#TRANSLATION

[hkcomplex]

There is a fairly significant bit of wordplay in Frieren that will escape the notice of most English-speaking viewers, but I quite like it so I’ll explain it here. The title of the series in Japanese is 葬送のフリーレン (Sousou no Furiiren). “Furiiren” is of course Frieren; “sousou” means “funeral rites” or “attending a funeral”, but can literally be translated as “sending to the grave”. Since the story opens with Frieren watching her old adventuring pals growing old and passing away, we’re naturally led to the simple interpretation of the title: she’s attending her friends’ funerals.

(The full official English title is Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, because literal translations rarely make catchy titles.)

Later, as Frieren is fighting Aura, Lügner explains that Frieren is the most prolific demon-killer in history. In the English translations I’ve seen, this earns her the nickname “Frieren the Slayer”. But in the original Japanese, this nickname is 葬送のフリーレン: “Sousou no Furiiren”, the title of the series.

In this context, this line (and the title, too) could be more literally interpreted as “Frieren, who sends you to your grave”. It also means the line is a little more impactful in Japanese — you’re supposed to point at the screen and yell “hey that’s the name of the show!!”

There’s really just no way to preserve wordplay like this through translation so I can’t fault the translators at all for not trying, but it’s a fun thing that’s worth pointing out nonetheless. I just love that this was clearly something the author was setting up from the very beginning.

[oldenglishtextposts]

æfre gemyne mec swa þæt ic þe lufie

my favorite block on the aids quilt

[palamedespoetry]

[mostlydeadlanguages]

"Women Who Gained Wisdom in Their Work" (KAR 321, obv. 2–11/IM.132512 iii.6–21)

Image: IM.132512, col. iii

This hymnic Akkadian text from the late second millennium BCE is found in two primary places: KAR 321, a school tablet that has excerpts from multiple famous compositions, and IM.132512, a lengthy poem praising the god Marduk and his city Babylon. The first half of it appears to alternate between couplets about the good deeds of men and women, although the genders of the various "theys" can be inconsistent. The second half seems to focus on the women dedicated to religious roles who served the gods in Babylon.

The men free the prisoner;        they release the captive at great cost. The women set out rations of (silver? beer?);        how very reverently do they bless […]. They follow the divine law, protecting what is right:        the primal boundary, the ancient blueprint. The hostesses of righteous Ningirsu, of sweet Alala:        they do not act disrespectfully with them; they honor and exalt each other. They act appropriately as pleasing advisors:        brightening moods, loving joy. Women who gained wisdom in their work:        the ugbabtu priestesses, who stay true to their (divine) spouse; the naditu priestesses, who skillfully revive the womb;        the qadištu priestesses, who put verdigris into purifying water.* They protect taboos and enforce prohibitions;        they bless the kneeler and acquire prayer. They are careful, conscientious, aware of goodness;        they are constantly solicitous to the gods' sanctuaries.        (or: the gods' daughters are constantly solicitous.) They act well and can be appropriate:        […] of all Babylon, the herd (?) of Ishtar (?). They are those liberated from service by Marduk.        He shall not rob them (?) or bring accusations against them.

* I'm extremely intrigued by this line for two reasons. First, the qadištu is the Mesopotamian equivalent of the Israelite qedešah, a "holy-woman" whom the Bible associates with both pagan religious rites and prostitution. Second, the association between gynecology ("reviving the womb") and the addition of rust or verdigris to "purifying water" is highly reminiscent of Numbers 5:17, where a priest adds dust to "holy water" to produce a potion that reveals whether a woman has been unfaithful. Is there a future paper here? Maybe!

Primary sources on this text:

Bird, Harlot or Holy Woman, pp. 289–90

Fadhil and Jiménez, "Literary Texts from the Sippar Library V," pp. 26–29

Foster, Before the Muses, p.878

Maul and Manasterska, Schreiberübungen aus neuassyrischer Zeit, pp. 112–20

[peintre-stephane]

sea racers

translated from a @lamarqueptk photo

[beth-nina]

Hands,bodies,eyes,why the hell am I writing "eyes" again,I already used it in the previous sentence. I hate the word "gaze",and it's gazing at me from the screen -damn it, I was actually writing a dialogue,fuck those eyes already.

