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Virgo tries translyrics for fun and... boredom. I guess.

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Amazing_Grace:

--- Quote from: Virgofall on May 18, 2014, 10:10:57 pm ---I think I can blame my fondness for making translyrics from the fact that I tend to be very, very nitpicky with how things look and sound (well, okay, I'm nitpicky with a lot of things in general but besides the point). It can be a very rewarding effort given time and practice, though, so I definitely encourage it. (I think the main issue with translyrics is being able to keep a balance between something sensical, singable, and as close to an original's meaning as possible... which would make some songs, like Smoky Thrill or Kazahana, a bit difficult)
I've mostly been doing only short-size versions, though, over full-size. I may think of doing a full-size one at some point, but at this point probably not. (As it is, it's hard enough to find the karaoke for many.)

Acceleration was the song given to the OFA rival, Leon. (I know you've had trouble with YouTube links yourself, but it's more generally accessible than NND)


--- End quote ---

Just finished my first and so far only attempt literally under a minute ago. :P

Yeah, that's how I feel about a lot of songs. Translyrics just don't sound right sometimes--"where's that line?! THIS LINE IS WRONG!" XD This one in particular I just did because no one else ever has, and I wanted to be the first. :P Maybe when I get a good enough group, I'll follow your example and let you all see 'em. :P In any case, listened to Acceleration and now I can see how those lyrics fit nicely. You're good at this. XD

Cael K.:
Hey, I learned a new word today! Translyrics...

Speaking of which, I have some lyrics sitting around that have been like, 90% complete for around 5 or 6 months now. I should finish them sometime. Either way, I've only done this a few times (e.g. twice to any state of completion, among various other abandoned efforts), but I might as well share what I've found out myself. Maybe you've run into this stuff yourself, though.

Fair warning: I've been told I'm really, extremely picky about these, and I think I agree. I actually assume that I can't write anything I'll be happy with unless I have multiple bouts of inspiration that make me think otherwise. The songs weren't made with English in mind after all.

The big barometer test for me is singing what I've written. If at any point I think, "What the heck am I singing?" then that's a good sign I need to go back to the drawing board... in other words, I listen to that voice in my head that says I sound like an idiot. You should too. ^_^;

I don't feel the need to do a line-by-line translation, or even a literal one. Not even official translyrics do that when they exist, and honestly... literal translations aren't fun at all. So I don't do them. Heck, if the song has English lyrics already and they sound like random words out of a dictionary... I might get some hate from purists, but if there's no way they can make intelligible sense, they gotta go.

Sometimes if a line just isn't working out, I look at the rest of the verse and see if there's some reshuffling I can do. Sometimes I'll feel like I have to play with the notes as well to make things work. Every time I do that, I ask myself if it's really necessary, but sometimes it's okay as long as you can make it sound like it was part of the song originally.

Next important thing for me is figuring out how each phrase flows, and for me, it's not enough to make the syllable count match up. I'm not sure I can explain this very well, but more or less, there are some natural word boundaries in phases (which can change depending on the language), and it's awkward to keep a word going through them. Also, some phrases have a point where they're most accented, and some have a section that's not as prominent as the rest. When I see this happening, I try to fit the important parts in the sections that stand out, and leave the rest for the supporting ideas... if you understand what I'm saying.

There are also words that can stop the flow of the phrase, or start it/end it more abruptly than you'd like. Then there are those times when you realize the words you chose make the song into a tongue twister. Nothing you can do except find another way to line up your words.

If you find you've translated a section using way fewer syllables than was in the original song, you can try to get creative with what you have already. You could also find another way to say the exact same thing again, and repeat it for emphasis. You could also add embellishment... just whatever you think'll sound good in the end.

Virgofall:
Eh, I'm not sure if "translyrics" is an actual word, but I've seen them referred to as such in some videos and I think it's a good description for what I'm trying to do.

--- Quote from: Cael K. on May 19, 2014, 09:34:52 am ---The big barometer test for me is singing what I've written. If at any point I think, "What the heck am I singing?" then that's a good sign I need to go back to the drawing board... in other words, I listen to that voice in my head that says I sound like an idiot. You should too. ^_^;
--- End quote ---
I do this all the time, not just with my own lyrics but others' too (considering half the point of making lyrics is to try to make them sound good).
As for some other points - making lyrics flow, especially - I do understand what you're saying. It's why one of those lines from Mahou has been making me feel a bit irked; it doesn't work too well.
In any case, thanks for your input and advice, as I'm sure it'll be of use.

Virgofall:
Since I've been doing a lot of other things at once at this current time, I've been neglecting this thread... not that there's a whole lot to neglect, anyway. I had done a new, though rough, set of lyrics...

Furufuru Future

Based on wiki, but uses the credited translation to reference some points. A song I'm personally meh on, but it's so... dang... catchy... @.@ While I admit that the set comes off as a bit aggressive, well. Consider whose image song it is, she IS quite aggressive in her feelings for PC-P as it is...
July 13, 2014 Replaced a line (thank you for the assistance, Amazing_Grace), made small edits to another


--- Quote ---I love you, my honey
You're just like a strawberry
So sweet and pure of heart;
Please don't ever look away from me

Hey, why won't you do it?
I can't keep on waiting
You said that you'd give me a kiss, didn't you promise me one?
Hey, what is wrong with you?
You just look oh-so-flustered
This isn't something that's typical for you...
Why don't we just go, somewhere, just the two of us
Get a plane on charter
We'll fly away, find somewhere new! I know you know it's not that hard to do

Please tell me, my honey; what color will the future take?
When I think of you a "thump-thump" keeps pounding in me
What is this feeling?
I love you, my honey; even though you're like an orange
So sweet but sometimes sour;
Please don't ever look away, oh

I love you, my honey; we both make up "the future"
Like one clang to another, I want to hear our wedding bells
Please don't ever look away from me!
--- End quote ---

I doubt these will be easy to reform into a M@STER, but since I don't make them focused on the master... not that, for most songs, I can even FIND their master. |:

I'll probably post at some later point a sample of my own singing to get actual feedback on that... would help if it were easy to find decent offvocals, but.

Amazing_Grace:
Still singable, so I'd say you're doing a great job!

As for the line in green...maybe something like, "We'll fly away, find somewhere new! I know you know it's not that hard to do."?

...I'm still new at this, so excuse me if despite my best efforts, any suggestions I give you on lyrics are ten times worse than what you already have. :P

In any case, that should fit if I went through the lyrics right.

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