Group Translation: I'm a lumberjack...

You cannot translate Monty Python. The German synchronization is already totally unwatchable. Chinese???

User3881: My hovercraft is full of eels 我的气垫船装满了鳝鱼 wo3 de qi4 dian4 chuan2 zhuang1 man3 le shan4 yu2

Is that last line "Just like my mama"?

Tvan - nope. :) Thank you, Laodai! Now you just need to record your singing it. *grin* Please?

Actually, Tvan, I have seen alternate lyrics but papa sounds better to me. user3881, believe me, you wouldn't want to hear me sing it except in context: after killing a bottle of baijiu in Ned Kelly's Last Stand in Hong Kong. But back to the matter at hand: Some help here people!!! Take a chance. Between the incredibly smart learners and Chinese speakers who lurk here, it should take no time at all. Don't make me translate the whole thing; I'm not that creative.

Laodai - oh yes I would. *grin* Monty Python in Mandarin... what a hoot! Iffen you're feeling like hearing the kind of stuff I listen to, take a look at my radio station: Can't Take the Sky. http://www.live365.com/stations/julesong The "Galaxy Song" is on the playlist. :)

我把树砍倒，我吃午餐。 I cut down trees, I eat my lunch, 我去厕所。 I go to the lava-try. Does it have to rhyme?

hmmm. UK people, can we use 晚饭 wănfàn for 'tea' in Chinese? Any better ways to express it? (what's the Mandarin equivalen of yum cha?) (I just held a brunch, which ended up being 早午饭 zăowŭfàn though still had to explain the concept to guests.)

Well, taking some liberties with each line here is the rest of that stanza: 周三 喝茶 去 逛街 zhoūsān hēchá qù guàngjiē 吃 烧饼 加 黄油 chī shāobĭng jiā huáng yoú not really sure about the 加 to add butter to the scones though And I am not in a position to criticize anyone's chinese, but I think there are a few too many 一个s in the first part. Woudn't you just say 我是 砍伐者? And I don't even know what suspendies are in English. Garters?

I think it flows rather nicely (and thanks for throwing down the gauntlet).

Sushan, the song needs the syllables (are there too many s's in that?). And rhyming isn't too much to ask, is it?

Hey, Laodai... could you do the Galaxy Song for me? :)

Galaxy Song Tune/Lyrics: Monty Python, sung by Eric Idle Whenever life gets you down, Mrs. Brown, And things seem hard or tough, And people are stupid, obnoxious or daft, And you feel that you've had quite eno-hou-hou-hou-hou-hoooooooough. Just re-member that you're standing on a planet that's evolving and revolving at nine-hundred miles an hour. That's orbiting at nineteen miles a second, so it's reckoned, a Sun that is the source of all our power. The Sun and you and me and all the stars that we can see, are moving at a million miles a day, In an outer-spiral arm at forty-thousand miles an hour, of the Galaxy we call the Milky Way. (Small break) Our galaxy itself contains a hundred-billion stars, it's a hundred thousand lightyears side to side. It bulges in the middle, sixteen-thousand lightyears thick, but out by us it's just three-thousand lightyears wide. We're thirty thousand lightyears from Galactic central point, we go round every two-hundred-million years. And our Galaxy is only one of millions of billion in this amazing and expanding Universe (Large break) The Universe itself keeps on expanding and expanding in all of the directions it can whizz. As fast as it can go, the speed of light you know, twelve-million miles a minute and that's the fastest speed there is. So remember when you're feeling very small and insecure how amazing unlikely is your birth. And pray that there's intelligent life somewhere out in space, 'cos there's buger all down here on Earth!