This is literally me,and the very same mess in my head. Taking into account,I translate while writing because English is not my first language,and I'm a philologist. I just can't go on like I have no idea of word formation,clauses and tenses sequence.

This is a challenge,but it surely makes me better because I develop and grow while writing

it is honestly amazing how much of writing and editing is just. logistics. like... do i use a name here or a pronoun? if i move this dialogue tag to the middle of this line and break it in half, does the end of the line hit harder that way? what if i move the tag to the front? what if i remove it entirely? ...wait, whose point of view am i in; can i reasonably say this character is appalled, or must i say they look or seem or sound appalled? is this a deliberate action or a step-removed one; is her hand closing on his shoulder, or is she closing her hand on his shoulder? environment environment environment, we need to break all this dialogue up with some narration, the scene is coming untethered. what! are! they doing! with! the rest of their bodies that are not hands! fuck fuck fuck FUCK i forgot we covered this two chapters ago and now i either need to cut this whole chunk or find a reason to reprise the conversation from earlier. name or pronoun? name or pronoun? name or pronoun? move this clause around in this sentence? oh i'll add this phrase-- nope, never mind, past!me added the same phrase two lines down. okay, if i add too much environmental narration it's going to take away from this bit, but not enough and it won't feel grounded. what if i move this to its own line? where the FUCK are their hands?

[ambermintxo00]

You’re either intrigued or in denial pm let's chat.......

[victusinveritas]

Language. Is. Power. (Naked force is also power. Food is power. Water is power. Lots of things are power. But also language.)

https://lgbtq.yale.edu/posts/2025-01-30-new-documentary-1946-the-mistranslation-that-shifted-culture

It was 1946, it's amazing they didn't put in something about how Christ said 'and ye shall stone those that hold all in common even though that seems astoundingly close to what I ask of these.'

[fine-art-stephane]

Back tanned

Translated from a @jogoraz photo

[awritersrejections]

Not to kill the joke, but his last words were recorded as "Es ist gut" which means "It is good" in German. Like, still enjoy the Mood of it all, but small fact check (source)

bro same

[marimayscarlett]

Interview with Richard and Schneider with radioeins // 27th September 2004

Recently, I came across this old interview (posted by @gralto, thank you!) with Richard and Schneider, which was conducted on the release date of the 'Reise Reise' album. It's almost an hour long, so I picked out some of the parts I deemed interesting and attempted to translate them adequately (as the interview is not widely known and only available in German). Among other things, there are facts about how the song ‘Dalai Lama’ got its title, why the band was not in a celebratory mood on this release day and how Richard once lost sight of his microphone. More details under the cut 📖

-> How 'Dalai Lama' got its title ☸ Richard: "It’s a modern version of the 'Erlkönig' [poem by J.W. von Goethe], as you can hear. And with us, it’s always like that; we of course have certain types of working titles. First there’s the musical idea and then sometime later, a title gets added. And basically, the song was called ‚Delay Lama‘ at some point. There is such an effect, a plug-in [in the recording studio]. Yet Dalai Lama is a monk. And the mixture of these was a funny monk who creates a certain effect, so to speak. So we called the song 'Delay Lama', which was renamed into 'Dalai Lama' at some point. We debated calling it in the final form 'Dalai Lama' or ‚Erlkönig‘. Other ideas surfaced, like 'Er-L-König'. And then we said, okay, let’s leave it at 'Dalai Lama'.

-> On Rammstein's reputation 💬 Interviewer: "When I hear such lyrics, I ask myself, why these prejudices exist that Rammstein has somehow mundane lyrics and contents, and is somehow dull and stupid. Because that’s literary, romantic. Till Lindemann also released a poetry book. Why isn't this noticed?"

