"truths"in"my"songs"that"exist"in"the"originals.""