Laodai: What do you think of this translation? I replaced you 工作 with 干活 because I thought it sounded a little bit funnier. I'll tell you the hardest part about this kind of translation is making sure it Rhymes and that it has the right meter. Enjoy! The Lumberjack Song 伐木工的歌 I'm a lumberjack and I'm OK 我是伐木工, 我很不错 wo3 shi4 fa2mu4gong1, wo3 hen3 bu4cuo4 I sleep all night and I work all day. 我夜里睡, 白天干活 wo3 ye4li3 shui4, bai2tian1 gan4huo2 Chorus: He's a lumberjack and he's OK 他是伐木工, 他很不错 ta1 shi4 fa2mu4gong1, ta1 hen3 bu4cuo4 He sleeps all night and he works all day. 他夜里睡, 白天干活 ta1 ye4li3 shui4, bai2tian1 gan4huo2 I cut down trees, I eat my lunch 我砍掉术, 我吃午饭 wo3 kan3diao4 shu4, wo3 chi1 wu3fan4 I go to the lavatory. 我上那个盥洗室 wo3 shang4 na4 ge4 guan4xi3shi4 On Wednesdays I go shopping 周三出去买东西 zhou1san1 chu1qu4 mai3 dong1xi and have buttered scones for tea 便餐把烤饼吃 bian4can1 ba3 kao3bing3 chi1 Mounties: He cuts down trees, he eats his lunch 他砍掉术, 他吃午饭 ta1 kan3diao4 shu4, ta1 chi1 wu3fan4 He goes to the lavatory. 他上那个盥洗室 ta1 shang4 na4 ge4 guan4xi3shi4 On Wednesdays he goes shopping 周三出去买东西 zhou1san1 chu1qu4 mai3 dong1xi and has buttered scones for tea. 便餐把烤饼吃 bian4can1 ba3 kao3bing3 chi1 Chorus: He's a lumberjack and he's OK 他是伐木工, 他很不错 ta1 shi4 fa2mu4gong1, ta1 hen3 bu4cuo4 He sleeps all night and he works all day. 他夜里睡, 白天干活 ta1 ye4li3 shui4, ta1 bai2tian1 gan4huo2 I cut down trees, I skip and jump 我砍掉树, 我蹦蹦跳 wo3 kan3diao4 shu4, wo3 beng4beng4tiao4 I like to press wild flowers. 我喜欢踩野花 wo3 xi3huan1 cai3 ye3 hua1 I put on women's clothing 我穿上女的衣服 wo3 chuan1shang4 nv3de yi1fu and hang around in bars. 然后我去酒吧 ran2hou4 wo3 qu4 jiu3ba1 Mounties: He cuts down trees, he skips and jumps 他砍掉树, 我蹦蹦跳 ta1 kan3diao4 shu4, ta1 beng4beng4tiao4 He likes to press wild flowers. 他喜欢踩野花 ta1 xi3huan1 cai3 ye3 hua1 He puts on women's clothing 他穿上女的衣服 ta1 chuan1shang4 nv3de yi1fu and hangs around in bars?! 然后他去酒吧?! Chorus: He's a lumberjack and he's OK 他是伐木工, 他很不错 ta1 shi4 fa2mu4gong1, ta1 hen3 bu4cuo4 He sleeps all night and he works all day. 他夜里睡, 白天干活 ta1 ye4li3 shui4, bai2tian1 gan4huo2 I cut down trees, I wear high heels 我砍掉树, 穿高跟儿鞋. wo3 kan3diao4 shu4 , chuan1 gao1gen1 xie2 Suspenders and a bra. 紧身内衣, 胸罩啊 jin3shen1nei4yi1, xiong1zhao4a I wish I'd been a girlie, 盼望我就是姑娘 pan4wang4 wo3 jiu4 shi4 gu1niang just like my dear Mama!! 就像亲爱的老妈!! jiu4 xiang4 qin1ai4de lao3ma1 Mounties: I cut down trees, I wear high heels 我砍掉树, 穿高跟儿鞋. wo3 kan3diao4 shu4 , chuan1 gao1gen1 xie2 Suspenders and a bra?! 紧身内衣, 胸罩啊?! jin3shen1nei4yi1, xiong1zhao4a?! Just the Lumberjack: I wish I'd been a girlie, 盼望我就是姑娘 pan4wang4 wo3 jiu4 shi4 gu1niang just like my dear Mama!! 就像亲爱的老妈!! jiu4 xiang4 qin1ai4de lao3ma1!! Girl: Oh heavens! I thought you were so rugged! 哎哟我的天啊， 我以为你多么粗犷的！ wo3 yi3wei2 ni3 shi4 cuyguang3 de nan2ren2