Schneider: "During the time after we released our first album, we got the reputation of being a blunt band from the East, who hasn’t much to say and maybe has rightwing tendencies, with which we wanted nothing to do. Since then, we have this reputation and it’s difficult to get rid of it. We’d wish that people would put in the effort to really listen to the lyrics, since they’re extraordinary in the music landscape of Germany, as far as I see it. […] Maybe some day this general opinion will change, maybe it won’t, maybe this reputation will cling to us forever." Richard: "Nope, and currently I just thing that I don’t want to even talk about it anymore – I know the truth and that’s enough for me." Schneider: "That’s it. You can’t override the rumors with words, you just can’t."

-> Richard's first experience in a West Berlin night club 🦇 Richard: "It was about four, five months before the wall came down. I don’t know, I got off the plane there and it was so dark. The streets were dark and I went to, I think it was the 'Trash' [night club in Berlin which doesn’t exist anymore; mostly for heavier music] for the first time. And somehow I thought „What is this place??“ Everyone [looked like] vampires. I kind of got scared a little bit."

-> Why the band didn't celebrate their own album release 💿 Richard: "No, we're under a bit of stress at the moment, since we’re preparing the tour and that causes a bit of fuss [he means they’re quarreling in the band a bit]. And with Rammstein it’s often like that, since there’s going to be a big show and a lot of things have to be clarified and it’s a currently a bit exhausting, since we also do the promotion on the side and we have to get involved in every matter and it's very stressful at the moment because we haven't had time to really celebrate the album. That's a shame really."

(Schneider sounded a bit annoyed by his other band mates regarding that matter – he only said "I won't say anything about it 😑").

-> No music theft ❌ Richard: "I’m against musical theft. Definitely. Because I think you should reward art or music somehow. There are people who spend hours, days, months, years creating music and you just shouldn’t steal [he means pirating music] it. I think that’s wrong."

-> Mic theft ✅ Richard: "There once was a funny incident. We once had a gig for fans and it [the whistling in 'Engel'] was played via playback – and in the beginning of the song, the guitarist stand on stage [to whistle] and I always close my eyes, to portray it as serious as possible. And in that moment the guys just snatched the mic away from me. And the whistling came anyway. And then I open my eyes and the microphone was gone. That was quite funny."

-> On Aljoscha and the end of Feeling B 🎸 Schneider: "He [Aljoscha] never really could get accustomed to it. For him, the beginning of Rammsteing meant more or less the end of Feeling B. And Rammstein was created during a time in which Feeling B came to an end. During that time, it wasn’t fun touring with Feeling B anymore, and you realised that the time for this band was over. And for Aljoscha it was hard to come to terms with this. Same with Flake. He also found it difficult to part with it. It was like a different career. They were together since 1980 and really were successful in the East."

-> fitting tracks for intimate moments 💋 Richard: "What always works with success is Peter Gabriel, 'Passion'. […] What works as well, is Jeff Buckley. That also works really well." Schneider: "I only say 'Wish you were here', Pink Floyd. Hours of soundscapes are created there." Richard: "That would do absolutely nothing for me."

-> no more remixes 🙅‍♂️ Richard: "I for one don’t like remixes anymore. I think this topic is done. I have no ambitions in this direction whatsoever."

-> Never miss an opportunity to compliment a woman 🍀 Richard: "Thank you for having us. And I just wanted to tell you, you have a wonderful voice!" [He is right, the interviewer really had a very soothing voice!]

[oldenglishtextposts]

all the talk of translation theory yesterday reminded me of a project i did last year that you all might enjoy

last fall i reread the wanderer and was playing around with translating it, and the old english is full of modern cognates, some of which still match up well, and some that really don't. and when you're translating, there's something enticing about preserving those cognates, even if they don't really work, which i decided to take to the extreme by only using cognates. if one wasn't immediately obvious, i tried to find an obscure one with wiktionary and the oed, and if they didn't have one, i did my best to make one up. i also did my best to copy all of the formatting, including capitals and punctuation, from the manuscript. the result is absolute nonsense that no one, including me, can read. it was so much fun.

if you're curious about the original and an actual translation, you can find them on oepoetryfacsimile.org under the exeter book tab.

