Monday 17 March 2014

商店街 / Shopping Arcades

買い物苦手な私はスーパーやショッピングセンターへ買い物に足を運びますが、商店街で買い物する魅力にはやっぱり負けます。近年商店街ではシャッターが下ろしている店が多いです。活気のある商店街を歩きましたら、好奇心が湧きます。色々な店を除いたり、美味しそうな香りに誘惑されたりします。先日京都で時間を潰すために駅までぶらぶらと遠回りしました。生チョコの香りに引かれて、チョコレート屋を覗きましたら、店長に「見るだけでも良いですよ」と。作っている純米ココア酒について色々と話してくれました。次は煎餅屋さんで美味しい煎餅を三袋買いました。以外と楽しく買い物しました。

I don’t really like shopping. I go to the supermarket or shopping centre to buy what I need. Window shopping bores me. A work meeting, the other day, finished earlier than expected, so I had time on my hands. I decided to take the long way to the station and walk through the shopping arcade. In recent years, many stores in shopping arcades across Japan have shut their roller doors for good. The deeper I walked through the lively arcade along Sanjo, central Kyoto, the more my curiosity was piqued. Tempting, delicious aromas wafted out of shop fronts as I passed. One aroma emitting from a chocolate shop drew me in. The shop owner struck up a conversation with me and gave me a taste of his cocoa sake. Next, I bought three bags of rice-crackers from the friendly old guy who runs the cracker shop. I actually enjoyed window shopping, that day. Shopping arcades are definitely more appealing than huge shopping centres. If only everyone else agreed, a lot of them would not be ghost towns.

The Japanese version first appeared in the March 2013 issue of the goodspeed monthly newsletter.
日本語バージョンはグッドスピードレター2013年3月号に掲載されました。

Monday 3 March 2014

愛は勝つ / Love Always Wins

I received a rush job at the end of the last year to translate the lyrics to a song. When I heard it was Kan's Ai wa katsu I jumped at the chance. The song was released in the summer of 1990, just before I arrived in Japan, and was Kan's biggest hit. I was a big fan of his and I used to sing this song at karaoke often.
去年末に歌詞を翻訳する急ぎの依頼を受けました。その曲はKANの「愛は勝つ」と聞いて迷わず引き受けました。この曲は1990年夏、私が来日するちょうど前にリリースされて、KANにとって最大のヒットでした。私はKANの大ファンで 「愛は勝つ」をカラオケでよく歌っていました。

In the 90s, I sometimes attempted writing English lyrics to Japanese songs, but for some unknown reason it seems I had never attempted this one. I know the song backwards, so it was easier than working with a song I am unfamiliar with. As anyone who has ever tried writing English lyrics to Japanese songs knows,  Japanese melodies have many more notes than English ones, because the Japanese language doesn't really allow for contractions, such as "don't", "can't", "I'll" and so on. So I had to add to the imagery of the lyrics, which was difficult while maintaining the integrity of the original lyrics and melody. I only altered the melody in the second verse, which starts "Look up into the night...," giving the English lyrics the same melody as the first verse, "Don't you worry yourself..."
昔、大好きな邦楽の曲に英語歌詞を時々趣味としてつけたりしていましたが、この曲の英訳がメモ帳に残っていないということはきっと挑戦しませんでした。不思議です。馴染みのある曲なので、全然知らない曲より英語歌詞がよりつけやすかったです。しかし、英語歌詞を書く経験のある方がご存知の通り、邦楽は英語の曲よりメロディーが多いし、英語のように「don't」や「can't」、「I'll」の様な省略がないし、原曲の歌詞とメロディーにできるだけ忠実でありながら、英語に歌詞を増やす必要がありました。結局メロディーを変えたのが1カ所のみ。日本語歌詞に当たる「夜空に流星を...」の箇所を「心配ないからね...」と同じメロディーにしました。 

I finished the lyrics in three days and met my deadline, but they were never used in the planned TV show earlier this year. I thought it was a waste, so have posted them here.
三日に歌詞を仕上げて納期を間に合いましたが、予定通り今年1月に放送された番組に利用されませんでした。折角作ったのに勿体ないと思って、ここで掲載します。

Here is the version Kan recorded with other Japanese singers for Ganbaro Nippon to raise funds for the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.
以下は「愛は勝つ」の「かんばろうニッポン」バージョンです。




Love Always Wins (愛は勝つ)
Music & Original Lyrics: KAN
English Lyrics: George Bourdaniotis

Don’t you worry yourself
Someone out there feels your love
A new day will dawn for you
And together you’ll start anew
Whatever comes your way
Don’t you let it get you down
Though you want to hide away
You just need belief in yourself

Carry on, carry out
Love will bring pain
You feel you are chained
Waiting forever
Will seem in vain
Tender arms to give you some warmth Oh…Oh…
Through all you see
Remember your dream
Hold it to you
Remember the scenes
Memories of happiness Oh…

Look up into the night
If you see a falling star
Close your eyes and make a wish
You will sense a moment of bliss
Whatever comes your way
Don’t you let it get you down
Faith is all you really need
Have no doubt that love always wins in the end

Carry on, carry out
You’ll try too hard
And feel your heart break
You’ll be betrayed
It’s all give and take
Love takes time to bloom and to grow Oh…Oh…
You feel that day
Seems so faraway
When it’s in reach
You will find a way
Happiness takes hold of your heart Oh…

Don’t you worry yourself
Someone out there needs your strength
A new day will dawn for you
And together you’ll start anew
Whatever comes your way
Don’t you let it get you down
Faith is all you really need
Have no doubt that love always wins in the end
Faith is all you really need
Have no doubt that love always wins in the end

(c) English lyrics: George Bourdaniotis & Media Egg Communications