Laodai: What do you think of this translation? I replaced your 工作 with 干活 because I thought it sounded a little bit funnier. I'll tell you, the hardest part about this kind of translation is making sure it rhymes and has the right meter. Enjoy! The Lumberjack Song 伐木工的歌 I'm a lumberjack and I'm OK 我是伐木工, 我很不错 wo3 shi4 fa2mu4gong1, wo3 hen3 bu4cuo4 I sleep all night and I work all day. 我夜里睡, 白天干活 wo3 ye4li3 shui4, bai2tian1 gan4huo2 Chorus: He's a lumberjack and he's OK 他是伐木工, 他很不错 ta1 shi4 fa2mu4gong1, ta1 hen3 bu4cuo4 He sleeps all night and he works all day. 他夜里睡, 白天干活 ta1 ye4li3 shui4, bai2tian1 gan4huo2 I cut down trees, I eat my lunch 我砍掉树, 我吃午饭 wo3 kan3diao4 shu4, wo3 chi1 wu3fan4 I go to the lavatory. 我上那个盥洗室 wo3 shang4 na4 ge4 guan4xi3shi4 On Wednesdays I go shopping 周三出去买东西 zhou1san1 chu1qu4 mai3 dong1xi and have buttered scones for tea 便餐把烤饼吃 bian4can1 ba3 kao3bing3 chi1 Mounties: He cuts down trees, he eats his lunch 他砍掉树, 他吃午饭 ta1 kan3diao4 shu4, ta1 chi1 wu3fan4 He goes to the lavatory. 他上那个盥洗室 ta1 shang4 na4 ge4 guan4xi3shi4 On Wednesdays he goes shopping 周三出去买东西 zhou1san1 chu1qu4 mai3 dong1xi and has buttered scones for tea. 便餐把烤饼吃 bian4can1 ba3 kao3bing3 chi1 Chorus: He's a lumberjack and he's OK 他是伐木工, 他很不错 ta1 shi4 fa2mu4gong1, ta1 hen3 bu4cuo4 He sleeps all night and he works all day. 他夜里睡, 白天干活 ta1 ye4li3 shui4, ta1 bai2tian1 gan4huo2 I cut down trees, I skip and jump 我砍掉树, 我蹦蹦跳 wo3 kan3diao4 shu4, wo3 beng4beng4tiao4 I like to press wild flowers. 我喜欢踩野花 wo3 xi3huan1 cai3 ye3 hua1 I put on women's clothing 我穿上女的衣服 wo3 chuan1shang4 nv3de yi1fu and hang around in bars. 然后我去酒吧 ran2hou4 wo3 qu4 jiu3ba1 Mounties: He cuts down trees, he skips and jumps 他砍掉树, 我蹦蹦跳 ta1 kan3diao4 shu4, ta1 beng4beng4tiao4 He likes to press wild flowers. 他喜欢踩野花 ta1 xi3huan1 cai3 ye3 hua1 He puts on women's clothing 他穿上女的衣服 ta1 chuan1shang4 nv3de yi1fu and hangs around in bars?! 然后他去酒吧?! Chorus: He's a lumberjack and he's OK 他是伐木工, 他很不错 ta1 shi4 fa2mu4gong1, ta1 hen3 bu4cuo4 He sleeps all night and he works all day. 他夜里睡, 白天干活 ta1 ye4li3 shui4, bai2tian1 gan4huo2 I cut down trees, I wear high heels 我砍掉树, 穿高跟儿鞋. wo3 kan3diao4 shu4 , chuan1 gao1gen1 xie2 Suspenders and a bra. 紧身内衣, 胸罩啊 jin3shen1nei4yi1, xiong1zhao4 a I wish I'd been a girlie, 盼望我就是姑娘 pan4wang4 wo3 jiu4 shi4 gu1niang just like my dear Mama!! 就像亲爱的老妈!! jiu4 xiang4 qin1ai4de lao3ma1 Mounties: I cut down trees, I wear high heels 我砍掉树, 穿高跟儿鞋. wo3 kan3diao4 shu4 , chuan1 gao1gen1 xie2 Suspenders and a bra?! 紧身内衣, 胸罩啊?! jin3shen1nei4yi1, xiong1zhao4 a?! Just the Lumberjack: I wish I'd been a girlie, 盼望我就是姑娘 pan4wang4 wo3 jiu4 shi4 gu1niang just like my dear Mama!! 就像亲爱的老妈!! jiu4 xiang4 qin1ai4de lao3ma1!! Girl: Oh heavens! I thought you were so rugged! 哎哟我的天啊， 我以为你多么粗犷的吔！ wo3 yi3wei2 ni3 duo1me cuyguang3 de ye! (The Lumberjack Song post, version 2.0)

Excellent, Xiaohu. Yeah, the meter (no articles to provide syllables) and rhyme are toughies (not to mention the untranslatable Brit humor), throw in differences like verbs not taking direct objects (think 把）and the dearth of Chinese pronouns & plurals, etc. and one can begin to see the gulf that exists between the two cultures and languages; I doubt many Chinese would find it funny. BTW, I see you've had the double-post problem I've had a few times. What's up with that, anyone know?

My husband requests a translation of "My hovercraft is full of eels." Apparently it's from a MP sketch. :)

Hmm. Yes, perhaps garters in the UK...