i'll put most of it under the cut so i don't clog up your dash

OFTEN him one haw ar bides metod’s milds though that 

he mind caring yond lake lead long should to rear 

mid hands rime cold sea wade wretch lasts weird 

bees fully read. So quoth earth stepper. arvoth minding

wrathful wal slaughters wine may’s hurts. Often I should

one ute which my cares quoth nis now quick 

none the i him mood sef my dare

swutol say i to sooth wit that bees in earl’s indrighten thew

that he ferth locker fast binds holds his hoard

coffin huges so he will. No may weary mood words with

stand no so rough huge help frame. forthat doom

yearners dreary often in their breast coffins bind

fast so i mood sef my should. often arm caring

ethel dealed free mays far fetters sealed since

years yu gold wine my ruse’s holster wried and 

i hean thence waded winter caring over waves bound.

sought sele dreary sink’s brit where i far or 

nigh find might than in mead hall my 

wited or me friend less refrain would weme mid

wins wit so that kins how slithe bees sorrow to fere

them that him little has loves holas awares hi

m wretch last nall wound gold ferth locker freezy

nall fold’s blast. minds he sele segs and sele theg how him

in youth his gold wine weaned to wist win all drowsed

forthat wit so that shall his friend drighten love’s lore qu

ides long forthole. when sorrow and sleep samod ga

thered arm one haw often bind. thinks him in 

mood that he his man lord clip and kiss and on knee

lay hand and head, so he while ere in yeardays 

gift stool’s brooked. when wakes eft wineless gome

sees him before fallow waves bathing brim fowl

bread feathers reos rime and snow hail mingled.

Then bees the heavy heart ben sore after swas

sorrow bees newed then may’s mind mood yond whar

fed greets glee staffs yearny yond sees seg’s 

selds swims often on way floating ferth not

there fele brings couth quoth yeds care bees 

newed that the send shall swith enough over wave’s 

bound weary sef. forthat i think not may 

yond this world for what mood sef mine sworks 

when i earl’s life all yond think how he ferly flet 

offgave moody magu thanes so this middle yard

all dogor’s whos drearys and falls. forthat no may

worths wise wer ere he owns winter’s deal in world’s rich

witas shall thuldy. not shall no too hot heart not too rad

word. not weak wye. not too wan hidey. not too fort. not too fain. not too

fee givre. not never yelp too yern ere he yer can.

baron shall abide when he beot speaks oth that 

collen ferth can yer whither rether huged wharve 

will. Onget shall glew hale how ghostly bees when

all this world’s weal wested stands. so now missly 

yond this middle yard wind waws walls sta

nd rime reos rithy the edors wear the wine 

sele wardens lie dream drowsed douth all cringed

wlonk by wall some wiys nimed ferried in forthway

some fowl oth bore over high holm some so hoar wolf

death dealed some dreary leer in earth scraf earl

hid ith so this earth yard elde shaper oth that 

berg wers breatmas less old ent’s works idle stood.

So then this wall stall wise thought and this dark life deep

yond think frood in ferth far often minds wal slaughters

worn and this word quoth. where came mare. where came mago.

where came mathom giver. where came symbel’s seats. where

sind sele dreams. hello bright bun. hello burn wig. hello 

theoden’s thrim. how so throw wat nip under night helm

so she not were. Stands now in last loved douth wall

wonderously high wormly faw. earls fornom ash’s thrith

weapons wal greedy weird so mere and this stone lith sto

rms kniss rith reosing ruse binds winter’s woom

then wan comes nipes night shadow north sends rough 

hail fare hales in onde. all is arvoth earth’s 

rich wends weird’s shaft world under heavens.

here bees fee lean. here bees friend lean. here bees man lean.

here bees may lean all this earth’s stall idle worths

So quoth snotor in mind sat him asunder at 

rune till bees so the his truth holds not shall never

his torn too rechen baron of his breast cuths nimth

he ere the boot cans earl mid ellen frames well 

bees them the him ar seeks frover to father in heaven

there us all so fastly stand :-:7

[memoirofrati]

[agony-below-the-code]

NOBODY CARES, LOSER

(Note: all translations are copied exactly, any mistakes are mistakes present in the source)

[peintre-stephane]

singleton

translated from a @zen-63 photo